messiah

There is historical evidence that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who is believed by many to be the Messiah, was a real historical person.

All major accounts of world history, including all reputable encyclopedias and textbooks, refer to Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, the entire English-speaking world divides history into two principal periods: BC (“Before Christ”) and AD (“Anno Domini”—Latin for “Year of Our Lord”). Whether one subscribes to the BC/AD labels or the new “politically correct” BCE/CE (Common Era) labels, the birth of Jesus Christ is considered to be the dividing line of history.

If we simply take the Bible as a historic document, it must be placed among the most reliable compared on record. For instance, historians routinely cite Herodotus as a key source of information. He wrote from 488 BC to 428 BC and the earliest copy of his work comes from 900 AD (1,300 years after he wrote the original). In addition, there are only eight known copies of his work.

In contrast, the New Testament, our basic source for 1st-century information about Jesus, was written between 40 AD and 95 AD. The earliest known copy is from 130 AD and there are over 5,600 known copies in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, and 9,300 in other languages. Therefore, as a credible historical document, the biblical texts far surpass the others, and to add to the historicity of Jesus there are secular witnesses outside of the New Testament records.

In addition to the evidence that Jesus was a true historic figure, there are many events recorded in the New Testament that are widely accepted by modern scholars to be historically certain events, such as Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion.

 

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Sources: Randall Niles, www.AllAboutGOD.com, www.GotQuestions.org, and www.AllAboutTheJourney.org.