Jesus existed
In the gospel of John we read,
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.
John’s Gospel also records,
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. John 14:8-11
The apostle Paul writes,
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures," 1 Corinthians 15:3
Martha is recorded in John’s gospel as saying,
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,...”John 11:27.
So the question becomes do you believe these Biblical references or not. The people noted that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. That he was a real person.
Outside the Bible we can read the account of
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37—100 AD), aka Joseph ben Mattathias, is one of the most important writers of antiquity. His book Jewish Antiquities has a passage most scholars accept as authentic, Josephus writes,
"Around this time lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was a worker of amazing deeds and was a teacher of people who gladly accept the truth. He won over both many Jews and many Greeks. Pilate, when he heard him accused by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, [but] those who had first loved him did not cease [doing so]. To this day the tribe of Christians named after him has not disappeared."
Pliny the Younger (61-112 AD) was a powerful Roman lawyer, senator and intellectual famed for his letters which were turned into ten popular books. In his tenth book is a letter written, #96, to Emperor Trajan asking for help with trials of accused Christians. Three times he mentions the Christians of Christ. This letter is not suspected of being a forgery by most historians. Pliny writes, in part,
“They had met regularly before dawn on a determined day, and sung antiphonally a hymn to Christ as if to a god (carmenque Christo quasi deo dicere secum invicem). They also took an oath not for any crime, but to keep from theft, robbery and adultery, not to break any promise, and not to withhold a deposit when reclaimed.”
It, I believe, is easy to say Jesus didn’t exist and say that the historical evidence is flawed. It’s much harder to believe he existed because once you admit he existed then you have to admit that what the bible says about him has to have some merit.”
Flavius Josephus and Pliny the Younger were recording who Jesus was within living memory and they say he existed.
Which brings us the next question. Who do you believe Jesus is Messiah, Christ, Son of God?
Please think about it.
