Tag Archives: History

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What Did the Jewish Historian Josephus Really Say About Jesus?

3 Things Every Christian Should Know About Josephus and Jesus

There you are having a great conversation with a friend about Christianity and how you know that Jesus existed without just saying “the Bible says so.” You even name-dropped Josephus. And then this happens…

Friend: “Yea, another Christian friend of mine said something about Josephus. I had never heard of him. So I looked it up and found out that the passage by Josephus that mentions Jesus is disputed by scholars today.”

You (sweating now): “I hadn’t heard that before. My pastor just said Josephus shows that Jesus existed.”

Friend: “Maybe you should look it up and see what it says for yourself?”

You: “Yeah, looks like I should do that…”

Gulp…you weren’t ready for that one…

Who Was Josephus?

If you know who Josephus is, good for you! (virtual high five coming at you!)

If not, no worries! Here’s what you need to know about Josephus and why he matters to the conversation about Jesus of Nazareth. (more…)

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Archaeologists Have Discovered Seal of Biblical King Hezekiah

It is remarkable how often you hear the (false) claim that the Bible is historically unreliable. While it’s true we haven’t found everything the Bible mentions, we have found quite a lot!

In fact, did you know that all the major biblical cities and geographical features have been located? And to date, over 60 biblical figures in the Old Testament have been identified? I go into more details here about this, but there is solid historical and archeological evidence when it comes to the Bible (Check out this cool animated video).

This latest discovery is just another layer of evidence:

“Israeli archaeologists have discovered a mark from the seal of biblical King Hezekiah, who helped build Jerusalem into an ancient metropolis.

The circular inscription, on a piece of clay less than a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, may very well have been made by the king himself, said Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University who directed the excavation where it was uncovered.

Hezekiah ruled around 700 BC and was described in the Bible as a daring monarch – “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him” (II Kings 18:5) – who was dedicated to eliminating idoltary in his kingdom.

“This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation,” Mazar said.” (Read More)

As Christians we can be confident that is our faith is not blind. It is well placed!

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If you enjoyed this article, check out Is the Old Testament Reliable? (A Short Summary)

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Did the Gospel Writers Intend to Write Accurate History?

In a post-Christian culture that no longer “speaks Bible,” one of the first objectives in any conversation is to stake out some common ground wherever possible. To do this I recommend starting with history.

Most people–unless they have been educated out of it–still believe that you can know some things about the past. In other words, we can discover important historical truths about people like Plato, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar (and I would argue Jesus of Nazareth…but that’s another post).

So when it comes to the New Testament documents, it is important to investigate whether (more…)

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The Real World Importance of the Resurrection of Jesus

“Risen and alive, the one who stood at the center of God’s kingdom was vindicated. His claims of kingship, heavenly rooted authority, and God’s kingdom stood firm. Life triumphed over death. The disciple’s grief became conviction. The offer of life had found in him a fresh focal point—forever. The disciples taught what Jesus had preached. They proclaimed the new promise of God. They shared that life had come in the message and person of Jesus. Resurrection not only meant new life for Jesus, but the offer of new life to the world.” – Darrell Bock

The resurrection is the central claim of Christianity and its implications reach far and wide. In fact, as far as the curse is found.

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 (NASB)

Explore the historical evidence for the resurrection

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What Kind Of Historical Sources Can Be Trusted?

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Gary Habermas offers the following helpful criteria when doing historical investigation. “Historians employ a number of common-sense principles in assessing the strength of a testimony.” Here are just five of those principles:

1. Testimony attested to by multiple independent witnesses is usually considered stronger than the testimony of one witness.
2. Affirmation by a neutral or hostile source is usually considered stronger than affirmation from a friendly source, since bias in favor of the person or position is absent.
3. People usually don’t make up details regarding a story that would tend to weaken their position.
4. Eyewitness testimony is usually considered stronger than testimony heard from a second- or thirdhand source.
5. An early testimony from very close to the event in question is usually considered more reliable than one received years after the event.

Christianity is a historical faith…you can investigate it with eyes wide open (1 Cor. 15:16). So is the Old Testament historically reliable? 

Listen to my podcast where I make the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus

Learn more in his excellent book with Mike Licona – The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus