The Passion of The Christ

Is The Bible True?
Is the New Testament's account of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection historically reliable? If we can't trust the Gospels then we have no way of knowing if the Christian message is true. Christians do believe that the Gospels are historically reliable for many reasons, and here are just a few of them….

1. The Gospels Were Written As History
The Gospels were written self-consciously to record real events in real places. Just a quick glance at the Gospels gives us that impression. We're given plenty of details about:

  • Family trees
  • People's names and immediate history
  • Place names and descriptions
  • Details of the time of day when events happened
  • Details of the world political scene
  • Accurate descriptions of local archaeology, geography and history
  • Detailed accounts of customs and practices

All of these, earth the events recorded in the Gospels in the real world. The Gospels are written as if they are recording real events, not fables. All of the Gospels are written as if the writers either were eyewitnesses themselves, or had access to eyewitness accounts. Which leads us onto the second point:

2. The Gospels Fit With Other Historical Documents
Many of the people, places and details mentioned in the Gospels crop up in other histories of the same time period: Histories that mention the same Roman officials and political figures, the same places and even the same events. But most importantly, other historians from that time period mention Jesus himself.

One guy called Josephus mentions a whole load of the characters we find in the Gospels, including Jesus, Pilate, John the Baptist and many others. He wrote in AD70, around the same time as the New Testament was being written. Another guy called Thallus who wrote in AD 52 records the darkness that fell over the land while Jesus was on the cross.

  • Cornelius Tacitus a Roman Historian, wrote about Christ's persecution and death by Pontius Pilate

  • Lucian of Samosata a satirist, hated the Christians wrote about the crucifixion of Christ and how He introduced this new sect into the world

  • Plinius Secundus Governor of Bithynia wrote about his persecution of the Christians and how they sang hyms to Christ as to a god.
    Tertullian a Jurist theologian of Carthage documents an exchange between Tiberius and Pontius Pilate defending Christ's divinity.

  • Phlegon, a historian, also wrote about the sudden darkness at the time of Christ's crucifixion.

  • Mara Bar-Serapion, wrote a letter from prison to his son talking of the death of Christ and encouraging him to pursue wisdom.

All of this data gives evidence that the Gospels are not made up stories, but a true and accurate account of real history.

 

3. The Gospels Were Written A Short Time After The Event
At a loose estimate all of the Gospels were written at some point between AD40 and AD90. That's well within one generation of the events they claim to record (Jesus died some time around AD30), which makes them some of the most reliable documents we've got from the period (over 5,300 copies produced shortly after the authorship of the originals are still in existence-a major rubber stamp of archaeological authenticity). Importantly it means that loads of the people the Gospels write about; and who witnessed Jesus for themselves; and lived in the places the Gospels write about, were still alive when the Gospels were written and being circulated. If events were twisted or changed or had been recorded inaccurately, the eyewitnesses were still around to contradict and refute their credibility.

4. Worth Dying For?
On a final note, thousands of early Christians (including those who were Jesus’ first disciples) were so certain of the truth of the accounts contained in the Gospels that they endured extreme persecution and in many cases a martyr’s death facing the lions, crucifixion, beheading, or worse for their belief in the Gospels’ claims to who Jesus was and why he came.

5. The Challenge
We can be sure the Gospels are reliable accounts of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. They are the first place to look if we want to investigate who Jesus is, why he came and what he demands from our lives. But the Bible claims to be more than just a history book about Jesus…It is the Word of God. As we read the Bible we are not just reading a history of Jesus. Rather, God himself wants to communicate his love, forgiveness and invitation to know him, through the story of Jesus.

Why not consider reading one of them yourself to acquaint yourself with the real Jesus!

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