External corroborations to Biblical accounts

Accounts that are corroborated by independent neutral parties are

MUCH more reliable than accounts that are only testified by partisan

parties.

Is Jesus a historical figure ?

• We all know that Jesus appears in the Bible

• Does any other people, especially ancient historian, write about Jesus ?

• Some non-Christians claim that Jesus is ONLY mentioned in the Bible…– They are DEAD WRONG…

Some famous ancient historians• Josephus: (37-100 AD), Jewish historian

– Antiquities: on the Jewish history

– War: on the Jewish-Roman war

• Tacitus: (~110 AD), Roman historian– Annals: History of Rome from begin till 66 AD

• Suetonius: (~60 AD), Roman historian– Lives of the Caesars: on Roman emperors

• Pliny: (~70-100 AD), Roman governor– Wrote letters to his Emperor and friend

Josephus on James and Jesus• Antiquities, Book 20, Chapter 9

– Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned...

Josephus’ Controversial testimony• Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 3

– About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man.  For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had  first come to love him did not cease.  He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him.  And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.

Josephus confirms Pilate

• Antiquities, Book 18 , Chapter 3 – But now Pilate, the procurator of Judea,

removed the army from Cesarea to Jerusalem, to take their winter quarters there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws.

• Jewish historian confirmed that Pilate mentioned in the Bible existed

Tacitus on Jesus• Annals, Book XV

– Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name (Christians) had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, 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, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.

Tacitus on Christians• Annals, Book XV

– Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Pliny asked questions on Christians

• In one of his letter to Emperor Trajan:– It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you

all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent.....

Pliny on Christians• Later in the same letter, Pliny wrote:

– Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed.

Pliny on Christians• Again in same letter:

– Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image (Roman emperors were like gods), which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ - none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do -- these I thought should be discharged.

Pliny on Christians

• Pliny had the order from the Emperor to kill all Christians

• All you have to do to save your life is to DENY you are a Christian !!!

• What do you think the Christians did ?

Pliny on Christians

• I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered.

Why was Pliny troubled ?

• They (i.e, the Christians) asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so....

• Where is the CRIME that deserve DEATH ?

By the way…• Among the Christians the were executed by

the Romans were:– Peter (Jesus’ disciple and founder of the

church in Jerusalem)– Paul (founder of many churches in Asia

Minor)

• If Christianity is a lie, Peter and Paul would be the ones that invented the lie

• Would any sane person be willing to die for a lie?

Method of taking census• Luke’s description on the census was

criticized as inaccurate in the past:– Luk 2:1 And it happened in those

days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

– Luk 2:3 And all went to be registered, each to his own city.

• Critics said the way the census was taken was absurd and therefore wrong

Method of taking census• Archaeology proves Luke right !

• A papyrus dated around 104 A.D. by C.Vibius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt:– The enrollment by household being at hand, it

is necessary to notify all who for any cause soever are outside their nomes (administrative divisions of Egypt) to return to their domestic hearths, that they may also accomplish the customary dispensation of enrollment and continue steadfastly in the husbandry that belongs to them.”

Lysanias: Luke was again right• Another hotly criticized passage: Luke 3:1-2

– In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar -- when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene -- during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.

Lysanias: what was the problem ?

• At that time, the only known Lysanias was: was a king who was executed by the order of Mark Antony in 34 B.C.

• The Lysanias the Luke was talking about is alive around 29 A.D.

• There is no record of this Lysanias and critics said that Luke was wrong

• Until…

Luke’s Lysanias• Archaeology found the following

temple inscription:– "For the salvation of the August Lords and

of all their household, Nymphaeus, freedman of Eagle Lysanias tetarch established this street and other things."

• August lords is a joint title given only to the emperor Tiberius and his mother Livia (widow of Augustus)

• Indicate a year between 14 – 29 A.D.

Extreme accuracy of Luke

• Luke mentioned small details that was not important in the story; which checks out:– Acts 18:2--- There he became acquainted

with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had been expelled from Italy as a result of Claudius Caesar's order to deport all Jews from Rome.

Suetonius corroborates Luke• In “Life of Claudius” Suetonius wrote:

– As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome.

• Luke did NOT have to mention that Aguila was expelled from Rome in his account – Luke did it anyway, a small detail

• Even this small detail CHECKS OUT !!!

Testimony of a former atheist• William Ramsay in his book “St. Paul the

Traveler and the Roman Citizen”:– I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts]– More recently, I found myself often brought

into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia Minor.

– It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth