MBS 105 - Christology

EVIDENCE FOR JESUS

The person of Jesus Christ is an iconic figure. He was both man and God while he was on earth. Many saw him, spoke with him, and witnessed his miracles. The Old Testament gives prophecies about him and the New Testament recounts his life. Even non-Biblical authors speak about the existence of Christ. But there are those who still argue that Christ was not a historical person or he real but the stories told about him in the Bible are not true. In fact, everything about Jesus is the Bible is true and there are countless facts to prove it.

One fact about the existence of Christ is that he is mentioned in the New Testament and the New Testament has proven to be a reliable historical document. There are over 26,000 copies of the New Testament in existence, more than any other historical document. The Iliad is next with 643 copies and then the writings of Plato of which only seven early copies exist.

The New Testament copies also match each other more closely than the other two writings. As well, there is only a small time frame between the originals and the earliest with the New Testament. There is a 500 year gap with the Iliad and a gap of 1200 years with Plato’s writings.

The early church fathers also wrote about Christ and believed he was the son of God. Most of them were students of the Apostles, so they would have gotten first hand knowledge of the events of the New Testament. Clement of Rome was mentioned in the book of Romans and he also knew John. Ignatius, a student of John’s, wrote around 110 AD and he called Jesus the savior.

Polycarp was also John’s pupil and he was the authority on Christ until 156 AD. He also called Jesus God. Papyus, another of John’s disciples, lived until about 140 AD. He had spoken to the authors of the Gospels and Eusebius wrote in 350 AD that Papyus had stated Mark got his Gospel from Peter. So by the time all these men were church leaders, it was common knowledge that Christ had risen from the dead and that he was the son of God. They all taught he was God that he was the Messiah, and that salvation comes only through him.

There are also ancient secular writings which speak about Christ and the faith. Thallus, who wrote in 52 AD, attempted to explain the reason why there was darkness during Christ’s crucifixion. In his writings, Tacitus refers to Christian beliefs spreading despite the persecution at the hands of the Romans. He also said Christ was put to death under Pilate and he called Christianity a superstition.

The author Seutonius spoke about Christ and made reference to the persecution of the Christians at that time. Pliny the Younger, who lived around 63-113 AD wrote about Christians meeting on a fixed day of the week and that they sang hymns to Christ as if he were God. Emperor Trajan, who was Emperor of Rome between 98 and 117 AD, wrote to Pliny the Younger telling him not to persecute the Christians unless they were given due process and given a chance to recant their faith. They were to deny Christ and bow to the Roman gods to show their loyalty to Rome. Emperor Hadrian, who was the Emperor between 118 and 138 AD, also stated that Christians should be freed if they chose to deny Christ. As well, he wanted proof that someone was a Christian before they were executed. The author Lucian confirmed Christians worshiped a man who was crucified. He also wrote a satire which made fun of Christians as being gullible.

The Jewish historian Josephus was a first century author who documented the important activities of his day. He wrote about Christ stating "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 principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; 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." Though some scholars have stated the references to Christian doctrine were added later by a Christian author but this has never been verified.

So with all these different pieces of evidence, there are only so many conclusions that can be put forth. The stories of Christ could simply have been legends, but the fact that so many wrote about Jesus just after his death disproves this theory. Legends take centuries to unfold, while the stories of Christ circulated just after he died. There is also the idea the Apostles may have lied about Christ and the resurrection. The problem with this is that many of the Apostles died for their faith, and no one dies for what they know is a lie. Some other scholars have suggested the Apostles may have been deceived and only thought Christ was resurrected. But all evidence points to a bodily resurrection of Christ and not some sort of trickery. The only conclusion that one can come up with is that Christ was a real person and was resurrected from the dead after he was crucified.

Christ was a man and he was God. Jesus said he was God and the Apostles called him God. The early church fathers stated he was divine and secular writings confirmed he was worshiped as such. Prophecies of Jesus can also be found in the Old Testament saying he will be God in the flesh and will be killed and raised again.

In conclusion, all the evidence presented shows that Christ was a historical figure. Biblical, church, and secular writings attest to his existence. No proof can be found that he was fictional or that he was simply a man who was made out to be God. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and he was crucified, died, and resurrected on the third day. Jesus existed and of this fact there can be no denial.

DID JESUS RISE?

The resurrection of Christ is essential to the Christian faith. Jesus was crucified, buried in a tomb, and rose again on the third day. This fact is central to Christianity, because if Jesus did not rise, then he is dead and our sins are still hanging over us. If he did not rise then he is not God and he is not able to save us from our sins. But the fact of the matter is, Christ did rise from the dead and he is God, so we can be assured of our salvation if we have faith and seek him with all our hearts.

Paul states in 1 Corinthians that if Jesus did not rise then he is preaching in vain. He tells those at the church in Corinth that if Christ was not raised from the dead, then everyone’s faith is worthless. A saviour that cannot raise himself from the dead would have no authority to raise us from the dead or even forgive us of our sins. If Christ is dead then we are also dead, but if Christ is raised, then our faith is justified.

Because the apostles were first hand witnesses to the resurrection narrative, their subsequent ministry is based on the belief that Christ was raised from the dead and he is the son of God. So when it comes to proving the doctrine of the resurrection, there are three different theories that can be looked at. First, the Apostles could have been lying and preached this lie during their ministry. Second, the Apostles could have believed Christ was raised from dead but were simply deceived somehow. Finally, the Apostles could have been telling the truth and Christ was raised on the third day after being crucified and buried.

Because not everyone has the faith to believe Christ had risen from the dead, some have come to the conclusion the apostles were lying about the resurrection when they preached during their ministries. Those who state this idea either have not looked at the evidence entirely or simply do not wish to believe. Too much proof exists for the resurrection account to dismiss it.

The book of 1 Corinthians was written by Paul approximately 20-25 years after the resurrection. It in he professes his faith and teaches about the nature of Christ. He states Christ died, was buried, was raised, then appeared to Peter, the twelve, and then 500 brethren, then to James, then to the Apostles, and then to himself. So only a short time after the resurrection took place, Paul is giving a list of those who had seen Christ after he had risen. Anyone who read this letter who doubted the account had only to speak to any one of the supposed eye witnesses to prove Paul’s account. Even if one thought the apostles were making the story up, the 500 people Christ appeared to would definitely not be in on any lie or hoax. As well, before Christ appeared to him, Paul was a persecutor of Christians. Then after seeing Jesus, he changed his beliefs and became one of the founders of the faith. Not many people would do this for a lie.

There are also secular writers who can confirm the fact Jesus rose from the dead. These men were a part of history and were simply stating facts which they had seen or heard. In 95 AD Clement of Rome stated that Christ had risen from the dead. The Jewish historian Josephus, who died in 97 AD, wrote about Christ and stated he was the Messiah. As well, the Jewish Talmud states Christ existed, but that he was a sorcerer.

Other people have suggested the apostles stole Christ’s body from the tomb to make it look like he was raised from the dead. The problem with this theory is that many of the apostles and church fathers were killed or tortured for their beliefs. Not one of them professed to have knowledge of Christ’s body being stolen from the tomb. Under those circumstances, it is hard to believe so many people would die for something they know is a lie.

So if can be proved the Apostles were telling the truth, then some would suggest they were mistaken and believed in the resurrection, even though it never happened. One such explanation for this is the swoon theory. This theory states Christ never died on the cross and he only passed out and it just looked like he was dead. Then when he was in the tomb he was revived and walked away, making people believe he was resurrected. This theory does not hold water as anyone who would have seen Christ after the beating he took at the hands of the Romans and the injuries from the nails on the cross, no one would believe he was God, because he would still be almost near death. Also, John 19 states when Christ’s side was pierced, blood and water came out of the womb. Medical science now knows today when a dead body is pierced in a certain place, both blood and clear fluids are released, something the apostles would not have known at that time. So John was just stating what happened without realizing it had any significance.

There is also the wrong tomb theory. This states the disciples went to the wrong tomb when they went to find Jesus and then reported he was raised from the dead. If this were the case, the Jewish authorities no doubt would have looked into this story and reported to everyone if they had later found Christ’s body in another tomb. The wrong tomb theory also does not explain the appearances of Christ after the resurrection.

There is even the belief in a hallucination theory. This says all the people who witnessed Christ raised after his death were so over come with grief that they hallucinated and just thought they had seen him. The problem with this is hallucinations only occur in the mind of one person. There is no such thing as a group hallucination, so everyone could not have imagined they had seen Christ after his death.

In conclusion, after looking at all the theories and reasons why Christ could not have been resurrected, it is easy to see these ideas do not stand up to reason or fact. The only possible conclusion one can come up with is that the Apostles believed and preached the resurrection of Christ because it actually happened. They were not lying and they were not deceived. Christ did rise from the dead, and because he did so, we are given the opportunity to be saved by his grace.

JESUS THE MESSIAH

The Old Testament is filled with prophecies regarding the Messiah. The coming of the Messiah was seen as the time when the Jews would be freed from all their misery and bondage in the world. They believed the Messiah would bring them peace and restore their culture and homeland. The Messiah did come over two centuries ago in the form of Jesus Christ. Although many do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Christians know that he is the son of God and was sent to save mankind from their sins.

The Old Testament portrays the Messiah as the one who is anointed of God and sent to rescue the Israelites and save the world. Many different people throughout the ages falsely claimed to be the Messiah that the world was waiting for. The Bible gives many prophecies regarding the Messiah and when one looks at these prophecies and compares them to the life of Christ, the resemblance is unmistakable.

Many of the prophecies in the Old Testament stated the Messiah would be God. They also pointed to who the Messiah would be. Genesis 3:15 tells the story of the Garden of Eden. God stated that He would put hatred between the serpent and the woman and between his seed and the woman’s seed. Most times in the Bible when the word "seed" is mentioned, it refers to the seed of a man. In this case it is referring to the seed of a woman, which is a reference to Christ being born of a virgin.

Genesis 12 states that God promised to Abraham that the world would be blessed through him. Jesus comes from the line of Abraham; therefore the world is blessed by Abraham. Genesis 49:10 says that Jacob, who wais renamed "Israel" by God, prophesied the messiah would come from his son Judah’s line. Jesus comes from the line of Judah, so this prophecy holds true. Isaiah 11:1 goes even further with this lineage and says the messiah would be from the line of Jesse, who was a parent of King David. Again, we know Jesus came from the line of David.

Isaiah 7:14 states the Lord would give us a sign and a virgin will bear a son and his name would be Immanuel. This is true on both counts. Jesus was born of a virgin whose name was Mary. The name "Immanuel" means "God with us" and because Jesus is God, this nickname is correct.

The book of Micah 5:2 prophecies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The New Testament tells that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem. Isaiah 40:3 says the Messiah would be preceded by a man who would prepare a way for the Lord in the wilderness. This prophecy refers to John the Baptist, who is considered the person who prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance and baptism. He was also living in the wilderness feeding off locusts and honey.

Isaiah 35 tells the Jews the Messiah would make the lame walk, give sight to the blind, and perform miracles. These prophecies are brought to light in the New Testament, as numerous stories are told of Jesus healing the lame, giving sight back to the blind, and performing numerous miracles. This prophecy itself narrows down the field as to who the Messiah could be, as most of the potential Messiahs throughout the ages could not perform these feats.

The book of Psalms tells that the Messiah would teach in parables and tell spiritual stories. Many of Christ’s teachings are told in parable format and he tells numerous spiritual stories to his followers. Isaiah 8 and 53 also say the Messiah would be rejected by the Jews. In the New Testament we are told of the Jewish Sanhedrin turning Christ over to the Romans to be executed. Also, many of the Jews in Christ’s day as well as today do not believe Jesus is the Messiah and they are waiting for someone else.

Isaiah 65 states that the Messiah would allow himself to be found by those who did not seek him. This prophecy refers to the Gentiles of Christ’s day and the unsaved of today. But even though there were those who did not know anything about a coming Messiah, Jesus still made himself accessible to everyone, the same as he does today.

Zachariah tells that the Messiah would be rejected for 30 pieces of silver, forsaken by his disciples, and will enter Jerusalem with a king’s welcome. All three of these prophecies came true in the person of Jesus. He was betrayed by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. He was forsaken by his disciples, as Peter rejected him three times while he was in the custody of the Romans. He also entered Jerusalem with a king’s welcome on a donkey as people laid palm branches on the ground before him.

Isaiah 53 tells the reader the Messiah would be silent during his own trial, which Jesus was. Psalm 22 states the Messiah would be crucified and lots would be cast for his clothing. Christ was crucified and the Roman soldiers cast lots for his clothing. Psalm 34 says that none of the Messiah’s bones would be broken. This is true in the crucifixion story of Jesus, as he died before his bones had to be broken. Zechariah said the Messiah would have his side pierced, which Christ did on the cross.

Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a part of the Sanhedrin and a rich man. The book of Psalms states the Messiah would be resurrected, which Jesus was. Finally, the Psalmist also prophesied the Messiah would be accepted at the father’s right hand and the New Testament states Jesus sits at the right hand of God.

In conclusion, the Old Testament gives overwhelming proof that Jesus is the Messiah. Every prophecy concerning the Messiah fits within what we know of Jesus. It would be impossible for anyone else to match so many of the prophecies the Bible tells about the Messiah as much as Jesus does. The proof is undeniable, therefore Jesus is the Messiah.

THE JESUS SEMINAR

The Jesus Seminar was launched by the Westar Institute in 1985. On their website, the Westar Institute states "Westar's twofold mission is to foster collaborative research in religious studies and to communicate the results of the scholarship of religion to a broad, non-specialist public."

About the Jesus Seminar they say "the Seminar was organized to discover and report a scholarly consensus on the historical authenticity of the sayings and events attributed to Jesus in the gospels. A third phase of the Jesus Seminar resulted in profiles of Jesus drawn by individual scholars using the results of the first two phases on the sayings and deeds of Jesus."

Originally the Jesus Seminar had 200 members but now it is down to approximately 74. They debate the sayings of Jesus and vote on whether they believe the saying is authentic or not. The Seminar considers the Gospel of Thomas to be authentic, so basically they lower the other gospels to the level of this unbiblical document.

Voting on the sayings of Jesus takes place in a unique way. They do not simply decide whether a quote should be attributed to Jesus or not, but give some leeway as to how the saying could be portrayed. Each member votes by way of color coded ballots. They range from red being likely authentic, pink being somewhat authentic, grey being somewhat unlikely, and black being unlikely. After the voting has been completed, the Jesus Seminar publishes its findings. Some of the books put out already are "The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus," and "The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds."

One of the problems with the Jesus Seminar is that they come into their meetings with the assumption that the Gospels were written later than they really were. There is much evidence to show the Gospels were written before 70 AD. The members of the Jesus Seminar believe the Gospels were written after 70 AD because that is when the Temple was destroyed and Jesus predicted it would be destroyed. So because they do not believe Christ could have actually predicted this, they state it was written in after the fact to make Jesus appear prophetic.

The members of the Jesus Seminar are a small subset of New Testament scholars and are very liberal in their thinking. In their group European scholars are not represented which is strange because German scholars are usually the leaders in religious thinking. As well, evangelical scholars are not represented in the Jesus Seminar because of their traditional views.

The members of the Jesus Seminar come into their meetings with a bias against the supernatural elements of Christianity. They state that there is nothing supernatural in this world. Everything that happens has a natural cause.

They also assume the Gospels are false until they are proven to be true. So they begin with the assumption the Gospels are a lie and then debate the parts that may or may not be the truth. This is in contrast with Aristotle’s way of thinking which states that everything is true until it is proven false.

The members of the Seminar also believe in existence of the Q document. Wikipedia explains Q as "a lost textual source for the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. The recognition of 19th-century New Testament scholars that Matthew and Luke share much material not found in their generally recognized common source, the Gospel of Mark, has suggested a second common source, termed the Q document. The Q manuscript seems most likely to have comprised a collection of Jesus’ sayings." The problem with the Q document is that there is no evidence that it ever existed. It was first suggested in modern times by Herbert Marsh in 1801. From that point scholars have built on the idea of the Q manuscript as a way to explain where many of the sayings of Jesus have come from.

But if one was to look at the historical reliability of the Gospels and New Testament as they are now, it can be seen that the New Testament is the most reliable historical document in existence. The New Testament contains thousands of ancient copies which are almost identical. The writings of Plato which are taken to be reliable and historical are derived from only 7 ancient copies, so the New Testament should be seen as much more reliable than the writings of Plato.

The members of the Jesus Seminar state that Jesus was not seen as God during his time but was only deified centuries later. But to state this is to ignore the writings of the New Testament authors and the early church fathers. All these men stated that Jesus was God and worshiped him as such. Even archaeology has confirmed much of the New Testament to be accurate.

When it is all said and done, there are only a few conclusions one can come up with when it comes to the life of Jesus. He was either a liar, insane, or telling the truth when he claimed to be God. He was not a liar or insane because he was able to resurrect himself from the dead, so therefore he was telling the truth and he was God. One can also assume the Apostles were lying, deceived, or telling the truth when they wrote about Jesus being God. But because we know Jesus was resurrected, the Apostles were not deceived or lying and Jesus was God as he claimed.

In conclusion, the Jesus Seminar is a group of supposed New Testament Scholars whose purpose is to decide whether quotes attributed to Jesus are true or not. The Seminar was doomed from the beginning because it had the assumption that the Gospels were false and they had to find some truth in them. In fact, the Gospels are entirely accurate and any attempt to pick and choose what is fact and what is fiction will only lead one down a path of false doctrine and incorrect thinking.

THE SHROUD OF TURIN

The Shroud has been thought by some to bear the image of Christ and is believed to have been his burial cloth. Many Biblical scholars are of the belief that the Shroud of Turin is not of the time of Christ and does not portray the image of Jesus. But there is much evidence stating that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of Jesus

When it comes to looking into the facts of an item such as the shroud of Turin, there are two extremes that must be avoided. The first is the idea of idolizing the proposed relic. Exodus 20 tells us not to make any idols and not to worship such things. There is also the idea of uninformed skepticism when analyzing things of fact. We should not judge what we do not know. 1 Thessalonians tells us that when it comes to looking to fact or fiction, we are to test all things and hold onto what is good and let go of what is bad.

The Shroud of Turin is purported to be an ancient burial cloth which was thought to have been wrapped around Christ. It contains a head to toe image of a crucified man which resembles what many think Christ looks like. It was first noticed after a negative of the shroud was observed, since the normal image is faint and hard to see. The image is of a man who is around six feet tall, between 175 and 190 lbs, is muscular, and has some Semitic features.

One such proof that the image could be that of Christ is that we know he was crucified. 1 Corinthians states Christ died, was buried, and was raised on the third day. He appeared to Peter, then the twelve, then more than 500 witnesses, then to James, then the apostles and then to Paul. So there is ample proof stating Christ did die and was resurrected because of the number of witnesses named in the Scripture.

Many other different Biblical passages also back up what can be seen when examining the Shroud. Isaiah 50:6 is a prophecy about Christ’s beating before he is killed. It states "I gave my back to those who strike me and cheeks to those who pluck out the beard." Isaiah 52 also states "Behold my servant will prosper, he will be high and lifted up, so his appearance was marred more than any man." Psalm 22 also prophesied that Christ’s hands and feet would be pierced.

John 19:1-3 states the Roman soldiers put a crown of thorns on Christ’s head and gave him blows to the face. Verse 18 tells us that Christ was then crucified and verses 31-34 states Pilate was asked to break the legs of Christ so he would die quicker and be off the cross before Passover. But because Christ was already dead, only his side was pierced to ensure he really was dead, so his legs remained intact.

When one examines the shroud, it can be seen the person had a distended abdomen. This is what would be seen in someone who had died of asphyxiation, which is what would have happened to someone who was crucified. There are signs the person was in a state of rigor mortis, showing that he was dead and not just passed out. The image on the shroud has his wrists, hands, and side all pierced. The person who was wrapped in the shroud also had puncture wounds on his head, the same as Christ would have had from the crown of thorns. His face is also bruised and there have been a count of over 120 wounds on the body.

In 1978 a thorough examination was completed on the Shroud of Turin. It was found there were shoulder abrasions from carrying a heavy object. This is consistent with Christ carrying the cross, as he would have only been made to carry the cross beam. The image on the shroud also had knee contusions, which would coincide with Christ falling while carrying the cross. The person’s legs were not found to be broken and the beard was torn, both prophesied by Isaiah.

There was found to be no decomposition from the body but the blood stains on the shroud are intact. When a body is normally removed from a shroud the blood stains are no longer intact, but in this case they are.

Some have tried to say that the shroud is only a fake that was created to make people think it was the burial cloth of Christ. But the image is best seen as a negative and this concept was not around until recently. The image also has 3D imagery and this cannot be done with just paint. There is also no sign of paint or any substance which could have created the image. It is also a non-directional picture which is unlike a painting because a painting has directional strokes that can be seen.

Scientists have tried to recreate the image but they are unable to. They feel it may have been formed by a heat or light source. There is also pollen on the shroud from Turkey and Israel, but since the 14th century the shroud has never been there. The coins put over the eyes of the body are from the time of Pilate’s reign, which dates the shroud to the time of Christ.

1354 is the start of the known history of the Shroud of Turin and we know it was in Europe. In 1532 it was partially burned in a fire. Then in 1578 the shroud was moved to Turin, Italy where it has remained to this day. Before 1354, a reference by Eusebius is made of about king of Turkey who was ill and was visited by Thaddaeus. Thaddaeus supposedly had an image of Christ’s face with him at that time. After that the shroud disappeared for 500 years because of Christian persecution. History states the Knights Templar then stole the shroud from Turkey and took it to France in 1204 AD. The Apocryphal Gospels also make reference to an image of Christ’s face.

The Shroud of Turin was eventually Carbon 14 dated to see what year the cloth had come from. The dating showed the shroud was from the 14th century; so many people use this test to prove the shroud is a fake. The problem is that Carbon 14 dating is not always accurate. There are many different contaminants on the shroud and the make up of the fibers could have been changed during the fire of 1532. But if one looks at the weave of the cloth, it can be seen that it is from first century Palestine. As well, the utilization of the shroud is consistent with the code of Jewish laws and the Qumran burial procedures from the time of Christ.

In conclusion, many people have tried to discredit the Shroud of Turin as a fake and a forgery. But the problem with this is too many proofs are in existence showing that the shroud must be the burial cloth of Christ. It is possible that the Shroud of Turin is authentic and it is what Christ was buried in three days before he was resurrected.