Did Jesus of Nazareth Walk the Earth?
It would seem rational that for Christianity to exist, it would require a living and breathing man named Jesus to base the religious dogma. So, did a historical Jesus actually exist?
Many secular scholars have presented cases for the so-called “historical Jesus.” Most of those versions are academic embarrassments. Until we find reliable and tangible evidence for Jesus’s existence or non-existence, belief in him will continue — and he will remain a sacred icon.
When attempting to discover more about the historical Jesus, the first issue is the need for more reliable sources. The sources we do have present Jesus only as the ‘Christ of Faith.’ They were compiled decades after the supposed events occurred and stemmed from believers eager to promote the new religion of Christianity.
Also important are the sources we don’t have. There are no eyewitness or contemporary accounts from when Jesus was supposedly alive. All we have are descriptions of Jesus by non-eyewitnesses long after his life — and most of those accounts were from biased devotees of Christianity.
Interestingly, it has been noted that if the ‘Christ of Faith’ had not been hyper-marketed by his so-called apostles in the years after his supposed crucifixion, his followers would have remained merely a small sect within Judaism — rather than what turned out to be one of the largest religions ever conceived on planet Earth.
Non-biblical historical records of a historical Jesus
Is there any evidence — outside of the Bible’s ‘New Testament’ — that Jesus was an actual, living human who walked the face of the Earth some two thousand years ago? If he were a real person, you would expect there to be records of the mortal man who repeatedly performed miracles.
It’s important that any evidence of the existence of historical Jesus would have to be a verifiably contemporary eyewitness account by someone other than an avowed disciple or follower of Jesus.
And so, other than the Bible, one would expect the amazing story of Jesus to be mentioned in historical writings or records during his time or shortly after that — especially considering that Romans of that time did actually keep exacting records on many subjects — including crucifixions.
And so, you would think that following a trial by a supposedly real Pontius Pilot, a man named Jesus dragging his cross (upon which he would be crucified) through the streets of Jerusalem would undoubtedly have made it into the Roman records of that time. That was not the case.
The most well-known non-biblical and brief reference to Jesus is by Jewish historian Josephus, written 93 years after the supposed crucifixion. Another non-biblical mention of Jesus was made by Roman governor Pliny the Younger, who in 110 AD wrote letters to Emperor Trajan seeking counsel on dealing with the early Christian community and referencing Jesus. The Roman historian Tacitus also made a non-biblical and brief reference to Jesus 116 years after Jesus lived.
Little is gleaned from these non-biblical sources who wrote brief references to Christ decades after his alleged crucifixion. The fact that such authors were born after the death of Jesus strongly suggests that they received their information from devout Christians. Therefore, even these sparse accounts are shrouded in controversy, with disagreements over legitimacy and accuracy.
It bears repeating that if the ‘Christ of Faith’ had not been hyper-marketed by his apostles in the years after his death, his followers would have remained merely a small sect within Judaism — rather than what turned out to be one of the largest religions ever conceived on planet Earth.
Regarding the New Testament
The New Testament — which is basically the story of Jesus Christ — is filled with mythical and non-historical information and has been heavily edited over the centuries.
The authors of the New Testament don’t identify themselves, describe their qualifications, or criticize in any way their foundational sources — which they also fail to identify. Furthermore, there are many inconsistencies in the Gospels of the New Testament, and many years are unrecorded and unaccounted for in the life of Jesus.
It’s important to understand that the New Testament is a classic propaganda narrative supporting a cult (Christianity) that sprung up many years after the death of Jesus. A cult that Jesus played no role in creating.
As with the other parts of the Bible, the New Testament presents a story in which the issue of biblical authorship remains complex, thorny, and contested. Click here for my articles regarding ‘Who Wrote the Bible?’
Regarding the Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth in which Jesus was supposedly wrapped right after he was taken down from the cross. Numerous traces of blood are on it, and a human figure can be seen from the front and the back. It is one of the most important relics of the Church, which is kept in Turin, Italy.
Unfortunately, from a scientific point of view, this evidence of a crucified Christ doesn’t hold up. Research using radiocarbon dating proved that it did not come from the times when Jesus supposedly lived but from the 14th century. Officially, the Shroud of Turin is not considered an authentic testimony to the existence of Jesus, but some, including Pope Benedict, believe in its holiness.
Regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are documents written in three languages — Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near the ruins of Qumran in the West Bank. The radiocarbon dating method also helped with this archaeological discovery. It allowed for the determination that the scrolls may have come from the period in which Jesus supposedly lived.
We can read in the manuscripts a mention of a “righteous teacher.” Unfortunately, it’s difficult to determine who this person was because the writings do not mention anyone by name. Some say it was Jesus, while others doubt it. It is unlikely that we will ever know who this person was.
Did the Authors of the New Testament plagiarize stories of other Christ-like deities before Christ?
Before Christ, many ancient societies told tales of gods born to virgins (some on December 25). And the prototype of gods rising from the dead is likewise older than Christianity.
These are uncomfortable historical storylines for many Christians to accept. However, such tales should be expected, given the power of human imagination and the long stretch of human history before the time of Jesus.
In a previous article, I pointed out that many parts of the Bible’s first book (Genesis) were plagiarized from older works. Click here for that article.
Researchers and historians have argued that many aspects of Jesus’s story were also copied — this time from other ancient stories about divine deities.
For example, some earlier ‘Jesus-like’ figures had miraculous or virgin births, were sons of supreme gods, had stars point to their birthplaces, were visited by shepherds and magi as infants, fled from death as children, exhibited traits of divinity in childhood, spent time in the desert, traveled as they taught, had disciples, performed miracles, were persecuted, were crucified, appeared as resurrections or apparitions, and/or ascended into heaven.
Here are some examples of ‘Jesus-like’ deities before Christ (all contested by Christian Scholars):
- Horus (Egyptian) — Existed 5000 years ago, was born of a virgin, three stars in the east, had 12 disciples, healed the sick, restored sight, walked on water, was dead for three days, and was resurrected.
- Mithra (Persian) — Existed 3200 years ago, was born of a virgin on December 25, star in the east announced his birth, was seen by shepherds and Magi who brought gifts, had 12 disciples, performed miracles, was dead for three days, and was resurrected.
- Krishna (Hindu) — Existed 2900 years ago, born of a virgin, star in the east, performed miracles, called the son of God, son of a carpenter, resurrected from death.
- Dionysus (Greek/Roman) — Existed 2500 years ago, born of a virgin, traveling teacher, turned water into wine, called the holy child, dead for three days, and resurrected.
Jesus isn’t God but was perhaps one of the world’s great teachers.
The debate about whether Jesus is God focuses on differing Christian interpretations of the Bible and nuances between “historical Jesus” (the allegedly crucified peasant from Nazareth) and Jesus Christ as one of three parts of a Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).
We will probably never know if Jesus Christ existed because of a lack of credible evidence. Until hard evidence is finally produced, Jesus Christ must remain an incredibly inspirational but entirely faith-based, non-historical, fictional character.
A survey conducted in 2020 found that 52% of U.S. adults believe Jesus Christ is not God — a belief that contradicts traditional teachings of the Bible through the Christian church, which states Jesus was both man and God. Only one-third of evangelicals in the survey agreed Jesus isn’t God, while 65% said: “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.”
Putting this debate aside, what if Jesus actually lived and was a great teacher like others who may have walked the Earth, including Buddha, Muhammed, Confucius, and Lao Tzu? Consider that these, and many others, were awakened, enlightened individuals who dispensed wisdom to humanity in ancient and prehistory times.
I will discuss this further in my next article about Jesus of Nazareth.
