Although this argument has been around forever it was once a fringe argument and now it seems to be more and more prevalent in recent years and most atheists seem to have adopted it now but what is the best defense to the assertion that Christ never even existed?
Discussion
19 comments
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Alllllll the historical references to his life and ministry. Josephus and Pliny the Younger, to start.
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All a person has to do is a little research to find that there is more evidence outside the Bible of His existence than what the Bible has
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Yeah, I agree. I think when ppl make that assertion, they are being extremely intellectually dishonest. Almost a negligent level of dishonesty to make that assertion but most atheists do make that claim nowadays…
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Ask them if they believe Shakespeare, Aristotle, George Washington, and other historical figures existed. Usually they apply nihilistic rules to Christ’s secular testimony that they don’t apply to other ancient figures. Why’s it easy to believe ancient Greek philosophers existed, but not Jesus? Both have archaeological and literary evidence.
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It’s now basically considered a historical fact that he existed. Most historians do not doubt someone named Jesus who was from Nazareth existed.
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It’s become almost universally accepted in historical communities that Jesus of Nazareth existed. A person claiming He did not exist is either ignorant of history or deliberately trying to get a rise out of you and cannot be taken seriously.
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The fact is that the best evidence we have of Christs existence is the gospels themselves. They are first hand accounts that can be dated somewhere within 20 to 40 years after his crucifixion. There are over 2000 complete and consistent copies of the gospels in the Greek alone. So if someone is arguing that Jesus did not exist they would have to also question the validity of all other manuscripts and documents throughout the ages as some documents only have a single copy.Its an asinine argument that is devoid of any real scholarly insight. If they start making those types of assertions I would simply ask to explain how they have come to know that or what evidence they have to support such a claim.
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The same kind of person is likely to require proof of their own existence. If they’re not going to be rational, you win the argument by default.
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I think that at the heart of the issue they know that if they admit that they believe he existed, they then have to work through the lunatic, liar, or Lord question and in order to avoid that all together they just say he didn’t exist. They know they are being ignorant but it keeps them from facing bigger questions that they don’t want to answer…
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The Bible itself will tell them Jesus came down from heaven. If they dont believe the Bible and the Scriptures even an angel from heaven will come down and tell them Jesus was true they will never believe it…
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Jonathan McElroy Check out the minimal facts approach by Gary Habermas.
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They are liars and don’t know a doorknob from the tooth fairy. Tell them to try again and come back with the truth.
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It’s a last ditch effort to deflect truth.
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Most know there’s evidence Jesus existed. It’s Him being divine and all the other “fantasy” they see in the Bible they scoff. Then there’s no trust in a God who provides for them a Bible, but written by men. They have the spirit of Lucifer rebelled.
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One has to be completely unfamiliar or willfully ignorant with any historical documents from the first and second centuries to suggest the very poor argument that Jesus of Nazareth never existed. A foolish and time wasting discussion.
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‘New Evidence that demands a verdict’ lists the various evidences for Christ’s existence; for example, by Josephus, a contemporary non-Christian historian at the time of Jesus. Well worth reading.
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WE have the proof He does, it is up them to prove He doesnt; just as in court, the one who lays the charge has the burden of proof
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