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Who Is Jesus Of Nazareth?

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Who Is Jesus Of Nazareth?

As I researched for this page, I found that the answer to "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?", begins with the answers to the following questions:

Is Jesus a myth? Did He really exist?
Was he just a prophet from God?
Was he only a great moral teacher?
Was Jesus just a great man in history?

The information I give here is a only summary of my research. I am sure that my research has barely scratched the surface.

Is Jesus A Myth?

Some have suggested that Jesus was a myth, a legendary hero made up for a story. The Bible is not the only historic record of Jesus. Non-Christian (secular) historic records of Jesus come from the Romans and the Jews. These records are antagonistic towards Jesus and the early Christians, yet they do tell us that Jesus was a real person.

He is mentioned by two Roman writers, Tacitus (Annals 15.44) and Pliny the Younger (Letters 19.96). Both writers confirm that there was an unreasonable hatred of the early Christians, that they were persecuted, and that the founder of Christianity was Christ.

Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman lawyer and politian. In "Annuals of Imperial Rome" he wrote of the persecution of Christians by Nero. He states that Christ was "executed when Tiberius was emperor by order of Pontius Pilate." He also wrote of the early Christians, that "the birthplace of this evil" was Judea. His writings confirm that:

Pontius Pilate did exist. Since first mention of him had been the bible, it was said that Pilate was a another figure made up for the bible story.

Jesus lived during the time that Tiberius was emperor. This time frame matches the biblical record.

Jesus lived in Judea. This also matches the biblical record.

Pliny the Younger was a Roman governor in Northern Turkey in A.D 112. He wrote that the early Christians had high moral standards, that they "bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word..." Of the early Christian practices, he wrote that "they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god..." and that "they take bread and wine in a ceremony as symbolic of the blood and body of Christ." He had many of them executed, not for any crime, but for admitting they were Christians. Pliny's writings also confirm:

Christ did exist, and Christians worshiped Him as a god.

Early Christians took communion, symbolic of the blood and body of Christ, as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:16.

There is also Jewish records of Jesus. Josephus wrote about Him in Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.3.

Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian. He was a descendant of the Maccabees. He was a Pharisee, a priest. His Jewish name, Joseph ben Mattathias, was changed when he found favor with the Roman Emperor, Vespasian. Vespasian adopted Joseph into his family the Flavians, changing Joseph's name to Flavius Josephus.

The writings of Josephus confirm the New Testament as an accurate historical record. In Antiquities he mentions Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, the high priest, John the Baptist, and James "the brother of Jesus, the so-called Christ." His statement about Jesus, has become known as "The Testimonium Flavianum."

Josephus says of Jesus that He "was a wiseman," "a teacher," and "he was one who performed surprising deeds." Josephus also said "Pilate condemned him to a cross."

Jesus is also mentioned in some Jewish writings, including The Mishnah, and The Jewish Talmud.

We have historic records, other than the Bible, or "testimonies" about Jesus. In a court of law today, these witnesses would be considered "hostile witnesses" because of their antagonism towards Jesus and His followers. These witnesses would not be eager to prove that Jesus existed or that the New Testament is historically accurate, but they did. Nothing they said contradicts the Bible. The evidence shows that Jesus did exist. He was on this earth, and was crucified at Calvary. He was put to death for saying He was "the Christ, the Son of God."

Was He Just A Prophet From God?

When God promised Moses that He would send the Messiah, God told Moses that He would raise up a Prophet, and that the Prophet would speak what God commanded Him to speak;

"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethen, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken:" (Deuteronomy 18:15)

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethen, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)

Jesus did say that He was sent by God and that God commanded what He should say;

"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." (John 12:49)

But He was not just a prophet. He came to fulfill prophesies;

"Think not that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)

Many prophets prophesied of His coming, but none of them claimed to be the Son of God and none of them could have fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah. Jesus was not just a prophet, He was The Prophet about which all other prophets prophesied.

Was He Only A Great Moral Teacher?

Jesus' followers called Him "Rabbi" meaning teacher. Jesus was a master teacher of great moral principles. He not only taught these principles, He lived them. His example showed His followers how to apply the moral principles He taught, to their lives.

But Jesus taught more than moral principles. Josephus said that Jesus "was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly." The truth He taught was that God, The Father loved the world. (John 3:16) Then He showed us what His words meant, He healed. The lame walked, the sick were made well, the dead were brought back to life, and He performed many other miracles, but He did not call them miracles, He called them "My Father's works."

Jesus also taught that He was the light sent to a lost world. He was sent to redeem us. He told how He would accomplish this. (Mark 10:33,34) Again He put action to His words, He willing went to the cross.

C.S. Lewis, who had been a skeptic and called himself "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England," said this;

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic...or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Was Jesus Just A Great Man In History?

No one has influenced history as Jesus has. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his Testimonium Flavianum stated;

"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 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." (Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3)

Points To Consider

Josephus was not a story-teller, he was a historian. His work has been proven to be historically and factually correct.

Josephus wrote his testimonium somewhere around A.D. 70, within 40 years of Christ's death. Eye-witnesses were still alive. Josephus knew, if what he wrote was not the truth, someone could step forward and refute it.

Josephus was not a Christian. He was a Jew who was adopted into the family of the Roman Emperor. This would make him a hostile witness. He was not a Christian sympathizer. He had opportunity and reason to write that what the early Christians were saying about the life and death of Jesus, was not true. He did not, instead Josephus confirmed that what the Christians were saying and what was written in the gospels was the truth.

Josephus, a Pharisee, knew the prophesies concerning the Messiah. He said "for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him." Knowing the prophesies, Josephus makes a positive identification of Jesus, "He was the Messiah."

About the resurrection, Josephus stated, "He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life..."

Previously the authenticity of the "Testimonium Flavianum" has been debated. But in 1995, new evidence has resolved much of the debate. (I will be adding links about this soon.)

I have searched the evidence, and I am not just convinced, but convicted, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, Our Savior.

Jesus encourages you to search the evidence for yourself;

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have life: and they are they which testify of me."(John 5:39)
"...My doctrine is not mine, But His that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:16,17)

Recommended Books

"Who Moved The Stone?" by Frank Morison

"The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel

to index..Jesus Is The Light Of The World