![Picture](/uploads/5/0/0/3/50033945/6388459_orig.jpg)
Many people today believe that 2Pac and Elvis are still alive. Many others compare such a belief to the Christians' belief in the resurrection of Jesus. This comparison is far from similar, namely for one reason.
History shows that Jesus' followers were willing to give their lives and undergo torturous acts for their belief in Jesus' resurrection. When was the last time you heard of a tragic public shooting where the gunman killed a victim after that person professed to believe that Elvis is alive, without question or regard for recanting?
I make this comparison not to be insensitive to the families and loved ones of those who have tragically lost someone in a shooting. I make the comparison to note that belief in Jesus and in his resurrection is still something people are willing to give their lives for today, just as they were thousands of years ago. It is not an erroneous belief or one that graces the covers of tabloids (like the other conspiracy theories aforementioned). It is a belief constructed by deep conviction and a reasoned faith. It has been handed down from Jesus' original followers since the middle of the first century.
Is the Bible the only place from which we learn about these early Christians and their beliefs? No. Just as I discussed last week, there is extra-biblical evidence for this information. Both Tacitus and Suetonius attest to the two facts below. Refer to Part 1 of this post for more information, or visit Gary Habermas' website here, to review my sources for this discussion.
Jesus' followers carried a "new and mischievous belief." Granted this quote is not very specific nor clear, the fact remains that it does match the detail offered in the New Testament accounts. The Christian faith would certainly be new, because, as Dr. William Lane Craig discusses in many of his debates, the Jews did not believe in a Messiah that would rise from the dead. No other man had risen from the dead to life prior to this either. It would be mischievous to Rome because a people that would follow a leader, even after his death, takes away from Rome's lordship, rule, and authority.
Jesus' followers continued to follow him after his death, even unto their own. Here we see two things. First, that the Roman government and Jewish authority saw Christians as a threat. Even under Nero's reign in the middle of the first century (this is about 20 years after Christ's death). They were enough of a threat that they needed to be dealt with, just as the two had attempted to "deal with" Jesus.
Second, it makes us have to answer the question: What made Jesus' followers so fanatical that they would endure torturing and death? Jesus as a good teacher would not elicit such a response. Jesus as a prophet would also not elicit such a response. Jesus as a good man would not elicit such a response. Let's say the disciples lied about his resurrection and stole the body. Would Jesus' followers, who knew the real truth, really give their lives for a hoax and fraud; a lie they knew could be found out at any point?
What would elicit such a response? A Jesus who claimed to be God, was crucified, rose from the dead three days later, and appeared to his followers thereafter, commanding them to go and tell everyone. It is this Jesus whom I would give my own life for. Again, as Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am."
History shows that Jesus' followers were willing to give their lives and undergo torturous acts for their belief in Jesus' resurrection. When was the last time you heard of a tragic public shooting where the gunman killed a victim after that person professed to believe that Elvis is alive, without question or regard for recanting?
I make this comparison not to be insensitive to the families and loved ones of those who have tragically lost someone in a shooting. I make the comparison to note that belief in Jesus and in his resurrection is still something people are willing to give their lives for today, just as they were thousands of years ago. It is not an erroneous belief or one that graces the covers of tabloids (like the other conspiracy theories aforementioned). It is a belief constructed by deep conviction and a reasoned faith. It has been handed down from Jesus' original followers since the middle of the first century.
Is the Bible the only place from which we learn about these early Christians and their beliefs? No. Just as I discussed last week, there is extra-biblical evidence for this information. Both Tacitus and Suetonius attest to the two facts below. Refer to Part 1 of this post for more information, or visit Gary Habermas' website here, to review my sources for this discussion.
Jesus' followers carried a "new and mischievous belief." Granted this quote is not very specific nor clear, the fact remains that it does match the detail offered in the New Testament accounts. The Christian faith would certainly be new, because, as Dr. William Lane Craig discusses in many of his debates, the Jews did not believe in a Messiah that would rise from the dead. No other man had risen from the dead to life prior to this either. It would be mischievous to Rome because a people that would follow a leader, even after his death, takes away from Rome's lordship, rule, and authority.
Jesus' followers continued to follow him after his death, even unto their own. Here we see two things. First, that the Roman government and Jewish authority saw Christians as a threat. Even under Nero's reign in the middle of the first century (this is about 20 years after Christ's death). They were enough of a threat that they needed to be dealt with, just as the two had attempted to "deal with" Jesus.
Second, it makes us have to answer the question: What made Jesus' followers so fanatical that they would endure torturing and death? Jesus as a good teacher would not elicit such a response. Jesus as a prophet would also not elicit such a response. Jesus as a good man would not elicit such a response. Let's say the disciples lied about his resurrection and stole the body. Would Jesus' followers, who knew the real truth, really give their lives for a hoax and fraud; a lie they knew could be found out at any point?
What would elicit such a response? A Jesus who claimed to be God, was crucified, rose from the dead three days later, and appeared to his followers thereafter, commanding them to go and tell everyone. It is this Jesus whom I would give my own life for. Again, as Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am."