Summary of Early Testimony About Jesus

Early Testimony About Jesus

Flavius Josephus

Josephus (ca. 37-ca. 100), a Jewish historian, mentioned Jesus in his Antiquities of the Jews around A.D. 93, acknowledging Jesus as a wise and virtuous man who had many Jewish and Gentile disciples. He notes that Pilate condemned Jesus to crucifixion, but his disciples reported his resurrection three days later, suggesting he might have been the Messiah.

Other Mentions by Josephus

Josephus also refers to James, the brother of Jesus, who was not favored by Jewish authorities and was stoned to death, potentially for leading the Jerusalem church.

Non-Christian Sources

Ten non-Christian writers mentioned Jesus within 150 years of his life, compared to nine mentioning Tiberius Caesar. These sources, including anti-Christian ones like Celsus and Tacitus, corroborate key details about Jesus:

  1. Lived during the time of Tiberius Caesar.
  2. Led a virtuous life.
  3. Performed wonders.
  4. Had a brother named James.
  5. Was believed to be the Messiah.
  6. Was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
  7. Was crucified on the eve of Passover.
  8. His death was accompanied by darkness and an earthquake.
  9. His disciples believed in his resurrection.
  10. His disciples were willing to die for their faith.
  11. Christianity spread rapidly.
  12. Disciples worshiped Jesus as God, denying Roman gods.

New Testament Accuracy

The existence of God and the possibility of miracles are established through natural revelation, and the general story of Christ and the early church is affirmed through non-Christian sources, enhancing the credibility of the New Testament.

Assessing New Testament Documents

To ascertain the New Testament's reliability, two primary questions must be addressed:

  1. Do we have accurate copies of the original first-century documents?
  2. Do these documents convey the truth?

Accuracy of Copies

While the original New Testament documents are unavailable, there are numerous copies (manuscripts). Comparing these allows reconstruction of the original text. The New Testament has approximately 5,700 handwritten Greek manuscripts, and over 9,000 in other languages. The oldest undisputed manuscript dates back to A.D. 117–138.

Manuscript Support

The New Testament has abundant manuscript support compared to other ancient works. There are 5,686 New Testament manuscripts, while Homer's Iliad, the next closest, has 643. Most ancient works survive on fewer than a dozen manuscripts.

Time Gap

The time gap between the original New Testament writings and the first surviving copies is roughly 25 years, significantly less than other ancient works like the Iliad (500 years).

Abundant Support

Early church fathers quoted the New Testament extensively, allowing reconstruction of almost the entire New Testament from their quotations alone.

Reconstruction Accuracy

Comparing copies and quotations enables accurate reconstruction of the original New Testament manuscripts, even accounting for errors during copying.

Variants

There are approximately 200,000 textual variants, mainly grammatical differences. Westcott and Hort estimate only one in sixty variants is significant, leaving the text 98.33% pure. Bruce Metzger estimates the New Testament's accuracy at about 99.5%.

Textual Certainty

Fredric Kenyon asserts that the substance of the New Testament text is certain due to the large number of manuscripts, early translations, and quotations from early writers.

Historical Reliability

Assessing the historical reliability involves evaluating whether the key events (teachings, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus) occurred as described in the New Testament.

Historical Tests

Historical tests used to determine the reliability of the historical documents:

  1. Early testimony: Earlier sources are generally more accurate.
  2. Eyewitness testimony: Direct accounts are the best evidence.
  3. Multiple, independent sources: Confirmation from various sources.
  4. Trustworthiness of eyewitnesses: Assessing the character of the witnesses.
  5. Corroborating evidence: Support from archaeology and other writers.
  6. Enemy attestation: Confirmation from opponents.
  7. Presence of embarrassing details: Self-incriminating details suggest truthfulness.

Common Objections

Some skeptics argue that history cannot be known, but this contradicts common sense and undermines the ability to detect historical revisionism. Others object to the presence of miracles, but the existence of God makes miracles possible.

Bias of Writers

While the New Testament writers were biased as converts, their conversion itself and the lack of earthly incentives to fabricate the Resurrection story suggest their accuracy. They abandoned their previous traditions, risking persecution and death for their new beliefs.

Objectivity

People can be objective even if they are not neutral. The New Testament writers, though converted, could still present objective facts. Passion may drive some to exaggerate, but others to be more meticulous.

Early Dating of Documents

The New Testament books were written before A.D. 100. Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp quoted from 25 of the 27 books in letters between A.D. 95 and 110.

Temple Destruction as a Timeline

Most books were written before A.D. 70, because it lacks mention of the temple's destruction in A.D. 70.

Earlier Compositions

Some books were composed before A.D. 62, with Acts ending without mentioning Paul's or James's deaths. The events in Acts happened prior to A.D. 62, according to the text.

Paul's Writings

Luke's Gospel was written before A.D. 60, and Mark was written in the mid-to-late 50s or earlier. Paul's letters to the Corinthians contain early testimony about the Resurrection.

Eyewitness Accounts

Testimony goes back to the Resurrection era, around the 30s. Paul cites eyewitnesses in 1 Corinthians, challenging readers to verify his claims.

Skeptical Views

Even radical critics like John A. T. Robinson admit that the New Testament documents were written early, between A.D. 40 and 65. William F. Albright suggests every book was written by A.D. 80.

Reliability despite Gaps?

Despite a 15- to 40-year gap, historians write accurately about past events by consulting memories, eyewitnesses, and written sources. Eyewitness accounts within two generations are unlikely to be legendary.

Oral Tradition

Oral culture in first-century Palestine emphasized memorization and oral tradition. Facts about Jesus were likely put into memorable form, with evidence of creeds and compact sayings. It's possible that Mark wrote in the 30s. Some scholars think that sources predate the Gospels.

Enough Testimony?

There is more testimony about Jesus than might be expected. More authors reference Jesus than the Roman emperor Tiberius. Nine authors were eyewitnesses or contemporaries of the events.

Summary

  1. Accurate copies of New Testament documents
    • Abundant copies, more than 10 best pieces of ancient literature
    • Near-perfect reconstruction of originals possible
    • Manuscript fragments traced to early second century or mid-first century
    • Further authenticated by quotations from early church fathers.
  2. New Testament documents are early
    • Referenced by other writers by A.D. 100 suggesting earlier composition
    • Documents speak of temple and city as still standing, suggesting writing before A.D. 70
    • Acts written by A.D. 62, making Luke and Mark (gospels) earlier.
    • Death, burial, and resurrection testimony in 1 Corinthians 15 originates from the time of these events (30s).