ANSWERS: 55
  • I believe he was a real man, yes.
  • do i belive he was real yes but some time is question his existance
  • Whether you believe from a spiritual perspective or not. One thing is real, there was a man named Jesus at the time when the bible says and he was crucified. Human form of God or not, we might have said he was mad even now but to go through that type of pain because you believe you are saving people long term, that speaks volumes in my book.
    • Venus1485
      No, he never existed.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Venus1485, you have no evidence to deny the existence of Jesus.
    • Venus1485
      There are books that have much strong evidence. You are biased and only look at writings that confirm your childish bias.
  • Yes..and as being a Christian I believe In Jesus Christ.:)
  • I think he was a real perons, but not that he was the son of god and I don't think he could perform miracles. I also don't believe in god.
    • pugwashjw65
      Violet do you have a belief in the Bible ,if so there are many scriptures to prove there is a God and Jesus was the son of God . I would love to share scriptures with you to prove this .
    • pugwashjw65
      .
    • pugwashjw65
      Violet do you have a belief in the Bible ,if so there are many scriptures to prove there is a God and Jesus was the son of God . I would love to share scriptures with you to prove this .
    • Your Nightmare
      Scriptures prove nothing but your own dogma echoing back at you from other programmed christians. words can be manufactured in any way like clay but in no way bare any truth whatsoever
  • He was real and His Spirit and words live Eternaly!
  • Yes I do believe that He was and still is very real.
  • i think the rumors are true. yeah he once walked the earth.
  • Yes trust in Him and you will know just how real ,,,
  • REALLY?
  • He's very real to me. The Bible is history. The relationship is what counts.
  • He was around before the beginning of creation. He was made a man. He paid the penalty for humankind's sin on the Cross. He even went to hell in the process. He resurrected and now lives in my heart.
  • YES 100%
  • No, he never was! Not in the literal sense. First off, it is a known historical fact the letter "j" didn't even exist during the creation of the image Serapis/Christ (320B.C.E.), or during the time the Serapis/Christ image was given a pseudo human nature at the Council of Ephesus (431 A.B.C.E.). The letter "j" was developed, or perhaps I should say, fully "evolved" and came into prominence in the 17th century--the year 1630 A.C.E., and we shouldn't attempt to gloss over this fact--it has to be taken into account. Secondly, the Jews know nothing of Jesus as an historical character. And when the Christians of the 4th century trace his "pedigree", by the own hands of Epiphanius, they're forced to derive their Jesus from Jehoshua Ben-Pandira who did learn the arts of magic in Egypt, and later on put to death as a sorcerer. And in fact, the historical Herod who sought to kill the young kid Jesus--according to the so-called "canonical godpel"--is known to have died 4 years before the date of the Christian era assigned to the birth of this purported Jesus.
  • Historically there is proof that a man called Jesus lived and died. There is no scientific proof that he was the son of god.
    • Venus1485
      No, there's no such proof!
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Venus1485, your statement requires evidence.
    • Venus1485
      No, the logical burden of proof is for those who claim Jesus actually exited. You're always so illogical and biased.
    • Rick Myres
      Amen my sister in Christ! God bless you.
    • Your Nightmare
      When you believe something is real but you can't back it up that's called FICTION. I don't need anything to back up these claims because truth prevails over all
  • No. Because there are NO accounts of him then. And there are many inconsistencies concerning 'him'. http://jesuspuzzle.humanists.net/home.htm http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/jesus_similar.html
  • When you've walked in His presence, have heard his voice, felt His love, joy, and peace. how could I not believe in Him.
    • Venus1485
      You can't really walk with a fantasy character or hear it. How could anyone objective think he existed?
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Venus1485, you can't really know the user in these comments to know what he or she has experienced.
  • Not only was He real, He is real. He was always there and will always be hear. Before SaulofNazareth asks "why?" because Jesus is God and God is eternal
  • The character described in the gospels was not. It's quite possible that there was a real person on whom the stories were based however.
  • He was, is, and will be.
  • Reasonably sure there was an actual guy called jesus who would have been a teacher and healer around that time yeah. Don't believe the son of god stuff because I don't believe god(s) is real.
  • I believe he existed.
  • Yes, I believe there was a real person. The Romans apparently recorded his activities. His name was probably not "Jesus" and he may not have been "divine" but he was extremely influential and enlightened. Frank Yerby wrote an interesting work of fiction about the possibility that Jesus being a 'normal human being' but also an extraordinary person. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas,_My_Brother
  • I believe he existed but I don't believe he was a Christ.
  • Yes, I do believe Jesus is real! I believe everything said about his life and teachings in the New Testament, as well as all prophecies regarding his birth, death, etc., in the Old Testament. I also believe he is the only true and living son of God, and thus the only path to eternal life.
  • While the person of Jesus may or may not have existed, he was not the savior (Christ) mentioned in the bible. The biblical account of his life is fictional.
  • He was real. Many of the stories about him are fictitious, though.
  • Absolutely
  • +4 I think there it's 50/50 whether a person called Jesus actually existed - there is certainly no contemporary evidence that he did. . If he did exist he was almost certainly not the son of God - if he had been you would have expected him at the very least have left some evidence that he existed.
  • Nope. There's not an iota of contemporaneous historical evidence proving that he ever lived.
  • thats not even a question. of course he's real. son of God.
  • He is completely fictional.http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/Ubiquitous_Nazarene.html
  • yes The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews , who rejected Jesus as a Prophet of God, called him an impostor. The Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus to be one of the great prophets of God and respects him as much as Ibrahim (Abraham), Moses, and Mohammed. (Peace Be Upon Them) This is conformity with the Islamic view of the oneness of God, the oneness of Divine guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of God's messengers. The essence of Islam - willing submission to the will of God - was revealed to Adam, who was passed it on to his children. All following revelations to Noah, Ibrahim, Moses, Jesus, and finally Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Them) were conformity with that message, with some elaboration to define the revelation between man and God, man and man, man and instructions. Thus, any contradictions among revealed religions is viewed by Islam as a man-made element introduced into these religions. The position of Jesus in the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - should not be an exception. Although the Quran does not present a detailed life-story of Jesus, it highlights the important aspects of his birth, his mission, his ascension to heaven, and passes judgements on the Christian beliefs concerning him. The Quranic account of Jesus starts with the conception of his mother, Mary, whose mother, the wife of Imran, vowed to dedicate her child to the service of God in the temple. When Mary became a woman, the Holy Spirit (the Archangel Gabriel) appeared to her as a man bringing her news of a son. We read the following dialogue in the Quran between Mary and the Angel: "When the angel said, "Mary, god gives you a good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, -high honoured shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God. He shall speak to men in the cradle, and of age, and righteous he shall be, "lord" said Mary "How shall I have a son, seeing no mortal has touched me? "Even so, he said "God creates what He will". When he decrees a thing He but say to it, "Be", and it is. (Al-Imran 3:45-47) In a chapter (Surah) entitled "Maryam" (Mary), the Quran tells us how Mary gave birth to her son, and how the Jesus accused her when she brought the child home: "Then she brought the child to her folk, carrying him, and they said, "Mary, you have surely committed a monstrous thing. Sister of Aaron, your father was not a wicked man, nor your mother a woman unchaste. Mary pointed to the child; but they said, 'Hoe shall we speak to one who still in the cradle, a little child. And he said, 'Lo, I am God's servant, God has given me the Book and made me a Prophet Blessed He has made me ,wherever/may be; and hi has enjoined me to prayer, and to give the alms so long as I live, and likewise to cherish my mother; He has not made me arrogant and wicked. Peace be upon me, the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised up a live. "Maryam 19:29-33) in the same chapter, following the above quotation, God assures Mohammed (PBUH) and through him the whole world, that what is told above is the TRUTH about Jesus (PBUH), although Christians might not accept it. Jesus is NOT the son of God: He was obviously enough, the son of Mary. The verses continue: "That is Jesus, son of Mary, in word of truth, concerning which they are doubting. It is not for God to take a son unto Him. Glory be to Him, He nut says to it, 'Be, and it is. (Maryam 19:34-35) After this strong statement about the nature of Jesus, God directed Mohammed (PBUH) to call the Christians to worship the one God: "Surely God is my God, and your God, so surely serve him. This is the straight path". (Maryam 19:36) The rejection of the very idea of God having a son is restated later in the same chapter with even stronger words: "And they say, The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son. You have indeed advanced something hideous. As if the skies are about to burst, the earth to split asunder and its mountain to fall down in the utter ruin for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and behaves not the All-merciful to take a son. None there in the heavens and earth but comes to the All-merciful as a servant" (Maryam 19:88-93) The Quran recognizes the fact that Jesus had no human father, but this does not make him the son of God, or God himself. By this criterion, Adam would have been more entitled more entitled to be the son of God, because he had neither a father nor a mother, so the Quran draws attention to the miraculous creation of both in the following verses; " truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then He said upon him, 'Be' and hi was. (Al-Imran 3:59) The Quran rejects the concept of Trinity God the Father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit - as strongly as it rejects the concept of Jesus as the son of God. This is because GOD IS ONE. Three cannot be one. The Quran addresses Christians in the following verses from the Surrah entitled "An-Nisaa" (The Women) People of the Book, do not go beyond the bounds in your religion, and say nought as to God but the Truth. The messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the messenger of God, and his word (Fulfilment of his word (Fulfilment of His command, through the word "Be", for the creation of Jesus) that he committed to Mary, and a spirit originating from Him (was given life by God). So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not 'Three'. Refrain, better is for you. God is only one God. Glory be to him-that He should have a son! To Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and in the Earth; God suffices for a guardian. The Messiah will not disdain to be a servant of God, neither the Angels who are close to Him. Whosoever disdains to serve Him and walks proud, He will assuredly muster them to Him, all of them. As for the believers, who do deeds of righteousness, we will pay them their rewards in full, and He will give them more, of His bounty; as for them who disdain and walks proud, then He will punish with a severe punishment, and they shall not find for them, apart from God, a friend or helper." (An-Nissa 4:171-173) The denial of Jesus's divinity (and. For the matter, of Mary's divinity) is presented in the Quran in the form of a dialogue, at the Day of Judgement, between the Almighty Jesus. All the Messengers and their nations will gather before God and He will ask the Messengers how they were received by their people and what they said to them. Among those who will be questioned is Jesus: "And when God said, 'O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say unto men, "Take me and my mother as gods, apart from God"? He said, 'To you be glory! It is not mine to say what I have no right to. If I indeed said it, you would have known it, knowing what is within my heart, though I do not know your knowledge; you know the things unseen. I only said to them what you did commands me: "Serve God, my God and your God." (Al-Maida 5-116) Given that the Quran denies the Trinity and the son ship of Jesus, what, according to the Quran, was the real mission of Jesus? The answer is that Jesus was a link in a long chain of Prophets and Messengers sent by God to various nations and societies whenever they needed guidance or deviated from his teachings of Moses and other Messengers. As he was miraculously supported by numerous miracles to prove that he was a Messengers from God. However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry. In another verse of the Quran, Jesus confirmed the validity of the Torah which was revealed to Moses, and also conveyed he glad tidings of a final Messenger who follow him: "And when Jesus son of Mary said, 'Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tiding of a Messenger who shall be the praised one."(As-Saff 61:6) Note that "praised one" is a translation of "Ahmad" - The Prophet Mohammed's name. Careful study of the New Testament shows that Jesus refers to the same Prophet in John 14:16-17: "And I will give you another Counsellor (ThProphet Mohammed). To be with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth." The usual explanation of this Prophecy is that the counsellor referred to is the Holy Spirit, but this explanation is excluded by a previous verse in John: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you." The characteristics of this counsellor, as can be derived from the prophecy, are that he will stay forever with the believers, he will glorify Jesus; and he will speak that he hears form God. All four characteristics apply to the Prophet Mohammed. He came six centuries after Jesus. He came six centuries after Jesus. He came with a universal and everlasting message, fulfilling the prophecy that the counsellor will stay forever with the faithful. He glorified Jesus as a great Prophet. The Quran attributes to Jesus miracles not mentioned in the Bible's Old and New Testaments, as well as specific verses in the Quran show how the Prophet Mohammad is rejected by Jews and Christians out of prejudice and misunderstanding, rather that carefully study the Bible. It is a sad fact of history that not many are following the "straight path" to which people were called by Jesus. He was only followed by a few disciples inspired by God to support him. The non-believers plotted - as they would against Mohammed, six centuries later - to kill Jesus. But God had better plan for him and his followers, as the Quran tells us: "And when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said 'Who will be my helpers in the cause of God? The apostles said, 'we are Gods helpers. We believe in God; so bear witness of our submission God, we believe in that you have sent down, and we follow the Messenger. Inscribe us therefore with those who bear witness. 'And they devised, and God devised, and God devised, and God is the best of divisors. When God said, 'Jesus, I will take you to Me and will raise you to Me, and I will purify you (of the falsehoods) of those who do not believe. I will make your followers above the unbelievers till the Resurrection Day."(Al-Imran 3:52-55) As the above verses indicate, Jesus was taken and raised to heaven. He was not crucified. It was certainly the plan of the enemies of Jesus to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him and someone else was crucified: "And for their unbelief, and their uttering against Mary a grave false charge, and for their saying, 'We killed the messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messiah of God"…yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. Those who are at variance concerning him are surely in doubt the following of conjecture; and they did not kill him of certainty…no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is Almighty, Allwise. There is not one of the people of the book but will assuredly believe him before his death, and on the Resurrection Day he will be a witness against them." (An-Nissa 4:156-159) The Quran does not explain who was the person crucified instead of Jesus, nor elaborate on the Second Coming of Jesus. However, explanators of the Quran have always interpreted the last verse of the above quotation to mean that Jesus will believe in him before he dies. This understanding is supported by authentic sayings (Hadith) of the Prophet Mohammed may the peace and blessings of Allah him and upon all His Messengers.
  • Yes I do believe in Him. And that He is the Son of the Holy God. He has been with God from the very beginning. And already much prophecy about Him has came to past. And there's still more yet to come. Here are just a few places of Prophecy & Fulfillment. "Descendant of Abraham" Prophecy-Genesis 18:18---Fulfillment-Acts 3:25 "Descendant of Isaac" Prophecy-Genesis 17:19---Fulfillment-Matthew 1-2 "Descendant of Jacob" Prophecy-Numbers 24:17---Fulfillment-Luke 3:34 "From the tribe of Judah" Prophecy-Genesis 49:10---Fulfillment-Luke 3:33 "Place of birth to be Bethlehem" Prophecy-Micah 5:3---Fulfillment-Matthew 2:1 "Will be born of a Virgin" Prophecy-Isaiah 7:24---Fulfillment-Matthew 1:18 "Infants will be killed" Prophecy-Jeremiah 31:15---Fulfillment-Matthew 2:16 "Will escape into Egypt as a child" Prophecy-Hosea 11:1---Fulfillment-Matthew 2:14 "Will minister in Galilee & along the Jordan River" Prophecy-Isaiah 9:1-2---Fulfillment-Matthew 4:12-16 "He will be rejected by the Jewish people" Prophecy-Isaiah 53:3---Fulfillment-John 1:11 "Character of wisdom & understanding" Prophecy-Isaiah 11:2---Fulfillment-Luke 2:52 "He will enter into Jerusalem on a donkey" Prophecy-Zechariah 9-9---Fulfillment-John 12:13-14 "Betrayed by a Friend" Prophecy-Psalm 41:9---Fulfillment-Mark 14:10 "He will be sold for thirty pieces of silver" Prophecy-Zechariah 11:12---Fulfillment-Matthew 26:15 "Money returned & used to buy potters field" Prophecy-Zechariah 11:13--Fulfillment-Matthew 27:6-7 "Silent when accused during His trial" Prophecy-Isaiah 53:7---Fulfillment-Matthew 26:62-63 "He will suffer for others" Prophecy-Isaiah 53:4-5---Fulfillment-Matthew 8:16-17 "He will be crucified with sinners" Prophecy-Isaiah 53:12---Fulfillment-Matthew 27:38 "His hands & feet will be pierced" Prophecy-Psalm 22:16---Fulfillment-John 20:27 "Will be mocked & insulted by the people" Prophecy-Psalm 22:6-8---Fulfillment-Matthew 27:39-40 "Will be given gall & vinegar to drink" Prophecy-Psalm 69:21---Fulfillment-John 10:29 "His side will be pierced with a spear" Prophecy-Zechariah 12:10---Fulfillment-John 19:34 "Soldier will cast lots for His clothing" Prophecy-Psalm 22:18---Fulfillment-Mark 15:24 "Not a bone of His body will be broken" Prophecy-Psalm 34:20---Fulfillment-John 19:33 "He will be buried in a rich man's tomb" Prophecy-Isaiah 53:9---Fulfillment-Matthew 27:57-60 "He will be resurrected after His death" Prophecy-Psalm 16:10---Fulfillment-Matthew 28:9 "He will ascend into heaven" Prophecy-Psalm 68:18---Fulfillment-Luke 24:50-51 And to all who have read & checked these out. I thank you for your time. It just goes to show. That what the Bible tells us, has or will come to past. These are only a few of the Prophecy's that was told of Jesus, that have already came to past. For there are many more. And just like it was then, being already foretold. Many people still could not or would not believe it, until they seen it. And that's the same thing I see going on in today's world. For as the WORD tells us. He shall return again. Question is, are You Ready?......I am because I believe in Him & put my life in His hands. Trusting in Him to show me His way, through the Holy Spirit. And as I live to see, many of the other Prophecy's come to pasted, in my own lifetime. I know in my heart that His return is at the door........Later my FRIENDS...........M.C.S.
  • Real yes. Child of God? Based on the bible we all are!
  • Of course I do but I like to downrate these type of questions because I don't understand why they are even asked. Especially coming from the states where 72 percent claim to be christian.
  • i don't think one can make the case he didn't exist. . i just don't buy his being "magic".
  • Yes indeed. In today's modern world, no "legitimate scholar" denies the historicity of Jesus by what the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius wrote. To go the atheist route, even Richard Dawkins stated that Jesus was a great man and a charismatic preacher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhflPR-ck0M It is no surprise why Jesus is a religious icon worldwide.
    • we are dough 68
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      You just need a hug.
    • we are dough 68
    • Jenny The Great ⭐
      I knew you were in need of a hug. lol
    • ReiSan
      That argument is too strong. Anyone who is objective, logical and critical doubts Jesus existed. Flavius Josephus actually wrote nothing about Jesus. The two passages about Jesus in his history are much later clumsy forged additions by Christian copyists. Early Christian writers were unaware of such passages. They break the flow of the narrative. They are more favorable to Jesus than Flavius Josephus would actually have been.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      ReiSan, quote: "Anyone who is objective, logical and critical doubts Jesus existed." You have nothing logical to disprove the existence of Jesus. Flavius Josephus is a highly respected and much-quoted Romano-Jewish. Nothing spurious about him. In fact, Flavius Josephus had access to the emperor's libraries, military reports, and court records from Herod and other rulers in Palestine. Quote: "Early Christian writers were unaware of such passages." That is simply because the early Christians were persecuted. This is why the New Testament was written in first-century Koine Greek. The first Christians were Jews, and most of the Jews were also persecuting Christians. What language did you expect the scriptures to be written in, since it couldn't be done in Hebrew?
    • Venus1485
      Educated Christians know the passages in Josephus' writings about Jesus are clumsy forgeries. Jenny has no rational rebuttal to what ReiSan said. Origen and such men knew Josephus' writings well, and no passages about Jesus are mentitoned until medieval times. Anyone who looks critically and objectively at the Jesus passage in Josephus knows they're only clumsy forgeries. Jenny bases her argument upon crude forgeries. She never has any sound basis for what she asserts.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Venus1485, give me one clumsy passage that does not reason with the teachings of the Old Testament. You brought up Judaism, not me. It is a fact that Josephus was working under Romans. If there were forgeries, the passages would have written, "He was the Messiah." This would make him suspect of treason, but nowhere else is there an indication he was a Christian. Quote: "Jenny has no rational rebuttal to what ReiSan said." I see nothing but clumsiness in ReiSan's statements, other than saying that Flavius Josephus did not write anything about Jesus. The facts have not been disproved. It remains until now. During the Middle Ages, Josephus was the most widely trusted and read ancient author in Europe.
  • IIE (NO in Japanese), he is merely a poor fictional character in a very bad story line used to con people.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      How are people getting conned when no atheist has ever disproved the existence of Jesus? Guess what? I am now following you. This means anything you post on religious subjects, I will most likely be there. Isn't that lovely? Say Hello to your chatting buddy. :D
    • Venus1485
      Jenny is wrong. There are strong arguments against Jesus' existence, so she just isn't aware that Jesus' existence ahs been refuted. So Jenny is a stalker who insults ReiSan and want to do more of it. She should be reported.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Venus1485, quote: "so she just isn't aware that Jesus' existence ahs been refuted." Where???
    • Rick Myres
      Jenny is not wrong she is a beloved sister in Christ of mine. And ReiSan has repeatedly denied God is real.
  • No, I don't. There's no firm evidence that he even existed, and arguments against his existence are far stronger than any for it.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Don't keep your so-called evidence in suspense. Do you mind sharing? Other than claiming that everything was forged?
    • Venus1485
      I don't share anything with you unless a pigeon might crap on me. Many accounts of Jesus were certainly later forgeries. You just don't want to believe it. Even when I was a Christian, I knew there was no solid evidence for Jesus. I just accepted him on faith. The longer passage about Jesus in the history of Josephus is known by many objective Christians to be a clumsy forgery. Read Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Michael martin, etc.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Quote: "Many accounts of Jesus were certainly later forgeries." What specific accounts are these? Anybody can be deceived by forgeries, but since Josephus was certainly not a Christian, why would he feel like writing about Jesus? Maybe the early Christians made him do it? You are not making any sense with these so-called forgeries.
    • Jenny_Rizzo
      Quote: "Even when I was a Christian, I knew there was no solid evidence for Jesus." You were never a Christian. This is a typical atheist rant. Quote: " Read Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Michael martin, etc." Uhh, Richard Dawkins believes in Jesus. Not as how the Bible describes Him, but as a good teacher.
  • Absolutely HE is real...... He came into a physical body to teach us, that we are not the physical body but that we are Spirit in our true form...... He resurrected into His spiritual form to show us exactly that.... He is very much alive in his spiritual presence. ....I have been with Him in his spiritual form once. Yogananda had many many conversations with Him...... He is a very powerful teacher.... God exists within you as you..... Christ consciousness is alive and well within you....AND can be experienced when one travels within through Meditation.
  • 1 WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS “Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) For a person’s expectation to be assured, he or she needs to have sound reasons for that assurance. In fact, the original-language word for the phrase “assured expectation” means more than an inner feeling or mere wishful thinking. So faith involves conviction that is based on evidence. “His [God’s] invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.”—Romans 1:20. 2 The Koran refers to the miraculous birth of Jesus at Surah 19 (Mary). It says: “We sent to [Mary] Our spirit in the semblance of a full-grown man. And when she saw him she said: ‘May the Merciful defend me from you! If you fear the Lord, leave me and go your way.’ ‘I am the messenger of your Lord,’ he replied, ‘and have come to give you a holy son.’ ‘How shall I bear a child,’ she answered, ‘when I am a virgin, untouched by man?’ ‘Such is the will of your Lord,’ he replied. ‘That is no difficult thing for Him. “He shall be a sign to mankind,” says the Lord, “and a blessing from Ourself. This is Our decree.”’” 3• Michael Grant, a historian and an expert on ancient classical civilization, noted: “If we apply to the New Testament, as we should, the same sort of criteria as we should apply to other ancient writings containing historical material, we can no more reject Jesus’ existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned.” 4• Rudolf Bultmann, a professor of New Testament studies, stated: “The doubt as to whether Jesus really existed is unfounded and not worth refutation. No sane person can doubt that Jesus stands as founder behind the historical movement whose first distinct stage is represented by the oldest Palestinian community [of Christians].” 5• Will Durant, a historian, writer, and philosopher, wrote: “That a few simple men [the Gospel writers] should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels.” 6• Albert Einstein, a German-born Jewish physicist, asserted: “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.” When asked if he viewed Jesus as a historical person, he responded: “Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” 7 TACITUS (c. 56-120 C.E., or Common Era) Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest of the ancient Roman historians. His Annals deal with the Roman Empire from 14 C.E. to 68 C.E. (Jesus died in 33 C.E.) Tacitus wrote that when a great fire devastated Rome in 64 C.E., Emperor Nero was considered responsible. But Tacitus wrote that Nero accused the Christians in order to “scotch the rumour.” Then Tacitus said: “Christus, the founder of the name [Christian], had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus.”—Annals, XV, 44. 8 SUETONIUS (c. 69–a. 122 C.E.) In his Lives of the Caesars, this Roman historian recorded events during the reigns of the first 11 Roman emperors. The section on Claudius refers to turmoil among the Jews in Rome that was likely caused by disputes over Jesus. (Acts 18:2) Suetonius wrote: “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus [Christus], he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome.” (The Deified Claudius, XXV, 4) Although wrongly accusing Jesus of creating disturbances, Suetonius did not doubt his existence. 9 PLINY THE YOUNGER (c. 61-113 C.E.) This Roman author and administrator in Bithynia (modern Turkey) wrote to Roman Emperor Trajan about how to deal with the Christians in that province. Pliny said that he tried to force Christians to recant, executing any who refused to do so. He explained: “Those who . . . repeated after me an invocation to the [pagan] Gods, and offered adoration, with wine and frankincense, to your image . . . and who finally cursed Christ . . . , I thought it proper to discharge.”—Pliny—Letters, Book X, XCVI. 10 FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS (c. 37-100 C.E.) This Jewish priest and historian states that Annas, a Jewish high priest who continued to wield political influence, “convened the judges of the Sanhedrin [the Jewish high court] and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”—Jewish Antiquities, XX, 200. 11 THE TALMUD This collection of Jewish rabbinic writings, dating from the third to the sixth centuries C.E., shows that even Jesus’ enemies affirmed his existence. One passage says that on “the Passover Yeshu [Jesus] the Nazarean was hanged,” which is historically correct. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a, Munich Codex; see John 19:14-16.) Another states: “May we produce no son or pupil who disgraces himself in public like the Nazarene”—a title often applied to Jesus.—Babylonian Talmud, Berakoth 17b, footnote, Munich Codex; see Luke 18:37. 12* gm chap. 5 pp. 62-63 The “New Testament”—History or Myth? *** 17 Justin Martyr, writing in the middle of the second century, wrote in reference to the death of Jesus: “That these things did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate.”14 In addition, according to Justin Martyr, these same records mentioned Jesus’ miracles, regarding which he says: “That He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate.”15 True, these “Acts,” or official records, no longer exist. But they evidently did exist in the second century, and Justin Martyr confidently challenged his readers to check them to verify the truth of what he said. 13* w01 12/15 p. 6 The Real Jesus *** “I have regarded Jesus of Nazareth as one amongst the mighty teachers that the world has had. . . . I shall say to the Hindus that your lives will be incomplete unless you reverently study the teachings of Jesus.”—Mohandas K. Gandhi, The Message of Jesus Christ. 14* “A character so original, so complete, so uniformly consistent, so perfect, so human and yet so high above all human greatness, can be neither a fraud nor a fiction. . . . It would take more than a Jesus to invent a Jesus.”—Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church. 15* “That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels.”—Will Durant, Caesar and Christ. 16* “It may seem incomprehensible that a globe-spanning religious movement could have been triggered by a nonexistent person dreamed up as the ancient equivalent of a marketing device, given the ranks of incontestably real people who have tried and failed to found faiths.”—Gregg Easterbrook, Beside Still Waters. 17* ‘As a literary historian I am perfectly convinced that whatever the Gospels are, they are not legends. They are not artistic enough to be legends. Most of the life of Jesus is unknown to us, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so.’—C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock.
  • I believe Jesus is real. It is by faith that I know He is real and I have a personal relationship with Him.
  • Is Harry Potter real? Books are a good read but not to actually believe in fairy tales and loosely based factual views of people who lived about 2000 years ago. When you die you'll figure it out
  • Jesus was a man, people needed a savior from the other ideologies that they were sick of. he was created to be that savior but in no means supernatural. those who created cristianity needed a nicer and loving God, and so they've created him in THEIR image. Jesus was a simple man whom died for their new religion, plain and simple
  • At least a dozen differnt religions, many of which were over a thousand years prior to Christianity, claim a profit that lived EXACTLY the same life as Jesus to Christians. That includes the resurrection and crucifixion and the stories of Jesus as well as all the Old Testament stories. They are thought to come from the Sumarian chronicles. There was probably some truth to the stories but they were all written over a thousand years before Christianity so they were not Christian stories but stories adapted and in some cases modified to Christianity. (including Jesus).
  • A ridiculous question but I'll answer it anyway. Jesus created the world. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is the Word.
  • Of course

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