Proof of Jesus v. 2.0
by Iain Mac an tSaoir

   It seems to have been quite the bomb shell for many people to find out I had become a Christian. There have been more than a couple of emails from well meaning people, who out of love for me, have asked me if I lost my mind. Here is one quote from someone who knew me many of the years I walked in paganism..

   "Iain!?!?! On what grounds do you convert? You sir are an intellectual! You always require solid evidence to stand as proof. And there is not one shred of evidence that Jesus ever existed. Everything that tells of Jesus comes from the Church...." Later the same letter continued, "...and what of all the work you did for the cause of Celtic Paganism? If you didn't start GT you were certainly its first. And your attention to academic discipline certainly kept it as a wholly cultural path. You're an egghead for goddess sake I appeal to your intellect..."

    Well, what these people are talking about is that I do hold a very high standard for intellectual matters. But when people used to refer to me as though I was all brain it used to flat tick me off. Its like they thought I was a computer, had no feelings, and no spiritual insights of my own. Arrrrgggg! Its my own fault because I was at the tip of a spearhead that brought culturally defined Celtic (Gaelic) paganism into being lived in this modern age (no Wicca stuff). And I kept requiring that people cite their academic sources.

    Now for the "there is not one shred of evidence that Jesus ever existed" stuff. Let me commence with saying that you all should know that if I could pull sources to prove the tenets traditional paganism, then I can establish some degree of proof for the existence of Christ as well. Not that I am a Christian whose faith is entirely a matter of intellect. It is not. My Faith is a tender blending of emotion, spiritual regeneration, physical resuscitation, and intellect. I can often be found sitting with my kindred in the Faith, or by myself, singing songs, and feeling the touch of the Holy Spirit come upon me. Its pretty awesome to be singing, and crying tears of joy. Likewise too, I can be found going over the very real, non-New Testament proof of the life of Christ. That proof exists. It exists in much the same places where the so called "lost" elements of your own faith were misplaced. These are in musty old books no one ever reads any more, or, in places that most people never visit as they just aren't touristy enough. Believe it or not, there is even proof in reason. Evidence exists in the heart and mind most importantly, but also in these other places as a matter of academic fact.

    Now, I do not need to spend 15 years of painstaking research to re-establish a faith that already exists. But I can stand firm in my faith, with all aspects of my creature being nurtured. And as I need not spend such amounts of time *proving* what I know to be at every level of my being, I shall simply share. What I share will be those documented things that stand as evidence. Here is some of the evidence that supports within my intellectual self what has occured in my physical, spiritual, and emotional parts.

II. The Evidence: Non New Testament Evidence:

Josephus Flavius, A.D. 37 – A.D. 100+, leading Jewish historian of that day, and under the patronage of Flavius Vespasian and Titus. Josephus Flavius was a secular Jew and not a 'Follower of the Way', as Christians were then known. Flavius Vespasian and his son Titus were both pagan.

    From Jewish Antiquities : "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 and many of the gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and 10,000 other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." (The Jewish Antiquities, Josephus, Book XX, Sec. 200)

   Josephus further identified James, as "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ." The quote is: "...So he [Albinus the new procurator of Judea] assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ [later translations give the so-called Christ], whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done..." (Jewish Antiquities, Bk XX, Ch IX, Sn 1)

Cornelius Tacitus, A.D. 55 to A.D. 120, described as the greatest Roman historian to be produced by Rome, and though known for his integrity and moral rectitude is also known for his hostility to Christianity. In his work "The Annals" he described how Nero blamed the fire of Rome on the Christians. Furthermore, Tacitus wrote, "Christus [Latin for "Christ"], from whom the name [Christian] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus." (The Complete Works of Tacitus (New York, 1942), "The Annals," Book 15, Par. 44.)

Thallus, A.D. 50 - A.D. 75, a Roman Historian. Much of what remains of the writings of Thallus is very fragmentary. However, it would seem that Eusebius attests that around A.D. 52, in Syria, there was one Thallus. Thallus is credited by Eusebius of writing in Greek a "summary" of world history from the fall of Troy to the 167 Olympiad, with a possible addendum that extended the summary out to 207 Olympiad 207 (circa A.D. 50-53). Within that summary of world events Thallus recorded that at the time of the crucifixtion of Christ, there occured a darkening of the sun and a severe earthquake which caused buildings to topple. This is attested by another historian, Julius Africanus, a Christian who later took umbridge with Thallus for referring to the darkening of the sun as an eclipse. Africanus wrote, "On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior falls on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun? Let opinion pass however; let it carry the majority with it; and let this portent of the world be deemed an eclipse of the sun, like others a portent only to the eye. Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth--manifestly that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as this is recorded for a long period." (XVIII.1)

Phlegon, circa 2nd century, Roman historian. Phlegon is attested to by Eusebius, Africanus, Photius, Syncellus and Suidas. Suidas wrote of Phlegon, "Of this Phlegon, as Philostorgius says, to relate fully in detail what befell with the Jews, while Phlegon and Dio mentioned [these events] briefly and made them an appendix to their own narrative." The text to which Africanus alludes is also found preserved in the writings of Eusebius, translated by Jerome. The quote of Phlegon is:

Latin:
Quarto autem anno CCII olympiadis magna et excellens inter omnes quae ante eam acciderant defectio solis facta; dies hora sexta ita in tenebrosam noctem versus ut stellae in caelo visae sint terraeque motus in Bithynia Nicae[n]ae urbis multas aedes subverterit.

English:
In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea. These things [are according to] the aforementioned man. (Id est, year 32/33)

Lucian, A.D. 125 – A.D. 180 +. Assyrian rhetorician and satirist. Lucian was known for his scathing wit. He particularly detested Christianity for worshipping a man, which by extrapolation we know was Yeshua (Jesus). He wrote a satire called The Passing of Peregrinus, in which Christians are portrayed as generous but wholly gullible.

Pliny the Younger, A.D. 62 - 113. Roman Governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor. In a epistulae to Trajan, Pliny describes that the people on trial for being Christians would sing songs to Christ because he was a god. (Epistulae, Liber X, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus )

III. Summary of Textual Evidence:

   A. Within 40 years of the purported death of Christ, several Roman historians, as well as a secular Jew under the patronage of pagan Roman emporers, are recording that there was a man called Christ (Christos, Chrestus, various other spellings.

    B. These same Roman historians record Him as the originator of the Christian religion.

    C. Some of these Roman historians record that Christ was crucified, by order of Pontius Pilatus.

    D. These historians also record that at the time of the crucifixion the sun darkened such as it had never darkened before, that there were earthquakes, and that buildings toppled.

    E. The non-believing Jewish chronicler, Josephus, even went so far as to say that the person crucified had been the messiah (Christ), a good man, a worker of miracles, and resurrected from the dead; it certainly did no good to this man to make such declarations considering who his patrons were.

    F. Thus, not only is the life of Jesus attested in Roman histories, and not only do those histories on the whole match what the Bible states, but, those sources date from prior to the "Church" as an establishment institution (which didn't happen for as much as a few hundred more years in some cases).

IV. The Evidence of Reason:

   There were twelve Apostles, plus Paul who after his dramatic conversion became the 13th Apostle. They each recieved teachings from the Messiah. They each went forth and taught the lessons they had recieved from the Messiah, performed miracles in his name, and as eye witnesses testified that Yeshua is the Messiah, that the Messiah died on the cross, resurrected back into bodily life on the third day, ascended bodily into Heaven, and will return again to recieve His church (as a corporate entity) unto Himself.

   What did this get them?

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