Transcript 6 Corroborations

External corroborations to
Biblical accounts
Accounts that are corroborated by
independent neutral parties are
MUCH more reliable than accounts
that are only testified by partisan
parties.
Is Jesus a historical figure ?
• We all know that Jesus appears in the Bible
• Does any other people, especially ancient
historian, write about Jesus ?
• Some non-Christians claim that Jesus is
ONLY mentioned in the Bible…
– They are DEAD WRONG…
Some famous ancient historians
• Josephus: (37-100 AD), Jewish historian
– Antiquities: on the Jewish history
– War: on the Jewish-Roman war
• Tacitus: (~110 AD), Roman historian
– Annals: History of Rome from begin till 66 AD
• Suetonius: (~60 AD), Roman historian
– Lives of the Caesars: on Roman emperors
• Pliny: (~70-100 AD), Roman governor
– Wrote letters to his Emperor and friend
Josephus on James and Jesus
• Antiquities, Book 20, Chapter 9
– Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but
upon the road; so he assembled the
sanhedrin of judges, and brought before
them the brother of Jesus, who was called
Christ, whose name was James, and some
others, [or, some of his companions]; and
when he had formed an accusation against
them as breakers of the law, he delivered
them to be stoned...
Josephus’ Controversial testimony
• Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 3
– About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if
indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one
who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher
of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won
over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the
Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the
principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him
to a cross, those who had first come to love him did
not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day
restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold
these things and a thousand other marvels about
him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after
him, has still to this day not disappeared.
Josephus confirms Pilate
• Antiquities, Book 18 , Chapter 3
– But now Pilate, the procurator of Judea,
removed the army from Cesarea to
Jerusalem, to take their winter quarters
there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws.
• Jewish historian confirmed that Pilate
mentioned in the Bible existed
Tacitus on Jesus
• Annals, Book XV
– Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened
the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on
a class hated for their abominations, called
Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom
the name (Christians) had its origin, suffered the
extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the
hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus,
and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked
for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea,
the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where
all things hideous and shameful from every part of
the world find their centre and become popular.
Tacitus on Christians
• Annals, Book XV
– Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who
pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an
immense multitude was convicted, not so much of
the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against
mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to
their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they
were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to
crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt,
to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight
had expired.
Pliny asked questions on Christians
• In one of his letter to Emperor Trajan:
– It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you
all matters concerning which I am in
doubt. For who can better give guidance
to my hesitation or inform my ignorance?
I have never participated in trials of
Christians. I therefore do not know what
offenses it is the practice to punish or
investigate, and to what extent.....
Pliny on Christians
• Later in the same letter, Pliny wrote:
– Meanwhile, in the case of those who were
denounced to me as Christians, I have
observed the following procedure: I
interrogated these as to whether they were
Christians; those who confessed I
interrogated a second and a third time,
threatening them with punishment; those
who persisted I ordered executed.
Pliny on Christians
• Again in same letter:
– Those who denied that they were or had been
Christians, when they invoked the gods in words
dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and
wine to your image (Roman emperors were like
gods), which I had ordered to be brought for this
purpose together with statues of the gods, and
moreover cursed Christ - none of which those who
are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do - these I thought should be discharged.
Pliny on Christians
• Pliny had the order from the Emperor to
kill all Christians
• All you have to do to save your life is to
DENY you are a Christian !!!
• What do you think the Christians did ?
Pliny on Christians
• I therefore postponed the investigation
and hastened to consult you. For the
matter seemed to me to warrant
consulting you, especially because of the
number involved. For many persons of
every age, every rank, and also of both
sexes are and will be endangered.
Why was Pliny troubled ?
• They (i.e, the Christians) asserted, however,
that the sum and substance of their fault or
error had been that they were accustomed to
meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing
responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god,
and to bind themselves by oath, not to some
crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or
adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse
to return a trust when called upon to do so....
• Where is the CRIME that deserve DEATH ?
By the way…
• Among the Christians the were executed by
the Romans were:
– Peter (Jesus’ disciple and founder of the
church in Jerusalem)
– Paul (founder of many churches in Asia
Minor)
• If Christianity is a lie, Peter and Paul
would be the ones that invented the lie
• Would any sane person be willing to die for
a lie?
Method of taking census
• Luke’s description on the census was
criticized as inaccurate in the past:
–Luk 2:1 And it happened in those days
that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be
taxed.
–Luk 2:3 And all went to be registered,
each to his own city.
• Critics said the way the census was
taken was absurd and therefore wrong
Method of taking census
• Archaeology proves Luke right !
• A papyrus dated around 104 A.D. by
C.Vibius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt:
– The enrollment by household being at hand, it
is necessary to notify all who for any cause
soever are outside their nomes
(administrative divisions of Egypt) to return to
their domestic hearths, that they may also
accomplish the customary dispensation of
enrollment and continue steadfastly in the
husbandry that belongs to them.”
Lysanias: Luke was again right
• Another hotly criticized passage: Luke 3:1-2
– In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar -- when Pontius Pilate
was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of
Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of
Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias
tetrarch of Abilene -- during the high
priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the
word of God came to John son of
Zechariah in the desert.
Lysanias: what was the problem ?
• At that time, the only known Lysanias was:
was a king who was executed by the order
of Mark Antony in 34 B.C.
• The Lysanias the Luke was talking about is
alive around 29 A.D.
• There is no record of this Lysanias and
critics said that Luke was wrong
• Until…
Luke’s Lysanias
• Archaeology found the following
temple inscription:
– "For the salvation of the August Lords and
of all their household, Nymphaeus,
freedman of Eagle Lysanias tetarch
established this street and other things."
• August lords is a joint title given only
to the emperor Tiberius and his
mother Livia (widow of Augustus)
• Indicate a year between 14 – 29 A.D.
Extreme accuracy of Luke
• Luke mentioned small details that was
not important in the story; which checks
out:
– Acts 18:2--- There he became acquainted
with a Jew named Aquila, born in
Pontus, who had recently arrived from
Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had
been expelled from Italy as a result of
Claudius Caesar's order to deport all
Jews from Rome.
Suetonius corroborates Luke
• In “Life of Claudius” Suetonius wrote:
– As the Jews were making constant
disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,
he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome.
• Luke did NOT have to mention that Aguila
was expelled from Rome in his account –
Luke did it anyway, a small detail
• Even this small detail CHECKS OUT !!!
Testimony of a former atheist
• William Ramsay in his book “St. Paul the
Traveler and the Roman Citizen”:
– I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts]
– More recently, I found myself often brought
into contact with the Book of Acts as an
authority for the topography, antiquities,
and society of Asia Minor.
– It was gradually borne in upon me that in
various details the narrative showed
marvelous truth