Can Historical Evidence Prove Jesus as Messiah? Judaism, Islam

“Can historical evidence prove Jesus as Messiah?” This question opens a discussion on the differing claims of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam regarding Jesus. The conversation also touches on the expectations of the Messiah in Judaism at the time of Christ and the significance of the Davidic covenant in shaping messianic hope. Additionally, the role of Isaiah’s prophecies in this context is examined.

Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter

Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com

Questions Covered:

• 02:00 - Jimmy, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all make different claims about Jesus. Christians say he is the divine Messiah. Judaism does not accept him as the Messiah. Islam calls him the Messiah but denies central Christian beliefs about him. Can historical and biblical evidence help us determine which view is correct?
• 06:20 - In the introduction, you lay out the book’s argument in four steps . . . Give us the thirty-thousand-foot view of that case.
• 07:20 - Before we examine Jesus, what did Judaism at the time of Christ actually expect the Messiah to be and accomplish?
• 19:30 - Everything in the messianic hope seems to hinge on King David and the promise God made him in 2 Samuel 7—that his throne would be established forever. Tell us about the Davidic covenant and why it matters so much.
• 36:15 - Then came the Babylonian exile, and suddenly there was no son of David on the throne. How did the Jewish people get from that apparently failed promise to the expectation of a future Messiah?
• 49:25 - You point to Isaiah, writing in the 700s B.C., as providing the first clear and explicit prophecies of the Messiah: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” What makes these passages different from what came before?