Historical proof that Jesus existed.

Historical proof that Jesus existed.

JOSEPHUS, Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII, III. 3 “Now, there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, - a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, ad many of the Gentiles. He was Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; and, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.”

And in 2009 A.D. “the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.”

Roman secular sources:
Celsus, an anti-Christian writer of the Roman Empire in the second century A.D. wrote: “It was by magic that he (Jesus) was able to do the miracles which he appeared to have done.” In this statement, an antagonist of Christianity grudgingly acknowledges the reality of Christ’s “miracles”. WILKEN, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, p. 98

However, Quadratus, writing in approximately 117-134 A.D. “urged people to believe in Jesus because the effect of his miracles continued up to the present – people had been cured and raised from the dead, and ‘some of them … have survived even to our own day.” WILKEN, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, p. 99-100

Tacitus, the famous Roman historian, writing about the Christians several decades after the death of Christ, stated: “their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius’ reign by the governor of Judae, Pontius Pilate.” WILKEN, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, p. 49

Clearly Roman records confirm that Jesus Christ lived, and that he was executed in Judea during the administration of Pontius Pilate. Even his detractors and non-Christian writers acknowledge that he performed supernatural deeds, and one writer recorded that some previously dead persons were known to be alive as a result of being resurrected by Jesus Christ. Whatever one thinks about Jesus Christ, we begin with the fact that he indeed lived and died when the Bible states that he lived and died, the he performed marvelous deeds, and that he made a major impression on the civilization of his day.

Christ was born at a time when Rome and Parthia were both superpowers. Rome ruled the eastern side of the Euphrates River, and Parthia ruled Asian lands from modern Syria to India. Palestine was located within the Roman empire, but was close to the Parthian border (the Euphrates River).

In the decades before the Birth of Jesus, Rome and Parthia fought several battles with one being fought near Antioch of Syria (very close to Palestine) RAWLINSON The Sixth Oriental Monarchy, pp 199-205

About 40 BC, the Parthians launched a major assault which swept the Romans out of Asia for a short time. For three years (40 – 37 BC) Palestine was within the Parthian Empire and was ruled by a Jewish vassal king of the Parthians named Antigonus. At that time King Herod (the Roman king of Judea) fled from the Parthians in fear of his life. While the Parthian-sponsored rule of Antigonus was brief, it was apparently popular with the Jews. Antigonus, with help from Jewish support, attempted to maintain himself as king of the Jews, but was defeated by Herod. JOSEPHUS Antiquities of the Jews xv 1, 2

Mark Antony (noted for his dalliance with Cleopatra) ordered Antigonus beheaded, and Josephus records that this was done to compel the Jews to reaccept the hated Herod as their king.

To help you gain a better frame of reference for these ancient events, these Roman-Parthian wars were more recent events for the people in the period when Jesus was born than WWII and the Korean War are to modern readers. Parthian rule over Palestine was, therefore, vividly remembered by many in Jewish society as being preferable to Roman rule.

Mark Antony’s defeat led to a long period of “détente” between the two empires, with the Euphrates River serving as the border between their two vast empires. This prolonged period of peaceful relations lasted from 36BC to 58 AD. RAWLINSON The Sixth Oriental Monarchy, pp 216

Without this rule of “détente” it would have been nearly impossible for some of the events of Jesus Christ’s life to have occurred as we shall see.

The first event was the coming of the Magi, or “Wise Men” to pay homage to Jesus. Matt. 2: 1-12

The Magi were powerful members of one of the two assemblies which elected Parthian monarch and wielded great influence within the empire. One assembly was composed of members of the the royal family (the Arascids), and the other consisted of the priests (the Magi) and influential Parthians of non-royal blood (the “Wise Men”).
The Magi and Wise Men were jointly known as the Megistanes. RAWLINSON The Sixth Oriental Monarchy, p.85

The Greek word translated “wise men” is “magian”, literally mening “Persian astronomer or priest.” Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, see work “Wise” subhead 8 p.1060

While traditional Christian accounts of this episode celebrate the coming of “the three wise men”, the Bible does not limit the number of visiting Magi/Wise Men to three men. Indeed, Biblical events and the realities of that time argue for a much larger contingent of Parthian Magi.

Further, the Bible shows that the Magi did not visit the young Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem (as most nativity scenes depict), but rather visited Jesus in a house somewhat after his birth. Matt. 2:11 states that this visit of the Magi took place in a house (not at the manger) when Jesus was old enough to be called “a young child” (no longer an ”infant in swaddling clothes”) Luke 2: 8-40 mentions the shepherds’ arrival at the manger, but makes no mention of any Magi visiting Christ at that time. Mastt. 2:8 adds that Herod sent the Magi “to Bethlehem” after conferring with the Jewish hierarchy about the prophesied location of the Messiah’s birth. They cited Micah 5:2, and they were likely familiar with Daniel 9:25-26.
Also consider these words in Matt. 2:1-3 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” Herod as you recall had all the male children under 2 murdered.