The Jesus Myth
Recently an e-mail was sent to me in which Jesus' birth, life and death were compared to mythological stories such as Krishna, Mithras, Attis and others. The inference, of course, is that Jesus, as we read about Him in the Bible is merely a myth.
The message amasses an impressive list of similarities, but I am curious about the accuracy of the details. For instance, the author of the list states that Krishna was born on December 25, but sources which I have checked say he was born in mid-July.1 Incidentally, Jesus was not born on December 25 (see 12/20/2009 article).
I have no interest in investigating and answering each of the commonalities claimed. A more profitable approach is to consider the credibility of the eyewitness testimony about Jesus in the Bible. Paul references hundreds who saw the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Peter tells us that he and the other apostles "were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16). John's introduction to his first epistle reads,
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled... that which we have seen and heard we declare... (1 John 1:1-3)Since the skeptic will not receive the testimony of the Scriptures, it should be noted that there is independent evidence of Jesus' existence found in sources which are hostile to Christianity.
The first century Roman historian Tacitus, wrote about Nero's persecution of the Christians, and recorded,
Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius... (Annals 15.44)
“...consider the credibility of the eyewitness testimony about Jesus...”
This confirms the political setting in Luke's gospel account (Luke 3:1).
In the Antiquities of the Jews, by Josephus, a historical account of Jesus can be found:
...there was about this time Jesus, a wise man... ...Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross... (Antiquities 18.3.3)
Josephus speaks of His "wonderful works," and the resurrection. Some have claimed that Christians have altered the text to speak of these, but a 10th century Arabic copy of the Antiquities also speaks of His works and resurrection.2
Other ancient Jewish writings acknowledge the existence of Jesus, though they speak of Him in a derogatory way (for they rejected Him as Messiah). In the 2nd century AD, Tertullian answered many Jewish attacks regarding Jesus (He was a harlot's son; demon-possessed; a Sabbath-breaker; etc), but felt no need to defend His existence. Why? The Jews did not cast doubt on His existence, but rather were offended at His claim to be the Messiah.3
Are there saviour stories in various cultures that bear some similarity to the details about Jesus Christ? Bear in mind that we looked at the birth date claim, and found it to be unreliable. Are the other details equally unreliable?
Where is the eyewitness testimony for these pagan deities? The apostles and at least 500 others saw the resurrected Christ. Is the historicity of Krishna and other pagan saviours confirmed by those who are opponents? Jesus was the subject of a character (not existence) assault in ancient Jewish literature.
Jesus of Nazareth is not a myth; He was born, lived to serve us, died to save us, and was raised to give us hope.
1, krishnajanmashtami.com, also see sources listed at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna
2, religiousstudies.uncc.edu/jdtabor/josephus-Jesus.html
3, jewishchristianlit.com/Topics/JewishJesus/
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Answering The Atheist
Complaint:
Is it OK for a divorced woman to remarry? Deuteronomy 24:1-2 says yes, but Luke 16:18 says no. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
There are several texts in the New Testament which reveal that it is a distinct covenant from the law given through Moses (Ephesians 2:15-16; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 7:11, 18; Hebrews 8:7, 13). The questioner has set an Old Testament law against that which is recorded in the New Testament. The texts do not contradict; they are independent of one another.
It ought to be mentioned that when Jesus speaks of her "who is divorced from her husband" in Luke 16:18, the inference is that she has divorced for a reason other than sexual immorality (see Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12). The only cause for divorce in the New Testament which allows the innocent party to remarry is fornication.
Jesus commented to the Jews about the certificate of divorce spoken of in the Law, and said,
Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8)
God’s plan for marriage from the beginning was that one man and one woman be together for life.
There is no contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible