HISTORICITY OF JESUS --
"The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1987) states: “Independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus.” What are some of these independent accounts? According to the Jewish scholar Joseph Klausner, there is the testimony of the early Talmudic writings. (Jesus of Nazareth, page 20) There is also the testimony of the first-century Jewish historian Josephus. For example, he describes the stoning of James, identifying him as “the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”—Jewish Antiquities, XX, [ix, 1]."
"In addition, there is the testimony of early Roman historians, especially that of the highly regarded Tacitus. He wrote early in the second century about “a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus [Christ], from whom the name [Christian] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators.” (The Annals, XV, XLIV) Viewing the evidence that Jesus was a historical person as overwhelming, the French philosophical moralist of the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, testified: “The history of Socrates, which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of Jesus Christ.”
“THE single most powerful figure—not merely in these two millenniums but in all human history—has been Jesus of Nazareth,” said Time magazine. When Jesus was on earth, thousands of honesthearted people recognized, not just his greatness, but his concern for others. Hence, it comes as no surprise that they wanted to make him king. (John 6:10, 14, 15) "
“It would require much exotic calculation, however, to deny that the single most powerful figure—not merely in these two millenniums but in all human history—has been Jesus of Nazareth.”—Reynolds Price, American writer and Bible scholar."
“A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”—Mohandas K. Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India."
“As a child, I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”—Albert Einstein, German-born scientist."
“Jesus Christ, to me, is the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything He ever said or did has value for us today, and that is something you can say of no other man, alive or dead.”—Sholem Asch, Polish-born essayist as quoted in Christian Herald; italics theirs."
“For thirty five years of my life I was, in the proper acceptation of the word, nihilist, a man who believed in nothing. Five years ago my faith came to me. I believed in the doctrine of Jesus Christ and my whole life underwent a sudden transformation.”—Count Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and philosopher."
“[Jesus’] life is the most influential ever lived on this planet and its effect continues to mount.”—Kenneth Scott Latourette, American historian and author."
“Shall we suppose the evangelic history a mere fiction? Indeed, my friend, it bears not the marks of fiction. On the contrary, the history of Socrates, which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of Jesus Christ.”—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher."
“I have regarded Jesus of Nazareth as one amongst the mighty teachers that the world has had. . . . I shall say to the Hindus that your lives will be incomplete unless you reverently study the teachings of Jesus.”—Mohandas K. Gandhi, The Message of Jesus Christ."
“A character so original, so complete, so uniformly consistent, so perfect, so human and yet so high above all human greatness, can be neither a fraud nor a fiction. . . . It would take more than a Jesus to invent a Jesus.”—Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church."
“That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels.”—Will Durant, Caesar and Christ."
“It may seem incomprehensible that a globe-spanning religious movement could have been triggered by a nonexistent person dreamed up as the ancient equivalent of a marketing device, given the ranks of incontestably real people who have tried and failed to found faiths.”—Gregg Easterbrook, Beside Still Waters."
‘As a literary historian I am perfectly convinced that whatever the Gospels are, they are not legends. They are not artistic enough to be legends. Most of the life of Jesus is unknown to us, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so.’—C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock."
"Within 45 years of the death of the Caesar , a child named Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Did he become the greatest man of all time? About a hundred years ago, the reference work The Historians’ History of the World observed: “The historical result of [Jesus’] activities was more momentous, even from a strictly secular standpoint, than the deeds of any other character of history. A new era, recognised by the chief civilisations of the world, dates from his birth.”
To this day, interest in Jesus Christ remains intense. A few years ago, the prominent U.S. newsmagazines Time, Newsweek, and U.S.News and World Report all featured cover stories about him at the same time. And, if anything, such interest in Jesus seems to have increased. “His spirit is alive in movies, music and fashion,” noted the Toronto Star newspaper in 2004. “He has made it into our pantheon of heroes.” "
“ALL that the gospels report of what Jesus said, in private and in public, he could have uttered in two hours,” wrote Bible translator Edgar Goodspeed. “Yet that little was so stirring, so moving and so penetrating that it is safe to say nobody else has influenced the world so much."
"Interestingly, historian H. G. Wells described his test for measuring a man’s greatness. Over 50 years ago, he wrote: “The historian’s test of an individual’s greatness is ‘What did he leave to grow? Did he start men to thinking along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him?’ By this test,” Wells concluded, “Jesus stands first.” Even Napoléon Bonaparte noted: “Jesus Christ has influenced and commanded His subjects without His visible bodily presence.”
Yet, some have objected that Jesus is not a historical person but a myth. At the other extreme, many have idolized Jesus as God, saying that God came to earth as Jesus. However, basing his conclusions solely on the historical evidence regarding Jesus’ existence as a man,
Wells wrote: “It is interesting and significant that a historian, without any theological bias whatever, should find that he cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to a penniless teacher from Nazareth. . . . A historian like myself, who does not even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centering irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man.” "
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