It is becoming increasingly popular to deny the historical existence of Jesus. Perhaps dismissing the Messiah as a myth seems easier than dealing with the proofs of His deity. This approach, however, is much more problematic than it might appear. Records of Jesus’ life come to modern man with impressive force. Not only are there Christian writings (whose manuscripts number in the thousands), there are also Jewish and Roman sources which give testimony to the Lord’s historicity. The latter may be termed “hostile” witnesses since they have virtually nothing positive to say of the Christ.
One of the more interesting Roman references comes from the historian Cornelius Tacitus (c. A.D. 55-120). He had this to say regarding Nero’s attempts to avoid personal blame for the burning of Rome: “Therefore, to scotch the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate…” (Annals XV; quoted in McDowell and Wilson, 1988, p. 49). Later in this same passage, Tacitus went on to mention the horrid forms of mockery and execution suffered by Christians for their faith. Significantly, this persecution occurred only about 31 years after the death of Christ. These pious people obviously believed that Jesus was much more than a mythical Messiah.
History is clear; His existence was recorded by both friend and foe. Jesus Christ is an incontestable figure of history.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”
~ John 1:14
