Rule one if you want to spin a lie is—don’t be specific—as not only can you get tripped up in the details, but your assertions can also be fact-checked.
. . . which makes the account of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ a sure tick in the truth box for the gospels are filled with facts.
A thorough examination of all those facts would take books, but we can discuss a few of them here.
Before we begin, though, it must be noted that all of the gospels were written while people who had witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus were still living, and there is no record of any written refutation of their accounts.
Second, secular writings also affirm much of what we read in the Bible—even those writers who were hostile to Christianity, such as Thallus who lived in 52 AD:
Thallus is perhaps the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus and he is so ancient his writings don’t even exist anymore. But Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD does quote Thallus who previously tried to explain away the darkness occurring at Jesus’ crucifixion:
“On the whole world their pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other district 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.” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1)
If only more of Thallus’ record could be found, we might find more confirmation of Jesus’ crucifixion. But there are some things we can conclude from this account: Jesus lived, He was crucified, and there was an earthquake and darkness at the point of His crucifixion.
Just as stated in Matthew 27:51-54; Mark 15:33; Luke 23: 44-45.
The respected Roman historian, senator, and proconsul of Asia, Tacitus In his “Annals’ of 116AD” describes Emperor Nero’s response to the great fire in Rome and Nero’s claim that the Christians were to blame:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the hame had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”
In this account, Tacitus confirms several historical elements of the Biblical narrative: Jesus lived in Judea, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and had followers who were persecuted for their faith in Christ.
(To read more of these secular views, please click this link: Cold Case Christianity)
When it comes to the resurrection itself, there were Roman guards surrounding the tomb, yet the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty, and the body never found. In addition, over 500 people claimed to have seen him alive, and the twelve apostles willing to die martyrs deaths by professing his resurrection (Eleven did and one was banished.) (5 Important Facts about Jesus’ Resurrection)
The Bible is filled with facts—specific facts—and as the various branches of science (geology, archeology, astronomy) continue their search, these facts continue to be confirmed. We, meanwhile, need to know what the Bible says, what those facts are—from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
As Proverbs 30:5 states: “Every word of God proves true.”
. . . which makes the account of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ a sure tick in the truth box for the gospels are filled with facts.
A thorough examination of all those facts would take books, but we can discuss a few of them here.
Before we begin, though, it must be noted that all of the gospels were written while people who had witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus were still living, and there is no record of any written refutation of their accounts.
Second, secular writings also affirm much of what we read in the Bible—even those writers who were hostile to Christianity, such as Thallus who lived in 52 AD:
Thallus is perhaps the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus and he is so ancient his writings don’t even exist anymore. But Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD does quote Thallus who previously tried to explain away the darkness occurring at Jesus’ crucifixion:
“On the whole world their pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other district 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.” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1)
If only more of Thallus’ record could be found, we might find more confirmation of Jesus’ crucifixion. But there are some things we can conclude from this account: Jesus lived, He was crucified, and there was an earthquake and darkness at the point of His crucifixion.
Just as stated in Matthew 27:51-54; Mark 15:33; Luke 23: 44-45.
The respected Roman historian, senator, and proconsul of Asia, Tacitus In his “Annals’ of 116AD” describes Emperor Nero’s response to the great fire in Rome and Nero’s claim that the Christians were to blame:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the hame had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”
In this account, Tacitus confirms several historical elements of the Biblical narrative: Jesus lived in Judea, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and had followers who were persecuted for their faith in Christ.
(To read more of these secular views, please click this link: Cold Case Christianity)
When it comes to the resurrection itself, there were Roman guards surrounding the tomb, yet the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty, and the body never found. In addition, over 500 people claimed to have seen him alive, and the twelve apostles willing to die martyrs deaths by professing his resurrection (Eleven did and one was banished.) (5 Important Facts about Jesus’ Resurrection)
The Bible is filled with facts—specific facts—and as the various branches of science (geology, archeology, astronomy) continue their search, these facts continue to be confirmed. We, meanwhile, need to know what the Bible says, what those facts are—from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
As Proverbs 30:5 states: “Every word of God proves true.”
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