Was Jesus a real person?

[KingSpeed]

Besides the Bible, what facts do we have?

 

[Mediocre Man]

What has gotten into you lately, Eric?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

What has gotten into you lately, Eric?

Notice the time he made the post. There's your answer.

 

[Denny Crane]

Jesus is alive and well and he even has a twitter account:
http://twitter.com/#!/jesus

 

[huevonkiller]

Well aside from the obvious (my avy), this is a fair question.

Historically I would like to know about Jesus, not just what is written in the Bible.

 

[ABM]

To me, it boils down to whether or not you believe in the God of the Holy Bible. If you do, then the Bible has all the answers you need to know about Jesus: His foretelling; His birth; His life on Earth; His plan of Salvation; His death; His resurrection; His ascension into Heaven; and His plan of return and ultimate glory.

 

[HailBlazers]

Historically I would like to know about Jesus, not just what is written in the Bible.

Here you go My Man, A book about the Everyday Life of Jesus, Written by a non-believer and mathematical genius:

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Nazaret...r_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325091774&sr=1-11

He also happen's to be the director of Basic Instinct, Robocop, and Starship Troopers! Don't let that deter you though, he's a very smart man. I was lucky enough to hear him speak at Powell's when the book came out.

http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/...esus-of-Nazareth-by-Paul-Verhoeven-887267.php

Jesus was The Man, the most special to ever walk this earth, regardless your beliefs.

 

[PapaG]

 

[crowTrobot]

Here you go My Man, A book about the Everyday Life of Jesus, Written by a non-believer and mathematical genius:

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Nazaret...r_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325091774&sr=1-11

He also happen's to be the director of Basic Instinct, Robocop, and Starship Troopers! Don't let that deter you though, he's a very smart man. I was lucky enough to hear him speak at Powell's when the book came out.

http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/...esus-of-Nazareth-by-Paul-Verhoeven-887267.php

Jesus was The Man, the most special to ever walk this earth, regardless your beliefs.

that's just his interpretation of what is written in the bible. the question was what is there besides the bible.

the answer is other than the bible (and associated non-canonical writings) there are no known historical references to jesus contemporaneous to his life, and no references at all to him from anyone who claims to have met or seen him.

 

[crowTrobot]

To me, it boils down to whether or not you believe in the God of the Holy Bible. If you do, then the Bible has all the answers you need to know about Jesus: His foretelling; His birth; His life on Earth; His plan of Salvation; His death; His resurrection; His ascension into Heaven; and His plan of return and ultimate glory.

i think eric is asking for evidence, not a sermon on faith.

 

[HailBlazers]

that's just his interpretation of what is written in the bible. the question was what is there besides the bible.

No it's not actually, it's a dissertation using all the known historical data available.

 

[ABM]

i think eric is asking for evidence, not a sermon on faith.

It's called the Bible. Does he need more? Why do you think they call it faith?

 

[PapaG]

that's just his interpretation of what is written in the bible. the question was what is there besides the bible.

the answer is other than the bible (and associated non-canonical writings) there are no known historical references to jesus contemporaneous to his life, and no references at all to him from anyone who claims to have met or seen him.

"Other than all of these stories about the guy, there is no evidence."

The same can be said for most historical figures prior to medieval times. Still, I can't be sure that Jesus Christ existed, either, so I'm with you there.

Plus, you're wrong in your post, because letters do exist outside of the religious realm that reference the man.

http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMN...dence_for_Jesus_from_NonChristian_Sources.htm

 

[PapaG]

It's called the Bible. Does he need more? Why do you think they call it faith?

I think some posters are having trouble handling the concept of faith. As I posted earlier, at times I wish I had it, but my mind and belief system is unable to accept things based on faith alone. I certainly don't disparage those of you who have faith, though. It's not my duty to tell people what they should and shouldn't believe in, and I don't judge people who have faith. I tend to view atheists a bit more harshly, simply because they don't realize that they are exercising a faith of their own, and seem very quick to demean and belittle those who practice religious faith.

 

[ABM]

I think some posters are having trouble handling the concept of faith. As I posted earlier, at times I wish I had it, but my mind and belief system is unable to accept things based on faith alone. I certainly don't disparage those of you who have faith, though. It's not my duty to tell people what they should and shouldn't believe in, and I don't judge people who have faith. I tend to view atheists a bit more harshly, simply because they don't realize that they are exercising a faith of their own, and seem very quick to demean and belittle those who practice religious faith.

Fantastic answer. Thanks for that.

BTW, hope you can make one of the next Blazer functions I put on...namely, the M&G and/or Wheels Happy Hour. It'd be nice to finally meet you.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I demand to see his long form birth certificate!

 

[ABM]

I demand to see his long form birth certificate!

King Herod had it nullified.

 

[crowTrobot]

No it's not actually, it's a dissertation using all the known historical data available.

he might be looking at culture at the time and judging what jesus might have really been like from that or something, but there is absolutely no "historical" data on jesus (other than the bible) - no contemporaneous references to jesus in roman history, no non-biblical source that claims to have met or seen him etc.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I demand to see his long form birth certificate!

Never mind, I should have figured it was on Google Images.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

:MARIS61:

 

[SlyPokerDog]

:MARIS61:

That's not a birth certificate, that's his death burka.

 

[crowTrobot]

I think some posters are having trouble handling the concept of faith. As I posted earlier, at times I wish I had it, but my mind and belief system is unable to accept things based on faith alone. I certainly don't disparage those of you who have faith, though. It's not my duty to tell people what they should and shouldn't believe in, and I don't judge people who have faith. I tend to view atheists a bit more harshly, simply because they don't realize that they are exercising a faith of their own, and seem very quick to demean and belittle those who practice religious faith.

this is dumb. when you drop a book you don't think it won't fall up because you have faith in gravity.

it doesn't require faith to lack belief in something you have a reason not to believe in. atheism is not a faith, at least by any meaningful definition of faith.

 

[crowTrobot]

Plus, you're wrong in your post, because letters do exist outside of the religious realm that reference the man.

http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMN...dence_for_Jesus_from_NonChristian_Sources.htm

my post wasn't wrong. there is nothing contemporaneous outside the bible - only hearsay references to jesus written decades after his death, and well after the cult of early christianity was up and running.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

[video=youtube;j8kOQ2zvBfU]

 

[crowTrobot]

That's not a birth certificate, that's his death burka.

from the middle ages no less

 

[Eastoff]

:MARIS61:

If this is the shroud of turin, it was proven to be a fake.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

BTW, Death Burka would make a great band name if anyone is looking for one.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

If this is the shroud of turin, it was proven to be a fake.

and real. its been inconclusive depending on whom you listen to. I actually saw it live last year, it was pretty moving as a historical artifact.

this just came out actually.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/the-shroud-of-turin-wasnt-faked-italian-experts-say/

A new study by Italian scientists may not be definitive on its origins, but it does refute the popular notion that it was faked during the Middle Ages.
Experts at Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development have concluded in a report that the famed purported burial cloth of Jesus Christ could not have been faked.
According to the Vatican Insider, a project by La Stampa newspaper that closely follows the Catholic church, the experts’ report says, “The double image (front and back) of a scourged and crucified man, barely visible on the linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin has many physical and chemical characteristics that are so particular that the staining which is identical in all its facets, would be impossible to obtain today in a laboratory … This inability to repeat (and therefore falsify) the image on the Shroud makes it impossible to formulate a reliable hypothesis on how the impression was made.”
The centuries-old shroud contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from age.
Many have long questioned the shroud’s authenticity, and others have suggested that it was faked during medieval times.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Mentioned in the Torah, and the Koran as well as the bible. Lots of historical writing on the guy. One could argue that it would be easier to "prove" that JC lived, than someone a century or two dead.

 

[Rhal]

my post wasn't wrong. there is nothing contemporaneous outside the bible - only hearsay references to jesus written decades after his death, and well after the cult of early christianity was up and running.

I am not a religious person but I find the early histories of Religions very fascinating. I'v read a lot of this subject and have come to my own conclusion that I believe Jesus was a real person.
There is a lot of second hand evidence that Jesus was an actual person that mostly pops up in letters. It is hard to come up with "concrete" evidence of that time because of a few things.
1. Jesus was only alive teaching for somewhere between 3 to 5 years depending on were you get your information
2. Very few actual historical writings of that time have surivived
3. Most historians rarely recorded events of faith or religion
Taking those few things into account makes it hard to both disprove and prove of Jesus existence. There are a few writings that mention Jesus most noticeably from:
Josephus, Flavivus (not exactly sure how to spell his first name) - Was a jewish Historian that was born somewhere between 35 to 40 AD and he writes of Jesus in his writings
Mara Bar-Serpion - Was a Philosopher in 60-70AD who wrote of Jesus's (Reffered to him as the Wise King) persecution and eventual execution, comparing it to the persecution that other Philosophers faced.
There are a few more but I cannot recall anyone else at this point and time
Then there are an abundance of letters that talk of Jesus but refer to him as Christ. There are many more that talk of Christians that are as old as 11AD that are placed well before the Council of Nicea took it upon itself to write the bible. Some notable people who talk of Christians well before 100AD are Lucian of Samsata who talks down about Christians but never claims they are not a people and then Cornelius Tactus who was a Roman Senator and renown for his examination of History. He blames the great fire Nero started was because of Christians.
About all I can remember off the top of my head.