Jesus-more impactful then just a simple historical figure
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Jan 9, 2024
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Jesus: Savior or Simply Historical Figure
Nick Owsley
GCU: PHI-610-Christian Apologetics
9/27/2021
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Jesus is one of the most confrontational people that has have ever existed. Removing any pre-conceived notions of who He was based on religion, who was Jesus and why is His role in History so significant? What is the uniqueness about the person that makes Him and His work such a disputed and confrontational topic? This essay will address the impact that Jesus had on history and why who He is, what He did and how not only how He lived, but how He died and resurrected are a core doctrine in the Christian faith. Whether He existed, or not is not really an arguable point as non-Christian manuscripts can be utilized to establish the historical existence of Jesus. One of the most notable sources was the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote of Jesus in his historical account “Antiquities of the Jews” where he makes two references of Jesus.
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Another outside resource is was the Roman Historian Tacitus, referred to
Jesus, documented his crucifixion, by Pilate, and even spoke of early Christians in Rome in his book “Annals.
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” Both men wrote independently from each other as neither source really acknowledged the academic resource of the other as peer. However as each man is considered a scholar in their own regards, the similarities and differences of their works are used as a type of authentication process
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for historical happenings in that time frame. So since His existence has been established who was He? On a historical level, Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem about 2,021 years ago. Not much is known of His early childhood, but it is assumed that for the initial 30 years of His life, he lived what would be considered a traditional Jewish upbringing. Then when Jesus was approximately 30-years-old, He began His public ministry in the area surrounding the Sea of Galilee. People flocked to Him 1
Josephus, the essential works: a condensation of Jewish antiquities and The Jewish war.
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J
esus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence
,
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Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research
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wherever He went as stories of miracles He performed and life changing teachings He gave began to spread throughout the region. For 3 years His popularity and reputation grew, however unlike many people with such a following, Jesus did not revile in the spotlight, but rather consistently used it to teach on such topics as God’s love for His people, God’s desire for His people to love each other, God’s abundant grace and forgiveness, Gods judgement, and how to avoid it, and then also a very unsettling topic, His own death.
Despite the lack of feel good messages, Jesus following grew, causing local political leaders, and religious leaders to begin the questioning of, “Who is this man
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?” To their knowledge Jesus was a simple Jewish man without any formal education. His inner circle consisted of local fisherman, and He spent time with sinners (prostitutes) and tax collectors.
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He never attempted to over through the government, or raise any type of militant group, He had no political aspirations, and He even encouraged the people to follow the governing laws of the reigning Roman emperor
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. Compared to most Historical figures, Jesus was lacking in many areas that would suggest Him as an influencer in such a tumultuous time. However this did not prevent the religious leaders in power to still feel threatened. As is the case with most people in a position of power, once they feel they are losing their
grasp on the power they perceive themselves to have, they become eradicate and desperate to keep it. The religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, were no exception to this rule and plotted to kill Jesus. They sought to kill Him, primarily because of the messages He gave and His continuous challenging of their hypocritical lifestyle as compared to how they were
teaching others on how they should live according to law of God. Because they were under 4
Luke 20:2
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Matthew 9:10-11
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Mark 12:!7
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Roman rule, they lacked the ability for corporal punishment, so they took advantage of the crowds that Jesus drew and basically accused Him or disturbing the peace. The Roman Governor
of the area, Pontius Pilate, found no reason to kill Jesus; however the religious leaders were able to persuade him into an execution. They performed a mock trial, tortured, and beat Jesus; all the while Jesus endured without saying a word
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. Jesus was crucified on a cross, died and was buried.
Now this is where the confrontational of who Jesus is and His significance on History comes into play. For any other religious or historical figure this would be the end of their story. A monument would be built at the burial site, and people would flock their by the droves to see it. But Jesus story doesn’t end there. What sets Christianity apart, from all other religious and belief systems and what makes Jesus so confrontational is that the Bible tell us that after three days of being dead, actually dead, He resurrected Himself
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. The Bible records that several months after His resurrection and ensuing assentation into Heaven, thousands believed and began to follow and spread the teachings of Jesus
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.
The following year’s believers began to call themselves “Christians” and claimed “Christianity”, and by 325 A.D the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the empire. And according to the Pew Research center, as of the year 2020, Christianity has approximately 2.5 billion adherents out of a worldwide population of about 7.8 billion people, approximately 1/3 of the Earth’s population.
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Who Jesus was, and the messages He taught are nullified if He did not rise from the dead.
That is why a belief in His life, His teachings and not just His death but also resurrection is a core doctrine in the church. Because it is that doctrine on which the entire belief system is built. 7
Luke 22:63-23:12
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Luke 24
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Acts 2:14-42
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Pewforum.org
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Historically some say he was a prophet, maybe a good teacher, but to 1/3 of the Earth’s population He is savior.
References
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Josephus, Flavius, and Paul L. Maier. Josephus, the Essential Works: A Condensation of Jewish Antiquities and the Jewish War. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.
E., Van Voorst Robert. Jesus outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.
Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A. Evans. Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current
Research. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1998
The NIV Study Bible. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2007.
Hackett, Conrad, and David McClendon. "World's Largest Religion by Population Is Still Christianity." Pew
Research Center. May 31, 2020.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-
religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/
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