Historically speaking, Did Jesus Christ really exist?

[JonyPremiumTranslator]

Is there any proof beyond faith?
(I do not believe in Testimonium Flavianum, do you?)

 

[sweetheat]

Historically speaking - No.
Logically speaking - No.
Faith is the belief in something for which there is no proof - so, no.

 

[Adam'sRib]

Yes. Jewish historians wrote about him. Here is an example.

Flavius Josephus, in his Jewish Antiquities (XVIII, 64 [iii, 3]), mentions certain events in the life of Jesus, adding: “And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day [about 93*C.E.] not disappeared.” Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia in 111 or 112*C.E., faced with the ‘Christian problem,’ wrote to Emperor Trajan, outlining the methods he was using and asking for advice. “I have asked them in person if they are Christians,” wrote Pliny. If they admitted it, they were punished. However, others “denied that they were or ever had been Christians.” Put to the test, not only did these offer up pagan sacrifices but they even “reviled the name of Christ: none of which things, I understand, any genuine Christian can be induced to do.” In answering this letter, Trajan commended Pliny on the way he had handled the matter: “You have followed the right course of procedure .*.*. in your examination of the cases of persons charged with being Christians.”—The Letters of Pliny, X, XCVI, 3,*5; XCVII, 1.

These historians were Jewish and did not like Jesus or his followers called Christians. But they wrote about him and that proves that he did exist.

 

[JesusOfnazareth1]

If you look at the historical evidence the new testament was written by 4 of his disciples who witnessed him and historians and archaeologists know this to be a fact. So if you reject the fact that jesus existed you might as well also rejects napoleon, Julius Caesar along with 90% of known written history as a fraud.

 

[michael]

Yes

 

[ErictheAgnostic]

most likely he did, but there is still controversy.

 

[JoeP]

Yes.

Proof:
All of Creation.
The Bible.

 

[TheMadProfessor]

There are a few (albeit not many) historical mentions, so I find it quite possible that such a man may have once lived...claims of divinity are a far different matter.

 

[treetop1]

absolutely. and he come to live his life in and through us today he has risen. the word of God is our only source of truth in this fallen world. the prince of this fallen world is satan and he will never come and tell you anything about Jesus he is a deceiver and father of all lies, he tld God that he would build his kingdom above God's kingdom so God kick him out of heaven and will one day in God timing not ours he will be cast into the lake of fire forever.

 

[Lewis]

There is evidence to show he could well have existed, just probably not as depicted in the Bible

 

[imrod]

You have a full blown religious movement in Rome in 64AD. And you are thinking there wasn't at least someone named Jesus who at least in some way startted that movement 30 years prior? That would be a miracle for such a thing to happen without someone named Jesus.

64AD is the year Nero blamed Christians for the fire in Rome. So they had to grow and spread from Palestine and then to the attention of the Emperor in 30 years!

That does not prove Jesus was who the New Testament says he is, only that there had to be someone named Jesus to launch the movement.

That is just one minor argument.

 

[JellyFilledl_l]

All the historians say he did

 

[TheDoctor]

Most likely. Christianity wouldn't have arisen as quickly as it had if Jesus hadn't. However, there is no documented evidence of his existence beyond the Bible. Several works (Josephus, for example) were forged by early Church leaders.