Is Jesus A Myth? If Jesus is just a myth, as many skeptics assert, then Christianity is false. It’s that simple! Karlo Broussard dives into how we can know that Jesus was a real historical person. A first step for many on their way to belief in God.
Transcript:
The unique thing about Christianity is that it rises or falls with Jesus. If Jesus is just a myth, as many skeptics assert, then Christianity is false. It’s that simple!
So, is there any evidence that Jesus was a historical person? The answer’s yes!
First, we have the four Gospels and Paul’s epistles, which were written within 30-60 years after Jesus’ life. Unfortunately though, skeptics are not likely to accept this evidence because it’s Christian sources. While it’s not fair to rule out Christian sources just because they’re Christian, let’s concede to the objection for argument’s sake and provide some non-Christian sources.
Consider the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, who, in his history of the Jewish people called “Antiquities of the Jews,” refers to Jesus twice. Book 20 contains a quick indirect reference when Josephus writes about James, the “brother of Jesus.” In Book 18, however, Josephus names Jesus, describes him as “a wise man,” “a doer of startling deeds,” and “a teacher,” and affirms his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. While the passage in Book 18 contains additions by Christian copyists, the elements mentioned are considered historical.
How about Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman historian of the first century? In his work, “Annals,” he refers to a group of people called “Christians” and describes their leader as “Christus, the founder of the name, [who] was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberias.”
So, with evidence from both Christian and non-Christian sources, we can be sure Jesus was not a myth, but was a real historical person.
If you want to learn more about this topic and others like it, visit our website at catholic.com. For Catholic Answers, I’m Karlo Broussard. Thanks for watching.