Can We Trust the Bible’s Claims about Jesus and the Early Church?
People frequently claim that we can’t trust the Bible, that
Jesus didn’t exist, and so on. What do scholars, especially in the fields of
ancient history, archaeology, and New Testament think of the claims of the
Bible? Surprisingly to some, the vast majority of scholars accept many of the
key points of the New Testament narrative being historical true. Thus, as we
explore the question of whether we can trust the Bible’s account of Jesus and
the early church, we will be citing the New Testament as well as nonbiblical
sources from around the same time period. Citing the Bible in this discussion
is not only reasonable, but necessary. Most of what we know about Jesus and his
first followers comes from the Bible and the nonbiblical sources that support
various historical claims of the Bible (like certain people existing, etc.)
give further support for the New Testament being an authentic account by the
followers of Jesus. In addition, we have both non-Christian and Christian
sources from the 1st and 2nd century that support many of
the claims of the New Testament.
The following discussion is based around the Minimal Facts
Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus, advocated for by Gary Habermas. These
six facts are what the majority of scholars in fields relating to the New
Testament accept as true, based on both biblical and nonbiblical records.
1) Jesus
died by crucifixion under the Roman government
Mark, a close associate of the apostles Peter and Paul, 50s
AD; Mark 15:25-37,
25 It was nine in the morning when
they crucified him… 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their
heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in
three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way
the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He
saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this
king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those
crucified with him also heaped insults on him… 33 At noon, darkness came over
the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)… 37 With a loud cry, Jesus
breathed his last.[1]
The apostle John, 90s AD; John 19:16-18,
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Luke, close associate of the apostle Paul, 50s-60s AD; Acts
4:8-12,
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!.. 10 know this, you and
all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before
you healed. 11 Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the
cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Aristides, Christian philosopher, sometime between 125-147
AD; The Apology of Aristides,
The Christians, then, trace the
beginning of their religion from Jesus the Messiah; and he is named the Son of
God Most High. And it is said that God came down from heaven, and from a Hebrew
virgin assumed and clothed himself with flesh; and the Son of God lived in a
daughter of man. This is taught in the gospel, as it is called, which a short
time ago was preached among them; and you also if you will read therein, may
perceive the power which belongs to it. This Jesus, then, was born of the race
of the Hebrews; and he had twelve disciples in order that the purpose of his
incarnation might in time be accomplished. But he himself was pierced by the
Jews, and he died and was buried; and they say that after three days he rose
and ascended to heaven. Thereupon these twelve disciples went forth throughout
the known parts of the world, and kept showing his greatness with all modesty
and uprightness. And hence also those of the present day who believe that
preaching are called Christians, and they are become famous.
Justin Martyr, Christian philosopher, lived between 100-165
AD; First Apology, chapter 8,
Our teacher of these things is
Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under
Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judaea, in the times of Tiberius Caesar; and that
we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God
Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the
third, we will prove. For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we
give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the
Creator of all; for they do not discern the mystery that is herein, to which,
as we make it plain to you, we pray you to give heed.
Tacitus, Roman Historian, end of 1st Century,
“Nero fastened the guilt . . . on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of . . . Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome. . . .”
The Talmud, Jewish religious writings, 70-200 AD,
On the eve of the Passover Yeshu
[Jesus] was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald .
. . cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and
enticed Israel to apostasy.”[2]
2) Jesus’
followers claimed he rose from the dead
3) The
lives of Jesus’ followers were radically changed – they were even willing to
die for their claim that Jesus rose from the dead
4) These claims
were taught soon after the alleged resurrection
Luke, a close associate of the apostle Paul, 60s-70s AD;
Luke 1:1-4,
1 Many have undertaken to draw up
an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were
handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of
the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated
everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for
you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of
the things you have been taught.
The apostle Paul, 50s AD; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8,
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want
to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which
you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly
to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what
I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared
to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still
living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to
all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one
abnormally born.
The apostle John, 90s AD; 1 John 1:1-4,
1 That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of
life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we
proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to
us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also
may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his
Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Josephus, Jewish historian, 1st Century; Antiquities
of the Jews,
“At this time there was a wise man
called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many
people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate
condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his
disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared
to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Accordingly, he
was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders.
And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to
this day.”
Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor, 112 AD; a letter to
emperor Trajan:
“They were in the habit of meeting
on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses
a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to
any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to
falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver
it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to
partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.”
5) that
James, Jesus’ unbelieving brother, became a Christian due to his own experience
that he thought was the resurrected Christ
The apostle John, 90s AD; John 7:2-5,
2 But when the Jewish Festival of
Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to
Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who
wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these
things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not
believe in him.
Luke, a close associate of the apostle Paul, 60s-70s AD;
Acts 1:14 and Acts 15:13,
1:14 They all joined together
constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
with his brothers.
15:13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me….
The apostle Paul, 50s AD; 1 Corinthians 15:7,
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Josephus, Jewish historian, 1st Century; Antiquities
of the Jews,
“…Ananus thought that with Festus
dead and Albinus still on the way, he would have the proper opportunity.
Convening the judges of the Sanhedrin, he brought before them the brother of
Jesus who was called the Christ, whose name was James, and certain others.”
6) that the Christian persecutor Paul (formerly Saul of
Tarsus) also became a believer after a similar experience.
Luke, a close associate of the apostle Paul, 60s-70s AD;
Acts 26:4-23, quoting Paul,
4 “The Jewish people all know the
way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my
own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and
can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our
religion, living as a Pharisee…
9 “I too was convinced that I ought
to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth… 11 Many a
time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to
force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even
hunted them down in foreign cities.
12 “On one of these journeys I was
going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13
About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven,
brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to
the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “Then I
asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord
replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to
appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of
me…
19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was
not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then
to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached
that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by
their deeds… 22b I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said
would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from
the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the
Gentiles.”
The apostle Paul, 50s AD; Philippians 3:4b-8,
If someone else thinks they have
reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the
eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of
Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the
church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were
gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I
consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage,
that I may gain Christ…
Paul was whole-heartedly convinced that Jesus really rose
from the dead and really was who the Bible claims he is, the Son of God and
Savior of humanity. What about you? Read the Scriptures, think through these
things for yourself, and pray for God’s help.
This is simply an introduction to the vast research that has
been done on the historicity of the New Testament. If you’d like to learn more,
here are some helpful introductory books of the Bible and some excellent
websites:
·
The Gospel of Mark – the
first and briefest account of the life of Jesus
·
The Gospel of John – a
longer account of the life of Jesus that emphasizes his teachings and
philosophy
·
The Acts of the Apostles –
a narrative of how Jesus’ followers spread the faith after Jesus’ resurrection
and subsequent return to heaven
·
Romans – Paul’s most
expansive writing on how to come to know Jesus as Savior
·
https://www.namb.net/apologetics
- covers a variety of topics
·
https://www.garyhabermas.com
– brilliant scholar, ok website designer
·
https://ccel.org/fathers -
writings from the early church leaders (AKA, the church fathers)
· https://www.josh.org/discover-the-evidence/ - one of many great resources from Josh and Sean McDowell, Christian apologists/philosophers
______________________________________________________________________________
Sources
https://ses.edu/minimal-facts-on-the-resurrection-that-even-skeptics-accept/
https://bible.org/article/ancient-evidence-jesus-non-christian-sources
https://www.namb.net/apologetics/resource/josephus-and-jesus/
William Edgar and K. Scott Oliphint, eds., Christian
Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader, to 1500, vol. 1
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009)
The Holy Bible, New International Version.
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