The writings within the Bible, especially the New Testament, date back to 45 AD. That's 15 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Some Theologians and Biblical scholars state that the writings go back to 35 AD, or 34 AD.
That's not enough time to create a mythology.
Mythology usually takes 200 or 300 years to create, based on a historical figures similar to Alexander or Achilles: Five to Fifteen years is too short a time to form a mythology. The New Testament is written three generations after the death of Jesus Christ. And the oldest fragments that have been discovered of the New Testament, date back to 110 AD.
Now some say that the writings date back to the second century. Which I strongly dispute. But even if that were the case, in terms of ancient evidences, writings less than 200 years after the events take place are considered reliable sources.
The vast majority of scholars(Christian and non-Christian) will grant that the Epistles of Paul(at least some of them) were written by Paul over 40 years after the death of Jesus Christ. So in terms of ancient manuscript evidence, there is nothing that compares to the Bible.
Therefore, The New Testament is either the quickest mythology ever written, or it's the real thing. Personally, I think it's the real thing. The New Testament has been verified as an historical document, and 99% of it has been accurately transmitted. That's extraordinary for a 2,000 year old message! If people attempt to destroy every known copy of the Bible, Christians from around the world could recreate the Bible with the quotations alone. And there are probably over 86,000 different quotations in the Bible.
Another reason that I trust and love God's word, is due to the supernatural effect that it has on people. It has changed many lives, including my own. When I read a scripture on anger, I become better at controlling my temper and more loving. The Bible can make a person feel more content, and peaceful in their daily lives. And contrary to what a lot of atheists like to believe, the Bible does give you a sense of morality. It teaches you the difference between what is right and wrong.
It can make you a more loving, kind, and honorable person. But how many Christians really do follow the Bible? Who knows? There are over 3 billion Christians in the world, and I think only 3% follow the New Testament faithfully. Many Christians are hypocrites, and a lot of them try to use God's word to hurt other people. This is a sad truth that I've discovered since becoming a Christian again.
If you're a Christian who truly follows the New Testament, you're life will most likely become a more fulfilling, because the foundation is based on good morality and positive thought. Their fulfilled life is proof shown in the actions of Christians who truly follow God's Word.
Christianity can be proven by genuine historical fact, not just the New Testament, but outside sources as well, especially when it comes to proving there existed a Jesus Christ.
People tend to ask, "Who was the real Jesus?" Well, he's in the New Testament. It's authentic and it's canon, which means that the only real biography that we have on Jesus is in the Bible. And since the New Testament is shown to be an historical document, then it is historical proof of Jesus's existence. But if that's not enough, then there are historians during that time who wrote about Jesus.
The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious "Christians", who suffered Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Suetonius, who was the chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was man named Chrestus. Chrestus is Latin for Christ.
Flavius Josephus is one of the most famous Jewish historian. In his Antiquities he refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” There is a controversial verse (18:3) 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.” This was written in the year 93, and that's in the same century as Jesus's death.
Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness that followed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Mara Bar-Serapion confirms that Jesus was considered to be a wise and virtuous man, was considered by many to be the king of Israel, was put to death by the Jews, and lived on in the teachings of his followers.
And there are many other historical accounts of Jesus Christ, Pliny the Younger, and The Babylonian Talmud. In fact, if we try to reconstruct the gospel from none-Christian sources: Jesus was called the Christ, did "magic", led Israel into new teachings, and hanged on passover for them in Judea, but claimed to be God and would return, which his followers believed, worshiping him as God.
There is overwhelming historical evidence for Jesus Christ. Both in secular and Biblical history. And in the end, the greatest evidence for the existence of Christ is the fact that thousands of Christians in the first century AD, including the twelve disciples, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ.
The twelve disciples saw the resurrected Christ, and eleven of them were executed for what they saw. 500 people saw the resurrected Christ, they gave eye witness testimony, and probably most of them were executed for spreading the Word. People will die for what they believe to be true, but nobody will die for what they know to be a lie.
So since Jesus's followers died for what they saw, that means it really did happen.
In this modern age, it takes just as much faith to not believe in God, than to believe in God. But once you know the truth, everything becomes clear.
Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus said that, and he says in John 8:32, "32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
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