This post is not meant to be a comprehensive response to the Jesus Myth Theory (that’s what the entire website is for). All this is, is why I personally believe that Jesus existed.
First, I will tell you what doesn’t cause my belief. It is not based on a conviction that the Bible is inerrant and therefore everything it says is true. I do believe in the inspiration of the Bible but that is not why. Nor is it because some pastor told me to believe it. I never have automatically believed everything a pastor says (nor do I expect my people to automatically believe everything I say).
This is why I believe in the historical Jesus:
- I believe that the Gospels are reliable testimonies of the life of Jesus. Not because they are Scripture but because they were written close to the events by witnesses or people who knew the witnesses.
- I believe Paul’s letters are important historical witnesses. Not just Paul’s belief in meeting the risen Jesus but his interaction with other eyewitnesses.
- I believe a historical Jesus is the best explanation for the rise of Christianity. From what I have studied about early Christianity, I can’t see how this movement could have risen from an imaginary figure.
These are the three legs of the stool of my faith in the historical Jesus. Yes there is Josephus and other sources, but these are the three I find most helpful.
What about you? Why do you believe in the historical Jesus?
