Was Jesus real?

I know this is extremely long, but please take the time to read it. I was posed with the argument today that Jesus never really existed and Christianity is basically a hoax. I also was called a false prophet and a liar. Which was kind of exciting (the prophet part) because God has called me into ministy to be a prophet (one who proclaims the Word of God)! I thought it was interesting how an unbeliever made that statement. What we have to understand is that those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, the Bible is not always a "valid source" of historical information. What I provided below (Most of it came from Gotquestions.org) is a listing of why Christianity is unique and reliable sources outside the Bible that show the existence of Jesus. I hope this helps you in your Christian walk.

What makes Christianity different from other religions and how do we know Jesus existed?

• Christianity is the only religion where God pursues a relationship with us- Other religions all make a pursuit of their god. Christianity is the only religion where God made a pursuit to man through Jesus.

• Jesus claimed to be God- No other world religions key figure claimed to be God.

• Jesus showed his deity by doing miracles (which are also recorded in extra biblical sources)- Other world religions had people who gave “good” messages, but none of them showed their miraculous power like Jesus did.

• Jesus rose from the dead- Many times in his life Jesus told that he would be crucified and rise from the grave three days later. He wanted to prove without a doubt His deity. It is interesting that the Roman authorities knew this was His pursuit so, what did they do? The posted 11-14 man group of guards (who knew if they failed at their duty they would be killed) and also sealed the tomb with the Roman insignia (which warned others to stay clear). Despite this, three days later his body was gone and he was seen by more than 500 people over 50 days. No other religion claims that their key figure rose from the dead (or even claimed to). • The message of the Bible is unique- The Bible is not a collection of poetic, disjointed ideas (some poetry can be found in it). The Bible (in its original manuscripts) is found to be without error. All attempts to find error have been dismissed.

What are some extra Biblical sources that show the existence of Jesus?

• The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious "Christians " ("named after Christus" which is Latin for Christ), who (Christians) suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.

• Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man named Chrestus (or Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44 ).

• Flavius Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian. In his Antiquities he refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.”

• There is a verse (18:3 in Josephus’ works) that says, "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats. . . . He was [the] Christ . . . he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him." One version reads, "At this time there was a wise man named Jesus. His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who became his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders."

• Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness which followed the crucifixion of Christ (Extant Writings, 18). (Also seen in Luke 23:44)

• Pliny the Younger, in Letters 10:96, recorded early Christian worship practices including the fact that Christians worshiped Jesus as God and were very ethical, and includes a reference to the love feast and Lord’s Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

• The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus' crucifixion on the eve of Passover, and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.

• Lucian of Samosata was a second-century Greek writer who admits that Jesus was worshiped by Christians, introduced new teachings, and was crucified for them. He said that Jesus' teachings included the brotherhood of believers, the importance of conversion, and the importance of denying other gods. Christians lived according to Jesus’ laws, believed themselves immortal (eternal life), and were characterized by contempt for death, voluntary self-devotion, and renunciation of material goods.

• We can almost reconstruct the gospel just from early non-Christian sources: Jesus was called the Christ (Josephus), did “magic,” led Israel into new teachings, and was hanged on Passover for them (Babylonian Talmud) in Judea (Tacitus), but claimed to be God and would return (Eliezar), which his followers believed - worshipping Him as God (Pliny the Younger).

While these are great sources, let me remind you of the greatest proof of Jesus in the life of a Christian: What Christ did in your life. The change that occurs in the life of someone with a personal relationship with Jesus is the best proof of the existence of Jesus and him being different from other religions.