How do you know jesus really existed?

[Lightspirit]

I come across various peoples comments about did Jesus exist or was christianity some made up thing.

The story of Jesus is pivotal about his coming back to life 3 days later and appearing to many hundreds of people as risen from the dead.

Now as for making up the religion and falsifying his resurrection, all the disciples and Paul were subject to imprisonment and being flogged. most if not all died a martyrs death. nobody dies for a fable. Those guys saw something amazing worth dying for.

Jesus lived died and was who he said he was.


It is real, nobody can give up their lives and suffer for that which is not true.

He fed the thousands via miracles..they all knew. If the stories written were untrue they would have been stopped.

jesus changed the world forever.. with love.. and his own suffering..he wanted for others not himself..

[sound]

Originally Posted by lightworkerAu

How do you know jesus really existed?

Common knowledge? ... is there anyone on this earth who has not heard of him?

[Lightspirit]

Originally Posted by sound

Common knowledge? ... is there anyone on this earth who has not heard of him?

you would be amazed how many young people now question this.
I witnessed a school kid in front of his peers proclaing "if jesus really existed" with all his 17 year old wisdom.
I said to him do you believe Julius caesar and Pythagorus existed? he looked at me in amazement at my apparently stupid statement. I asked him where is your evidence they existed? You could imagine the response I got. I did not ask him more coz he is a kid and does not know. But I told him Jesus has more documentation In ancient history than any other person who ever lived to prove hois existence.

[Chrysaetos]

The gospels were written down decades after Jesus supposedly lived. This is like having someone from this year write the first story about J.F. Kennedy (which means it gets interpreted in a later fashion). The Bible only has four gospels, and then there are other gospels outside of it. The biblical gospels even contradict one another on various points, written by people who weren't there to witness it. They wrote down what they heard on the streets.. It's about speculation and interpretation.

[Lightspirit]

Originally Posted by Chrysaetos

The gospels were written down decades after Jesus supposedly lived. This is like having someone from this year write the first story about J.F. Kennedy (which means it gets interpreted in a later fashion). The Bible only has four gospels, and then there are other gospels outside of it. The biblical gospels even contradict one another on various points, written by people who weren't there to witness it. They wrote down what they heard on the streets..

It is about speculation and interpretation.

Nobody dies for that. Would you surrender your life for something not real. Those guys saw Jesus rise from the dead.
Believe it my freiend it is real.


Thier sacrifice is why I wrote this in honour of them.

[Chrysaetos]

Originally Posted by lightworkerAu

nobody dies for that. Would you surrender your life for something not real. Those guys saw Jesus rise from the dead.
believe it my freiend it is real.
Thier sacrifice is why I wrote this in honour of them.

This is a matter of belief.

There have been many fantastical stories in the ancient world. People had no cameras and most couldn't even write or read. As stories were mostly oral, they got changed and probably became more amazing along the way. I think the ''resurrection'' wasn't physical but more of a mystical personal experience.

Know one knows for sure... though many believe they do... each to his own I suppose...

Originally Posted by lightworkerAu

...
I witnessed a school kid in front of his peers proclaing "if jesus really existed" with all his 17 year old wisdom.

This 17 year old is only voicing something that serious Christian scholars have said since the 1800s about the Bible not being a historical document.

Originally Posted by lightworkerAu

I said to him do you believe Julius caesar and Pythagorus existed? he looked at me in amazement at my apparently stupid statement. I asked him where is your evidence they existed? You could imagine the response I got. ... But I told him Jesus has more documentation In ancient history than any other person who ever lived to prove hois existence.

There is abundant historical documentation for Julias Caesar.
Aside from the Bible the documentation for Jesus is quite thin. As noted even Christianity’s religious scholars don’t consider much in the Bible to be historic fact.

The literal history requirement for Christianity really doesn’t make any difference for me whatsoever in whether I believe it or not. It makes no difference whether others find a historical basis for the belief that we are inherently flawed, needing others for our spiritual growth. This is simply a belief that I’m not going for no matter how fervently others believe it. It is no consequence to me whether others are OK w/ my beliefs.

Originally Posted by sound

Common knowledge? ... is there anyone on this earth who has not heard of him?

Ah, that indeed proves his existence.
Wait, you were being ironic here, right?

It is not really important whether Jesus was an actual person. The message in the NT is what is important.

However, I believe that he was a person who actually lived some 2000 years ago. I base this on accounts of people who under hypnosis remembered seeing three people crucified, for example, remembered lives, Cayce.