I was up quite late last night. I was in a voice chat dealing with a Christ-myther. Fun fun fun. For those who aren’t familiar with the position, it is not saying that Jesus didn’t do miracles or rise from the dead or even claim deity for himself, it’s saying that Jesus the man never even existed.
Folks. This is just an insane option to hold. If we deny the existence of Jesus, then we can deny pretty much all of ancient history. Of course, the burden switches quickly to the things that he did and the claims that he made and why isn’t that talked about by more people? The truth is that Jesus is really one of the most talked about figures in ancient history.
Ironically, one reason the miracle claims aren’t everywhere is because the ancient people were not gullible. When word began to spread about a Jewish rabbi who had risen from the dead and performed miracles, the average person would not fall down immediately and repent. They’d think exactly what we would think today. “Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.”
However, as I dialogued with this person, I became more and more convinced of the main problem. He was not familiar with ancient history or the way it is studied. I asked the question of which ancient works had he read. The only one I remember hearing about was the Iliad. Most of us can read that in High School. It’s good to read that, but it hardly counts as serious study making one have knowledge of ancient history.
Here are some other names to consider. Tacitus, Josephus, Plutarch, etc. Go and read the ECF to see what was being said about Jesus. Go read Pliny the Younger. Now I’ll grant I haven’t read all of these people, but I have read some of them. The point is that I took it upon myself to familiarize myself with them.
Now if you want to still have some questions, that’s fine, but learn the historical method. Unfortunately, we have too many people that are making decisions out of ignorance. This was what I was thinking last night. This person is making a foolish decision for eternity and he is making it out of ignorance.
Some of you might be thinking that that sounds like work. You’d have to go to the library or order the books and spend long hours reading them.
Yeah. And?
Folks. This is truth. If truth matters, do the research. If it doesn’t, well, you’ll have to face the consequences whatever they may be.
At least though make an informed decision. Familiarize yourself with the sources.
Support Deeper Waters on Patreon!
