Did Jesus of Nazareth Walk the Earth?
Accepting Jesus as a great teacher, even a prophet — but not necessarily the son of God
To some, he is God; to others, he is just a prophet. Some recognize him as a philosopher who taught in the first century AD. Regardless of faith or views, almost everyone knows him, making him one of the most influential figures in history. But did Jesus really exist?
As I have pointed out in previous articles, no historical evidence exists that Jesus of Nazareth walked the Earth. Only through the writings of Christian disciples and Bible editors down through the centuries do we have the storyline of ‘Jesus Christ’ today.
This is part three of my series about a real Jesus of Nazareth walking the Earth. Click here for part two.
For this article, let’s explore….
The Early Christian Gnostics
Here is the established ‘Christ’ narrative in today’s Bible: Jesus was divine. He is the Son of God who lived among us for a while, eventually sacrificing himself for our sins and resurrecting three days after his crucifixion.
This storyline, however, wasn’t that simple among early Christians. They had a more complex and mixed understanding of his divinity, crucifixion, and resurrection.
What’s been labeled as ‘Gnosticism’ played a significant role in the early development of Christianity — especially in shaping its doctrines and theological boundaries.
The ‘Gnostics’ were a diverse group of religious movements that originated in the 1st century AD, and Gnosticism became the leading theological rival to the emerging Christian Orthodoxy. The subjects of Jesus as the ‘Christ’ and his relationship to the divine presented considerable debate among the different Gnostic groups.
The Writings of the Gnostics
In the first two centuries following the supposed death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many writings appeared, often claiming to have been penned by the Apostles of Christ. The Gospels of Peter, Thomas, and Mary are three of the various texts produced by Christian Gnostics.
Many of the gnostic texts were only known by name or brief reference from the early church leaders. For centuries, almost all that was known about Gnosticism was from those who opposed it.
Gnostics taught that salvation came through esoteric knowledge (gnosis) that revealed one’s divine origin and destiny. This knowledge was believed to liberate the divine spark within certain individuals.
Gnostic writings, such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, often presented alternative narratives about Jesus and his teachings. Interestingly, these texts were discovered in the Nag Hammadi Library in Egypt in 1945 (see below).
The Divinity of Jesus
One of the primary issues among Gnostic groups was the question of Jesus’ divinity. Unlike the emerging Christian orthodoxy — which asserted that Jesus was both human and divine — many Gnostics held different views.
Some Gnostics believed that Jesus appeared as an illusionary physical body but was purely divine. Other Gnostics argued that Jesus had a dual nature — one that was spiritual and divine, while the other was a physical body that allowed him to interact with the physical world. For these Gnostics, Jesus was a wandering teacher who presented the knowledge necessary for spiritual freedom.
Some Gnostics entirely rejected the belief that Jesus was fully divine. They said Jesus was a purely human figure God chose for a special purpose.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Gnostics were divided on whether Jesus was crucified and, if so, what teachings did such an event deliver?
The death of Jesus on the cross as a literal, historical event with theological significance was rejected by many Gnostic groups. Others took the crucifixion as symbolic or part of a bigger spiritual storyline.
Some Gnostics considered the crucifixion an illusion. They reasoned that since Jesus was purely divine and of a non-material nature, his physical pain and death on the cross were either not real or were symbolic of deeper spiritual truths.
The Resurrection of Jesus
Some Gnostics rejected the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They viewed it as a false representation of the spiritual freedom that Jesus’ teachings were meant to convey.
The Nag Hammadi Discovery
In 1945, a collection of papyrus codices was discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi. As it came to be called, the Nag Hammadi library contained 52 gnostic texts that date from the first, second, or third century AD. These texts are believed to be direct copies of the gnostic writers and provide valuable insight into their writings and beliefs.
Christian Orthodoxy Wins Out
Dissemination of gnostic texts brought about the need for the early Church Fathers to determine which texts were orthodox and which were heretical. This prompted some church leaders to compile lists upon which the Church could rely as the ‘appropriate’ scriptures.
For the early Church Fathers, the best truth would have been the ‘Jesus Christ’ storyline that would have the greatest mystical impact on people of that time and serve as the best marketing tool for the newly formed and evolving Roman Catholic Church.
Early Church Fathers considered Gnosticism heretical and argued against its teachings. Despite its initial influence, Gnosticism gradually declined as the Church Fathers favored the scriptures that best represented ‘orthodox’ Christianity. In the third century AD, the newly formed Roman Catholic Church ultimately excluded all heretical texts — gnostic and otherwise — from the canonical Bible. Click here for my article on this subject.
Discovery of the Gospel of Barnabas
In 2000, while cracking down on a smuggling operation in Turkey, the police stumbled upon an ancient Bible estimated at least 1500 years old. Inside it was the Gospel of Barnabas, who was supposedly one of the disciples of Jesus who lived in the 1st century AD.
The book’s appearance stood out with its leather pages and gold lettering — and it was written in Aramaic, the language that a historical Jesus would have spoken.
The Gospel of Barnabas is not just a historical artifact. It contains content that challenges many long-held beliefs in Christian Orthodoxy, including the position that Christ was never crucified. Additionally, this ancient gospel declares that Jesus was not the Son of God, but only a prophet who spoke the word of God.
This declaration is in line with Islamic teachings, which view Jesus as one of the prophets leading up to the arrival of Muhammad. The Gospel of Barnabas goes further to suggest that it was Judas Iscariot, not Jesus, who was crucified.
As you might expect, such assertions have sparked intense discussions among Christians and Muslims alike, as they offer a radically different perspective on a story central to both Islam and Christianity and a connection between these two major religions.
Around the world, the reactions to this discovery have varied considerably. In some Christian circles, there is skepticism and outright rejection of the text’s authenticity. It is viewed as a hoax or text without significant religious authority. On the other hand, many Islamic scholars and followers found the text affirming, as it mirrored some Islamic teachings about Jesus.
This ancient manuscript is being held at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara in Turkey, where it continues to be studied and preserved.
Now Ponder This
What if a historical Jesus really did walk the Earth as an enlightened spiritual teacher? Where did he walk — and for what purpose?
What if Jesus was perhaps more of a spiritual teacher than a Jewish rabbi? Christians only know Jesus through what they read about him in the heavily edited Bible.
We can’t be truly sure that Jesus was religious. Jesus could have been an enlightened spiritual teacher who guided his followers away from any religious dogma or political structure of his time. As a result of his profound teachings, perhaps he had assembled a respectable following of believers throughout many lands by the time he died.
As an enlightened being, Jesus could have focused on an ‘Infinite Universal Creator.’ Perhaps Jesus revealed his ‘knowing’ of such a ‘God Source’ as being more relevant and important than loyalty to a political system or religious dogma.
And then, in their own self-serving way following the death of Jesus, it’s possible that his closest followers (his apostles) adopted his teachings and tailored them so as to present a miraculous crucified and resurrected Jesus — the ‘Christ’ — as they worked to establish the greatest religion that the world has ever known — Christianity.
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Next up in this series of articles about Jesus of Nazareth: A short list of stuff Jesus didn’t do.
Stay tuned.
