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The historicity of Jesus concerns the Historical Authenticity of Jesus of Nazareth. Scholars often draw a distinction between Jesus as reconstructed through historical methods and the Christ of faith as understood through theological tradition. The historical figure of Jesus is of central importance to many religions, but especially Christianity and Islam , in which the historical details of Jesus’ life are essential. Most scholars in the fields of syncretized from various non-Abrahamic deities and heroes. Michael Martin ; John Mackinnon Robertson ; G.A. Wells . The Jesus Legend , Chicago: Open Court, 1996, p xii. The four canonical Gospel s and the Writings Of Paul of the New Testament are among the earliest known documents relating to Jesus' life. Some scholars also hypothesize the existence of early texts such as the Signs Gospel and the Q Document . There are arguments that the Gospel Of Thomas is likewise an early text. Many later texts provide valuable historical information as well. Scholarly opinions on the historicity of the New Testament accounts are diverse. At the extremes, they range from the view that they are Inerrant descriptions of the life of Jesus, Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), pages 90-91 to the view that they provide no historical information about his life.1 As with all historical sources, scholars ask: to what extent did the authors' motivations shape the texts, what sources were available to them, how soon after the events described did they write, and whether or not these factors lead to inaccuracies such as exaggerations or inventions. EARLIEST KNOWN SOURCES Christian writings Jesus is featured throughout the New Testament and other early Christian writings, as can be seen in such works as the Gospels , the Pauline Epistles , the book of Acts , the writings of the early Church Fathers, and the New Testament Apocrypha . Gospels See Also: Gospels Synoptic problem Authorship of the Johannine works , a papyrus fragment from a codex (''c''. 90-160), one of the earliest known New Testament manuscripts.]] The most detailed sources of historical information about Jesus in the Bible are the four canonical Gospels: the . The extent to which these sources are interrelated, or used related source material, is known as the Synoptic Problem . The date, authorship, access to eyewitnesses, and other essential questions of historicity depend on the various solutions to this problem. The four canonical Gospels are anonymous. The introduction to Luke mentions other accounts by eyewitnesses, and claims to have "diligently investigated all things from the beginning". The epilogue to John states that "these things" are testified to by the , an Apostle of Jesus; Mark was written by Mark , a disciple of Simon Peter, who was an apostle; Luke was written by Luke , who was a disciple of Paul; John was written by John , who was an apostle. The first three Gospels, known as the synoptic gospels, share much material. As a result of various scholarly hypotheses attempting to explain this interdependence, the traditional association of the texts with their authors has become the subject of criticism. Though some solutions retain the traditional authorship,For an overview of the synoptic problem that discusses the traditional view in detail, see Drane, ''Introducing the New Testament'' (San Francisco: Harper Row, 1986) chapter 11. Also, see Donald Guthrie, ''New Testament Introduction'' (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1990) other solutions reject some or all of these claims. The solution most commonly held in academia today is the , ''Redating the New Testament.'' Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1985. pp.86-92. John is most often dated to 90-100,Brown 7 though a date as early as the 60s, and as late as the second century have been argued by a few.For an early date, see: J. A. T. Robinson, ''Redating the New Testament'', and William F. Albright, ''Towards a More Conservative View'', in Christianity Today (18 January 1963); for a late date, see R. Bultmann, ''Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate''; for a brief overview, see also this article at bethinking.org "Thus our prime sources about the life of Jesus were written within about fifty years of his death by people who perhaps knew him, but certainly by people who knew people who knew him. If this is beginning to sound slightly second hand, we may wish to consider two points. First... most ancient and medieval history was written from a much greater distance. Second, all the Gospel writers could have talked to people who were actually on the spot, and while perhaps not eyewitnesses themselves, their position is certainly the next best thing."Jo Ann H. Moran Cruz and Richard Gerberding, ''Medieval Worlds: An Introduction to European History'' Houghton Mifflin Company 2004, pp. 44-45 Mainstream scholars hold that the authors wrote with certain motivations and a view to a particular community and its needs. They regard it as virtually certain the authors relied on various sources, including their own knowledge and the testimony of eyewitnesses. The later authors did not write in ignorance of some texts that preceded them, as is claimed explicitly by the author of Luke. The extent to which the Gospels were subject to additions, . Other issues with the historicity of the Gospels include possible conflicts with each other, or with other historical sources. The most frequent suggestions of conflict relate to the Pauline Epistles See Also: Pauline epistles Authorship of the Pauline epistles Jesus is also the subject of the writings of Paul Of Tarsus , who wrote letters to various churches and individuals from ''c''. 48-68. Paul was not an eyewitness of Jesus' life, though he knew some of Jesus' disciples including Simon Peter , and claimed knowledge of Jesus through Visions . There are traditionally fourteen letters attributed to Paul, thirteen of which claim to be written by Paul, with one anonymous letter. Current scholarship is in a general consensus in considering at least seven of the letters to be written by Paul, with views varying concerning the remaining works. In his letters, Paul quoted Jesus several times,Society of Biblical Studies, The Harper Collins NRSV Study Bible, San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989, 2141, see Rom 14:14; 1 Cor 7:10; 9:14 and also offered details on the life of Jesus. In his First Epistle To The Thessalonians Paul says in chapter , speaking about his fellow Jews, that they "...killed the Lord Jesus..." He also quotes Jesus in chapter . In his , written at least twenty but probably thirty or forty years after Galatians, gives a more detailed account of the Council in chapter . In Paul's First Epistle To The Corinthians he says in chapter that the "...rulers of this age...", Paul's age, "...crucified the Lord...". He then quotes what he says are commands of "the Lord" regarding the unacceptability of divorce in . In he references "the Lord's brothers" and their wives and again quotes Jesus in . Paul then gives a description of the Last Supper in . He then, in , talks about Jesus' death and resurrection and witnesses to it. Paul also talks about Jesus' human and divine natures in his letter to the Philippians in and his letter to the Romans in . Ancient Creeds The authors whose works are contained in the New Testament sometimes quote from creeds, or confessions of faith, that obviously predate their writings. Scholars suppose that some of these creeds date to within a few years of Jesus' death, and were developed within the Christian community in Jerusalem.A basic text is that of Oscar Cullmann, available in English in a translation by J. K. S. Reid titled, ''The Earliest Christian Confessions'' (London: Lutterworth, 1949) Though embedded within the texts of the New Testament, these creeds are a distinct source for early Christianity. reads: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." This contains a Christian creed of pre-Pauline origin.Neufeld, ''The Earliest Christian Confessions'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) p. 47; Reginald H. Fuller, ''The Formation of the Resurrection Narratives'' (New York: Macmillan, 1971) p. 10; Wolfhart Pannenberg, ''Jesus – God and Man'' translated Lewis Wilkins and Duane Pribe (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968) p. 90; Oscar Cullmann, ''The Earlychurch: Studies in Early Christian History and Theology'', ed. A. J. B. Higgins (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966) p. 64; Hans Conzelmann, ''1 Corinthians'', translated James W. Leitch (Philadelphia: Fortress 1969) p. 251; Bultmann, ''Theology of the New Testament'' vol. 1 pp. 45, 80-82, 293; R. E. Brown, ''The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus'' (New York: Paulist Press, 1973) pp. 81, 92 The antiquity of the creed has been located by many Biblical scholars to less than a decade after Jesus' death, originating from the Jerusalem apostolic community.see Wolfhart Pannenberg, ''Jesus – God and Man'' translated Lewis Wilkins and Duane Pribe (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968)p. 90; Oscar Cullmann, ''The Early church: Studies in Early Christian History and Theology'', ed. A. J. B. Higgins (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966) p. 66-66; R. E. Brown, ''The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus'' (New York: Paulist Press, 1973) pp. 81; Thomas Sheehan, ''First Coming: How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity'' (New York: Random House, 1986 pp. 110, 118; Ulrich Wilckens, ''Resurrection'' translated A. M. Stewart (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1977) p. 2; Hans Grass, ''Ostergeschen und Osterberichte'', Second Edition (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1962) p96; Grass favors the origin in Damascus. Concerning this creed, Campenhausen wrote, "This account meets all the demands of historical reliability that could possibly be made of such a text,"Hans von Campenhausen, "The Events of Easter and the Empty Tomb," in ''Tradition and Life in the Church'' (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968) p. 44 whilst A. M. Hunter said, "The passage therefore preserves uniquely early and verifiable testimony. It meets every reasonable demand of historical reliability."Archibald Hunter, ''Works and Words of Jesus'' (1973) p. 100 Other relevant creeds which predate the texts wherein they are found that have been identified are : "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God",Cullmann, ''Confessions'' p. 32 : "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, this is my Gospel",Bultmann, ''Theology of the New Testament'' vol 1, pp. 49, 81; Joachim Jeremias, ''The Eucharistic Words of Jesus'' translated Norman Perrin (London: SCM Press, 1966) p. 102 : "regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.",Wolfhart Pannenberg, ''Jesus – God and Man'' translated Lewis Wilkins and Duane Pribe (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968) pp. 118, 283, 367; Neufeld, ''The Earliest Christian Confessions'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) pp. 7, 50; C. H. Dodd, ''The Apostolic Preaching and its Developments'' (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980) p. 14 and : "He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory," an early creedal hymn.Reginald Fuller, '' The Foundations Of New Testament Christology '' (New York: Scriner's, 1965) pp. 214, 216, 227, 239; Joachim Jeremias, ''The Eucharistic Words of Jesus'' translated Norman Perrin (London: SCM Press, 1966) p. 102; Neufeld, ''The Earliest Christian Confessions'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) pp. 7, 9, 128 New Testament apocrypha Jesus is a large factor in New Testament apocrypha, works excluded from the Canon as it developed because they were judged not to be Inspired . These texts are almost entirely dated to the mid second century or later, though a few texts, such as the Didache , may be first century in origin. Some of these works are discussed below: =Gnostic texts '', ''Treatise on Resurrection'', and the '' Apocryphon Of John '', the latter of which opens with the following: It happened one day when John, the brother of James — who are sons of Zebedee — went up and came to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said to him: "Where is your master whom you followed?" And he said to them: "He has gone to the place from which he came." The Pharisee said to him: "This Nazarene deceived you all with deception and filled your ears with lies and closed your hearts and turned you from the traditions of your fathers."''Apocryphon of John'' 1:5-17 Of all the Gnostic texts, however, the '' Gospel Of Thomas '' had drawn the most attention. It contains a list of sayings attributed to Jesus. Though it lacks a narrative of Jesus treating his deeds in a historical sense, and though it is generally dated to the second century, other scholars contend for an early date of perhaps 50, citing a relationship to the hypothetical Q Document among other reasons.Miller 6; it also is not quoted in any contemporary writings, and suffers from a paucity of manuscripts, see these articles at answers.org and ntcanon.org Early Church fathers Early Christian sources outside the New Testament also mention Jesus and details of his life. Important texts from the Apostolic Fathers are, to name just the most significant and ancient, Clement Of Rome (''c.'' 100),Clement, ''Corinthians'' 42 Ignatius Of Antioch (''c.'' 107-110),Ignatius, '' Letter To The Trallians '' 9, '' Letter To The Smyrneans '' 1, 3 Justin Martyr ,Justin, ''First Apology'' 30, 32, 34-35, 47-48, 50; ''Dialogue with Trypho'' 12, 77, 97, 107-108, &c. and others. Perhaps the most significant Patristic sources are the early references of Papias and Quadratus (d. 124), mostly reported by Eusebius in the fourth century, which both mention eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry and healings who were still alive in their own time (the late first century). Papias, in giving his sources for the information contained in his (largely lost) commentaries, stated (according to Eusebius ): : ''…if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders should come my way, I inquired about the words of the elders — is, what to the elders Andrew or Peter said, or Philip, or Thomas or James, or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and the elder John, the Lord’s disciples, were saying.''translation by Richard Bauckham in his ''Jesus and the Eyewitnesses'' (Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2006), pp. 15-16. Thus, while Papias was collecting his information (''c''. 90), Aristion and the elder John (who were Jesus’ disciples) were still alive and teaching in Asia minor, and Papias gathered information from people who had known them.Richard Bauckham, ''Jesus and the Eyewitnesses'' (Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2006), pp. 15-21. Another Father, Quadratus, who wrote an apology to the emperor Hadrian , was reported by Eusebius to have stated: : ''The words of our Savior were always present, for they were true: those who were healed, those who rose from the dead, those who were not only seen in the act of being healed or raised, but were also always present, not merely when the Savior was living on earth, but also for a considerable time after his departure, so that some of them survived even to our own times.''Quoted in Eusebius, ''Ecclesiastical History'' 4.3.2, translation by Richard Bauckham in his ''Jesus and the Eyewitnesses'' (Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2006), p. 53. By “our Savior” Quadratus means Jesus, and by “our times” it has been argued that he may refer to his early life, rather than when he wrote (117-124), which would be a reference contemporary with Papias.Richard Bauckham, ''Jesus and the Eyewitnesses'' (Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2006), pp. 53l. Greco-Roman sources See Also: Yeshu Yuz Asaf Of the non-Christian writings from that time that have been preserved, very few mention Jesus or Christianity, and for that matter few of their authors showed much interest in ). There is an obscure reference to a Jewish leader called "Chrestus" in Suetonius. Pliny condemned Christians as easily-led fools. Josephus See Also: Josephus on Jesus Flavius Josephus (c. 37 –c. 100 ), a Jew and Roman citizen who worked under the patronage of the Flavians , wrote the '' Antiquities Of The Jews '' in 93. In it, Jesus is mentioned twice. In the second very brief mentioning, Josephus calls James, "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ".Josephus '' Antiquities 20:9.1 '' This is considered by the majority of scholars to be authentic,Louis H. Feldman, "Josephus" Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, pp. 990–91 though a few have raised doubts.2 More notably, in the Testimonium Flavianum , it is written: About this time came Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it is appropriate to call him a man. For he was a performer of paradoxical feats, a teacher of people who accept the unusual with pleasure, and he won over many of the Jews and also many Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon the accusation of the first men amongst us, condemned him to be crucified, those who had formerly loved him did not cease follow him , for he appeared to them on the third day, living again, as the divine prophets foretold, along with a myriad of other marvellous things concerning him. And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.Josephus '' Antiquities 18.3.3 '' Concerns have been raised about the authenticity of the passage, at least in part, and it is widely held by scholars that part of the passage is an '' 1.47 as it seems to suggest in the quote above. Michael L. White argued against authenticity, citing that parallel sections of Josephus's ''Jewish War'' do not mention Jesus, and that some Christian writers as late as the third century, who quoted from the ''Antiquities'', do not mention the passage. Michael L. White, ''From Jesus to Christianity.'' HarperCollinsPublishers, 2004. P. 97–98 While very few scholars believe the whole testimonium is genuine,i.e. Daniel-Rops, ''Silence of Jesus' Contemporaries'' p. 21 and G. R. Habermas, ''The Historical Jesus'' p. 193 most scholars have found at least some authentic words of Josephus in the passage.John Drane ''Introducing the New Testament'' (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1986) p. 138; John P. Meier. ''A Marginal Jew'' (Anchor Bible Reference Library, 1991) v.1; also, James H. Charlesworth, ''Jesus Within Judaism'' (Garden City: Doubleday, 1988) p. 96 Certain scholars of Josephus's works have observed that this portion is written in his style.Henri Daniel-Rops, ''Silence of Jesus' Contemporaries'' p. 21; J.N.D. Anderson, ''Christianity: The Witness of History'' (London: Tyndale, 1969)p. 20; F.F. Bruce, ''New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?'' (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1967) p. 108 Tacitus See Also: Tacitus on Jesus Tacitus (c. 56 –c. 117 ), writing c. 116 , included in his '' Annals '' a mention of Christianity and Christ. In describing Nero's persecution of Christians following the Great Fire Of Rome ''c''. 64, he wrote: Nero fastened the guilt starting the blaze and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea , the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.Tacitus, ''Annals'' 15.44 ([http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0077&loc=15.44 Latin , English and also here ) Tacitus simply refers to "Christus", the Latinized Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah", rather than to the name "Jesus", and he refers to Pontius Pilate as a Procurator , whereas a surviving inscription gives Pilate the title of Prefect .Robert Boyd, ''Tells, Tombs, and Treasure'' (Grand Rapids: Baker 1969) p. 183 plate available online here Concerning Tacitus's source, it was likely an imperial record, and it has been controversially speculated that this may even have been one of Pilate's reports to the emperor.F.F. Bruce, ''Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament'', (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) p. 23 R. E. Van Voorst noted the improbability that later Christians would have interpolated "such disparaging remarks about Christianity".3 (See also the Criterion Of Embarrassment .) Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman summarized the historical importance of this passage: "Tacitus's report confirms what we know from other sources, that Jesus was executed by order of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, sometime during Tiberius's reign. We learn nothing, however, about the reason for this execution, or about Jesus' life and teachings."Ehrman, p. 212 Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (c. 69 – 140 ) wrote the following in his '' Lives Of The Twelve Caesars '' about riots which broke out in the Jewish community in Rome under the emperor Claudius :
The event was noted in Acts 18:2. The term ''Chrestus'' also appears in some later texts applied to Jesus, and Robert Graves,see his translation of Suetonius, ''Claudius'' 25, in ''The Twelve Caesars'' (Baltimore: Penguin, 1957), and his introduction p. 7, cf. p. 197 among others,Francois Amiot, ''Jesus A Historical Person'' p. 8; F. F. Bruce, ''Christian Origins'' p. 21 consider it a variant spelling of Christ, or at least a reasonable spelling error. On the other hand, ''Chrestus'' was itself a common name, particularly for slaves, meaning ''good'' or ''useful''. Some scholars believe it just as likely that this passage is not a spelling error and does not refer to Jesus or Christians.R. T. France. ''The Evidence for Jesus''. (2006). Regent College Publishing ISBN 1573833703. p. 42 Because these events took place around 20 years after Jesus' death, the passage most likely is not referring to the person Jesus, although it could be referencing Christians, whom Suetonius also mentioned in regards to Nero and the fire of Rome.Suetonius, ''Nero'' 16 As such, this passage offers little information about Jesus.Ehrman, p. 212 Pliny the Younger Pliny The Younger , the provincial governor of Pontus and Bithynia , wrote to Emperor Trajan ''c''. 112 concerning how to deal with Christians, who refused to Worship The Emperor , and instead worshiped "Christus". The name "Jesus" is not used. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ — none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do — these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ. Others Thallus , whose identity is difficult to determine, is known to have written a history from the Trojan War to his own time, which was sometime in the first or early second century. His work has been lost. In discussing Jesus' crucifixion and subsequent darkness, Julius Africanus , writing ''c''. 221, referenced the lost work of Thallus: On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in his third book of ''History'', calls (as appears to me without reason) an eclipse of the sun.Julius Africanus, ''Extant Writings'' XVIII in ''Ante-Nicene Fathers'', ed. A. Roberts and J. Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973) vol. VI, p. 130 Lucian, a second century Romano-Syrian satirist, who wrote in Greek, wrote: The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day — the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account… You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.Lucian, ''The Death of Peregrine'', 11-13 in ''The Works of Lucian of Samosata'', translated by H. W. Fowler (Oxford: Clarendon, 1949) vol. 4 Celsus , though a late second-century critic of Christianity , accused Jesus of being a bastard child and a sorcerer; yet he never questions Jesus' historicity even though he hated Christianity and Jesus .Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician: Charlatan or Son of God? (1978) pp. 78–79. He is quoted as saying that Jesus was a "mere man".http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/Ap0301/CELSUS.htm The Acts of Pilate is a lost text, purportedly an official document from Pilate reporting events in Judea to the Emperor Tiberius (thus, it would have been among the ''commentaii principis''). It was mentioned by Justin Martyr , in his '' First Apology '' (''c''. 150) to Antoninus Pius , Marcus Aurelius , and Lucius Verus , who said that his claims concerning Jesus' crucifixion, and some miracles, could be verified by referencing the official record, the "Acts of Pontius Pilate".Justin Martyr, ''First Apology'' 48 With the exception of Tertullian, no other writer is known to have mentioned the work, and Tertullian's reference says that Tiberius debated the details of Jesus' life before the Senate, an event that is almost universally considered absurd.see Tertullian, ''Apology'' V There is a later apocryphal text, undoubtedly fanciful, by the same name, and though it is generally thought to have been inspired by Justin's reference (and thus to post-date his ''Apology''), it is possible that Justin actually mentioned this text, though that would give the work an unusually early date and therefore is not a straightforward identification.for a discussion, see Daniel-Rops, ''Silence of Jesus' Contemporaries'', p. 14 Jewish records See Also: Yeshu The Talmud ''Sanhedrin'' 43a, which dates to the earliest period of composition (Tannaitic period) contains the following: On the eve of the Passover, Yeshu was hanged. Forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried: "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.''The Babylonian Talmud'', translated I. Epstein (London: Soncio, 1935), vol. 3, ''Sanhedrin'' 43a, p. 281 The name '' Yeshu '' (ישו) uses the same letters as the abbreviation "Y.Sh.V." (יש״ו), which scribes use to stand for the longer phrase, "his name will be erased and its memory" (ימח שמו וזכרו ''Yemakh Shmo V-zikhro''), which signifies a Jew convicted of enticing to idolatry, whose name has been blotted out. Thus, this may be referring to somebody other than Jesus. JESUS AS A HISTORICAL PERSON See Also: Historical Jesus Quest for the Historical Jesus The '' Historical Jesus '' is a reconstruction of Jesus using modern historical methods. Most historians consider the accounts of Jesus' life to be historically useful. Paul Barnett pointed out that "scholars of Ancient History have always recognized the ' Subjectivity ' factor in their available sources" and "have so few sources available compared to their modern counterparts that they will gladly seize whatever scraps of information that are at hand." He noted that Modern History and Ancient History are two separate disciplines, with differing methods of analysis and interpretation. Paul Barnett , "Is the New Testament History?", p.1. In ''The Historical Figure of Jesus'', E.P. Sanders used Alexander The Great as a paradigm—the available sources tell us much about Alexander’s deeds, but nothing about his thoughts. "The sources for Jesus are better, however, than those that deal with Alexander" and "the superiority of evidence for Jesus is seen when we ask what he thought."Sanders 1993:3 Thus, Sanders considers the quest for the Historical Jesus to be much closer to a search for historical details on Alexander than to those historical figures with adequate documentation. Consequently, scholars like Sanders, Geza Vermes , John P. Meier , David Flusser , James H. Charlesworth , Raymond E. Brown , Paula Fredriksen and John Dominic Crossan argue that, although many readers are accustomed to thinking of Jesus solely as a theological figure whose existence is a matter only of religious debate, the four canonical Gospel accounts are based on source documents written within decades of Jesus' lifetime, and therefore provide a basis for the study of the "historical" Jesus. These historians also draw on other historical sources and archaeological evidence to reconstruct the life of Jesus in his historical and cultural context. JESUS AS MYTH See Also: Jesus myth hypothesis A few scholars have questioned the existence of Jesus as an actual historical figure. Among the proponents of non-historicity have been Bruno Bauer in the 19th century. The non-historicity thesis was somewhat influential in biblical studies during the early 20th century, and has recently been put forward in popular literature by a number of authors. Arguments for non-historicity have been advanced by George Albert Wells in '' The Jesus Legend '' and '' The Jesus Myth .'' Popular proponents have included the writers Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy in their books '' The Jesus Mysteries '' and '' Jesus And The Lost Goddess ''. Other proponents of non-historicity are Robert M. Price and Earl Doherty ('' The Jesus Puzzle '' ). The views of scholars who entirely reject Jesus' historicity are summarized in the chapter on Jesus in Will Durant 's ''Caesar and Christ''; they are based on a suggested lack of eyewitness, a lack of direct archaeological evidence, the failure of certain ancient works to mention Jesus, and some similarities between early Christianity and contemporary mythology.Durant 1944:553-7 Michael Grant stated that the view is derived from a lack of application of historical methods: :…if we apply to the New Testament, as we should, the same sort of criteria as we should apply to other ancient writings containing historical material, we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned. ... To sum up, modern critical methods fail to support the Christ myth theory. It has 'again and again been answered and annihilated by first rank scholars.' In recent years, 'no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary.M. Grant, ''Jesus: An Historian's Review'', pp. 199-200 Overall, the unhistoricity theory is regarded as effectively refuted by almost all Biblical scholars and historiansBruce, FF (1982), New Testament Documents : Are They Reliable?, InterVarsity Press, ISBN 087784691X, Herzog II, WR (2005), Prophet and Teacher, WJK, ISBN 0664225284 & 4. NOTES REFERENCES
: (1991), v. 1, ''The Roots of the Problem and the Person'', ISBN 0-385-26425-9 : (1994), v. 2, ''Mentor, Message, and Miracles'', ISBN 0-385-46992-6 : (2001), v. 3, ''Companions and Competitors'', ISBN 0-385-46993-4
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