For
The Testimony of History and Law
McDowell quotes Bernard Ramm who says:
“In both ecclesiastical history and creedal history the
resurrection is affirmed from the earliest times. It is mentioned in Clement of
Rome, Epistle to the Corinthians(A.D. 95), the earliest document of
church history and so continuously throughout all of the paristic period. It
appears in all forms of the Apostles Creed and is never debated. (Ramm, PCE,
192)
The early church fathers, like
all humans were fallible. Just because they did not debate the resurrection
does not mean Jesus did resurrect. Being church fathers, it would have been
counterproductive to debate religious matters. They had their religious axes to
grind and could not afford to debate the matter.
The rest of this section
comprises quotes from apologist “Church Fathers” like S. Polycarp (in Epistle
to the Phillipians), Justin Martyr, Tertullian and a few other Christian
scholars. They do not claim anything that can be considered as evidence for the
resurrection, they just profess their faith, besides, the people he quotes came
at least a century after Christ’s alleged death and resurrection. Third or even
tenth hand testimony is what their quotes are.
Concerning historicity of Jesus,
the following is a list of early writers/ historians who fail to mention Jesus
in their writings. They are not just historians; they are writers from the
Roman and Greek world of the first century and a half after the alleged
crucifixion. This incomplete list is from John E. Remsburg's The Christ: A
Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidence of His Existence which has been expounded by Q. D. Jones.
The argument here is that they are people who reasonably ought to
have known about Jesus and mentioned at least Jesus, his alleged resurrection
or Christianity in their writings. So this cannot be reduced to an argument
from silence.
Philo Judaeus - spent
time in Jerusalem during the times of Jesus, he wrote many books about the Jews
and their religion and history - but not a word about Jesus or his followers or
his teachings.
Apollonius of Tyana - was a
philosopher and mystic contemporary with Jesus (and rather similar to him) who
travelled widely and was revered even by Roman Emperors - his words and
teachings were recorded by his disciple Damis (our information comes from
Philostratus c.220) - from what we know he apparently had no knowledge of
Jesus, his teachings, or his followers.
Justus of Tiberias was a
writer contemporary with Jesus, and from the same region - his works are now
lost, but Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople wrote in the 8th Century: ''He
(Justus of Tiberias) makes not one mention of Jesus, of what happened to him,
or of the wonderful works that he did." [Tiberias is a town near Galilee,
Tiberius is a Roman name]
Marcus Manilius - wrote
on astrology/astronomy in Rome.
Velleius Paterculus - wrote Roman
History.
Quintus Curtius Rufus wrote
in Rome (History of Alexander)
Marcus/Lucius Annaeus Seneca wrote several
works on oratory and literary criticisms in Rome.
C. Musonius Rufus wrote
on Stoic philosophy in Rome. C. Musonius Rufus was a Roman eques and
Stoic philosopher, born about 30 C.E. Many leading Roman citizens studied
philosophy with him, and he also taught the ex-slave philosopher Epictetus.
Pomponius Mela - was a
Roman geographer. His work, De situ orbis, a description of the then
known world, was published in Latin in 1471 and translated into English by
Arthur Golding as The Cosmographer (1585).
Lucius Annaeus Seneca - wrote
many philosophic (Stoic) and satirical books and letters (and Tragedies) in
Rome.
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus wrote
the Pharsalia (Civil War) in Rome.
Aulus Persius Flaccus - wrote
several satires in Rome.
Petronius Arbiter - wrote
the Satyricon in Rome.
Hero(n) of Alexandria - wrote
many technical works, including astronomy.
Geminus - wrote on
astronomy in Greece.
Lucius Junius Moderatus
Columella - wrote (about agriculture) in Spain sometime in the 1st
century.
Cleomedes - wrote
on mathematics in Greece.
Dioscorides - wrote
a pharmacopoeia in mainland Greece.
Plutarch of Chaeronea - wrote
many works on history and philosophy in Rome and Boetia.
Dio Chrysostom (Cocceianus Dio) - was
the dominant Roman Orator of the times (his works jointly show Stoic and Cynic
ideas), and wrote many works and gave many speeches in various Roman and Greek
centres, of which 80 survive e.g. the Euboicus.
Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius
Secundus) - wrote a Natural History in Rome.
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus - wrote
the Education of an Orator in Rome - his many speeches are lost.
Publius Papinius Statius - wrote
numerous minor and epic poems (e.g. Ode to Sleep and the Thebaid) in Rome.
Dio of Prusa - wrote
in Alexandria.
Silius Italicus - wrote
the Punica in Naples.
Sextus Julius Frontinus - wrote
many technical works in Rome - 2 survive - e.g. on Aquaducts. In Sentences
of Sextus, translated by Frederik Wisse , Sextus writes a lot about religious
issues including (376a) “A man who is worthy of God, he is God among men, and
he is the son of God” but he never mentions Jesus.
Marcus Valerius Martialus - wrote
many satires in Rome.
Josephus (Flavianus) wrote Jewish
Antiquities
of the Jews which nowadays contains a famous passage (the Testamonium
Flavianum), which is not considered reliable evidence by most scholars.
About a century later Origen comments that Josephus did not call Jesus the
Christ. There are various versions of the passage, each are unlikely to have
been written by Josephus - it was almost certainly inserted centuries later by
Eusebius (whose copy of Josephus is the first to show this passage).
In Antiquities of the Jews
20, another disputed passage has Josephus identifying Jesus as James’ brother
(James was the leader of the Jerusalem Church – he is identified as “the
brother of the Lord” in Galatians 1:19). Jesus never identified James as his
brother and James never identified Jesus as his brother. The Gospel of Thomas
has Jesus identifying James as “James the Just”, not as his brother. Other
incongruities arise when the passage is examined more closely like Pauls
all-inclusive use of the word brother, Origen’s conflicting quote from the same
passage etc (not to mention, those espousing the idea of Mary’s perpetual
virginity – like the Catholic Church may not like the idea that Jesus actually
had a brother).
Epictetus' The
Golden Sayings of Epictetus. speeches on Stoicism (after retiring to Greece)
were recorded by Arrian, he refers to the Christians (possibly authentic) in
Discourses IV 7: "Through madness it is possible for a man to be so
disposed towards these things and through habit, as the Galileans."
Theon of Smyrna - wrote
on astronomy/philosophy. He made astronomical observations of Mercury and Venus
between 127 and 132 since Ptolemy listed four observations, which Theon made in
127, 129, 130 and 132. From these observations Theon made estimates of the
greatest angular distance that Mercury and Venus can reach from the Sun.
Decimus Junius Juvenalis - wrote
sixteen satires in Rome. In His Satires (c. 100 AD) savagely attack
Roman society.
Nicomachus of Gerasa - wrote
on mathematics.
Lucius Annaeus Florus - wrote
an Epitome of Roman History.
Hierocles - wrote
some Stoic works.
Thallus -
perhaps wrote about this time or somewhat earlier (his works are lost, there is
no evidence he wrote in the 1st century, in fact there is some evidence he
wrote around 109 BCE, and some authors refer to him for events before the
Trojan War!) - 9th century George Syncellus quotes the 3rd century Julianus
Africanus, speaking of the darkness at the crucifixion: ''Thallus calls this
darkness an eclipse". There is no evidence Thallus made specific reference
to Jesus or the Gospel events, as there was an eclipse in 29, the subject in
question.
Phlegon -
probably wrote during this period - his works are lost. Later, Origen,
Eusebius, and Julianus Africanus (as quoted by George Syncellus) refer to him,
but quote differently his reference to an eclipse. There is no evidence Phlegon
said anything about Gospel events, if he did it is too late to prove anything
about Jesus.
Favorinus, a
skeptic, a philosopher and friend of Plutarch, wrote in Gaul.
Pliny the Younger (Gaius
Plinius Caecilius Secundus) - wrote of a movement founded by ''Christus''
considered a God by his followers - this confirms that there were Christians
who believed in a Christ by that time - but proves nothing about Jesus.
Cornelius Tacitus - wrote
a celebrated passage about Jesus roughly 80 years or so after the alleged
events - but at best he is merely reporting Christian beliefs of his later
times, not using earlier documents: he uses the incorrect title 'procurator' -
the term used in Tacitus' time, not Pilate's; he fails to name the executed man
(Roman records could not possibly have called him 'Christ '); and he accepts
the recent advent of the Christians, when Rome was known to allow only ancient
cults and religions. No one refers to this passage in Tacitus for another
millenium, and our earliest manuscript dates to c.1100 C.E.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus - in Life
of Claudius mentioned unrest at the instigation of 'Chrestus'. This is a
common Greek name and was also a mystic name for an Initiate (meaning the Good)
- this Chrestus seems to have been active in Rome, thus is unlikely to have
been Jesus Christ.
Aelius Aristides the
Greek Orator spoke and wrote a History of Rome inter alia - he seems to
refer to the Christians as "impious men from Palestine " (Orations
46.2)
Albinus taught
on (neo-) Platonism, a little survives.
Aristocles of Messene wrote
On Philosophy .
Arrian wrote in
Athens (on Alexander inter alia)
Menelaus of Alexandria wrote on
mathematics.
Ptolemy (Claudius
Ptolemaeus) wrote the astronomical masterpiece the Almagest (the Greatest) in
Alexandria.
Sepher Yetzirah (Book
of Formation) may date from around this period (perhaps R. Akiba c.120, or
later 2nd century).
150 C.E.
Marcus Cornelius Fronto - scandalised rites practiced by Roman
Christians, fragments are preserved in the Minucius Felix' Octavius.
Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus - wrote
the Stoic Meditations - he refers once to the Christians (possibly an
interpolation) in XI, 3 "What a soul that is which is ready, if at any
moment it must be separated from the body, and ready either to be extinguished
or dispersed, or continue to exist; but so that this readiness comes from a
man’s own judgment, not from mere obstinacy, as with the Christians, but
considerately and with dignity, and in a way to persuade another without scenic
show."
Mara Bar-Serapion, as early as
this, wrote: "What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates
to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What
advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their
land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing
their wise King? It was just after that their Kingdom was abolished."
Lucius Apuleius - wrote
the Metamorphoses (the Golden Ass or Transformations of Lucius) and many
other spiritual, historical, and philosophic works - several survive.
Apollodorus -
compiled a large Greek Mythology.
Appian
wrote Roman History.
Aulus Gellius wrote Attic
Nights (Nights in Athens), a large compendium of many topics.
Cassius Maximus Tyrius, a Greek NeoPlatonic
philosopher, wrote many works.
Hephaestion of Alexandria wrote Enchiridion,
On Confusions in Poems; Solutions to Difficulties in Comedy; Solutions in
Tragedy; and very many other works.
Pausanius wrote the massive Guide to
Greece
Sextus Empiricus wrote Outlines of Scepticism.
Menodotus of Nicomedia wrote on medicine.
Numenius of Apamea wrote philosophy.
Tiberius Claudius Herodes Atticus (Marcus
Aurelius' teacher) spoke - On the Constitution.
Lucian of Samosata satirised Christians and their
priests at length.
·
176-190 C.E.
Galen wrote many
works in Rome - some books on medicine, and some fragments which mention Christ
or Christians survive : De pulsuum differentiis, iii.3 : ''One might
more easily teach novelties to the followers of Moses and Christ than to the
physicians and philosophers who cling fast to their schools.'' ii.4 : ''...in
order that one should not at the very beginning, as if one had come into the
school of Moses and Christ, hear talk of undemonstrated laws, and that where it
is least appropriate.'' A passage which survives only in an Arabic quotation:
''If I had in mind people who taught their pupils in the same way as the
followers of Moses and Christ teach theirs--for they order them to accept
everything on faith--I should not have given you a definition.'' A passage
taken from Galen's lost summary of Plato's Republic, only preserved in Arabic
quotations: ''Most people are unable to follow any demonstrative argument
consecutively; hence they need parables, and benefit from them...just as now we
see the people called Christians drawing their faith from parables [and
miracles], and yet sometimes acting in the same way [as those who
philosophize]. For their contempt of death [and its sequel] is patent to us
every day, and likewise their restraint in cohabitation...'' (Richard Walzer: Galen
on Jews and Christians, 1949)
Celsus wrote
his On The True Doctrine criticizing Christianity: '' Clearly the
Christians have used...myths... in fabricating the story of Jesus' birth'' ,
''It is clear to me that the writings of the Christians are a lie and that your
fables are not well-enough constructed to conceal this monstrous fiction ''
Lucius Flavius Philostratus was
born c.170 CE on the Greek island of Lemnus. He became one of the leading
sophists or orators of his day, spent some years at the Roman imperial
court, and publicized several books, among which are Life of the sophists
and an intriguing biography of the charismatic miracle worker Apollonius of
Tyana. Philostratus died between 244 and 249.
Besides, some of these historians, notably Celsus knew and
wrote that the Christians had fabricated the story of Jesus ‘birth’. Others
like Galen did not think the story of Jesus deserved to be taken seriously.
In the face of such a preponderant lack of any mention
from contemporary historians, writers, philosophers and scholars there is
absolutely no reason to believe there existed a historical Jesus and by
extension, a physical death and resurrection.
And this is not all, even Christian sources outside the
Gospels do not speak of a historical Jesus, when they refer to Christ, they do
so in high-sounding spiritual terms. The following is a list of such sources:
Romans,
1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1
Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews,
James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
These authors do not mention historical places and dates
that can be used in constructing a historical Jesus.
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