The historicity of Jesus concerns the historical authenticity of the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. Scholars often draw a distinction between Jesus as reconstructed through historical methods and the Christ of faith as understood through theological tradition. The historical figure of Jesus is of central importance to various religions, but especially Christianity and Islam, in which the historical details of Jesus’ life are essential.
Most critical scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life, agreeing that he was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. They also generally accept that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire. Aside from these few conclusions, academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation. Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah, as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.
The four canonical Gospels (most commonly estimated to have been written between the years 65 and 110) and the writings of Paul of the New Testament are among the earliest known documents relating to Jesus' life. Josephus is also studied by historical scholars as is the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Some scholars also hypothesize the existence of earlier texts such as the Logia, Signs Gospel and the Q document. There are arguments that parts of the Gospel of Thomas are likewise early texts.
Scholarly opinions on the historicity of the New Testament accounts are diverse. At the extremes, they range from the view that they are inerrant descriptions of the life of Jesus, to the view that they provide no historical information about his life. The sources extant contain little evidence of Jesus' life before the account of Jesus' Baptism, and it has been suggested by many that the events recorded in the gospels cover a period of less than three years. Historians subject the gospels to critical analysis, attempting to differentiate authentic, reliable information from what they judge to be inventions, exaggerations, and alterations.
History of research
Main article: Quest for the historical JesusAttempts to use historical rather than religious or theological methods to construct a verifiable biography of Jesus began in the 18th century with Hermann Samuel Reimarus, up to William Wrede and Albert Schweitzer in the 19th century. Reimarus pioneered what has since been dubbed "the search for the historical Jesus". Reimarus is credited with applying the Rationalism of the Enlightenment Era to claims about Jesus. As a lecturer in Oriental Languages, his study of the Bible convinced him of several discrepancies in the New and Old Testaments. This led him to doubt the traditional view that the Jesus of history could be identified with the portrait of Jesus found in the canonical gospels. Although Schweitzer was among the greatest contributors to this quest, he also ended it by noting how each scholar's version of Jesus seemed little more than an idealized autobiography of the scholar himself.
A later generation of scholars emphasized the "constraints of history", so that despite uncertainties there were historical data that were usable. Yet another generation tended to focus on the early textual layers of the New Testament for data to reconstruct a biography for the historical Jesus. Many of these scholars rely on a redactive critique of the hypothetical Q Gospel and on a Greco-Roman "Mediterranean" milieu as opposed to a Jewish milieu and tend to view Jesus as a radical philosopher of Wisdom literature.
Earliest known sources
Christian writings
Jesus is featured in Biblical manuscripts throughout the New Testament and other Early Christian writings, such as the Gospels, the Pauline Epistles, the book of Acts, the writings of the early Church Fathers, and the New Testament apocrypha.
Gospels
Main articles: Gospels, Synoptic problem, and Authorship of the Johannine worksThe traditionally accepted accounts of the life of Jesus, which are preserved in the New Testament, are known as the four canonical Gospels: the Gospel of Matthew; the Gospel of Mark; the Gospel of Luke; and the Gospel of John. These Gospels are narrative accounts of part of the life of Jesus. They concentrate on his ministry, and conclude with his death and resurrection. The extent to which these sources are interrelated, or used related source material, is known as the synoptic problem. The date, authorship, access to eyewitnesses, and other essential questions of historicity depend on the various solutions to this problem.
The four canonical Gospels are anonymous. The introduction to Luke mentions accounts of what was handed down by eyewitnesses, and claims to have "diligently investigated all things from the beginning". The epilogue to John states that "these things" are testified to by the beloved disciple, whose "testimony we know ... is true". The authors in antiquity who discussed the authorship of the Gospels generally asserted the following: Matthew was supposedly written by Matthew, one of the Twelve apostles of Jesus; Mark was also supposedly written by Mark, a disciple of Simon Peter, who was one of the Twelve ; Luke was supposedly written by Luke, who was a disciple of Paul, who was the Apostle to the Gentiles; John was supposedly written by John, who was one of the Twelve. In addition, the book of the Acts of the Apostles has traditionally been attributed to Luke. There is no independent evidence within the Gospels, however, as to their authorship other than those claimed within the Christian tradition.
The first three Gospels, known as the synoptic gospels, share much material. As a result of various scholarly hypotheses attempting to explain this interdependence, the traditional association of the texts with their authors has become the subject of criticism. Though some solutions retain the traditional authorship, other solutions reject some or all of these claims. The solution most commonly held in academia today is the two-source hypothesis, which posits that Mark and a hypothetical 2nd source, called the Q document, were used as sources for Matthew and Luke. Other solutions, such as the Augustinian hypothesis and Griesbach hypothesis, posit that Matthew was written first and that Mark was an epitome. Scholars who accept the two-source hypothesis generally date Mark to around 70, with Matthew and Luke dating to 80-90. Scholars who accept Matthean priority usually date the synoptic gospels to before 70, with some arguing as early as 40. John is most often dated to 90-100, though a date as early as the 60s, and as late as the second century have been argued by a few.
"Thus our prime sources about the life of Jesus were written within about fifty years of his death by people who perhaps knew him, but certainly by people who knew people who knew him. If this is beginning to sound slightly second hand, we may wish to consider two points. First... most ancient and medieval history was written from a much greater distance. Second, all the Gospel writers could have talked to people who were actually on the spot, and while perhaps not eyewitnesses themselves, their position is certainly the next best thing."
The extent to which the Gospels were subject to additions, redactions, or interpolations is the subject of textual criticism, which examines the extent to which a manuscript changed from its autograph, or the work as written by the original author, through manuscript transmission. Possible alterations in the Gospels include: Mark 16:9-20, Luke 22:19b–20,43–44, John 7:53-8:11.
Other issues with the historicity of the Gospels include possible conflicts with each other, or with other historical sources. The most frequent suggestions of conflict relate to the Census of Quirinius as recounted in Luke, the two genealogies contained in Luke and Matthew, and the chronology of the Easter events.
Pauline Epistles
Main articles: Pauline epistles and Authorship of the Pauline epistlesJesus is also the subject of the writings of Paul of Tarsus, a Hellenistic Jew who presented himself as Jesus' "Apostle to the Gentiles" and who dictated letters to various churches and individuals from c . 48-68. There are traditionally fourteen letters attributed to Paul, thirteen of which claim to be written by Paul, with one anonymous letter. Current scholarship is in a general consensus in considering at least seven of the letters to be authored by Paul, with views varying concerning the remaining works. Paul seems to nowhere report his own eyewitness account of Jesus' life, but did claim knowledge of Jesus through visions and 1 Cor 11:23. In addition, Paul certainly was personally acquainted with people who had known Jesus: the apostle Peter/Cephas (Gal 1:18-19; Gal 2:7-14; 1 Cor 9:5; 1 Cor 15:5), the apostles John and James (Gal 2:9), and Jesus' brothers. In his letters, Paul often refers to commands of Jesus or events in his life that seem consistent with the Gospel accounts. Paul in many places and in a combat
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Discovering Soul in the Gospels of Jesus In this very accessible work, Thomas Moore provides us with a very rare opportunity to participate in the soul work described by and ...
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Face of Jesus on Wet Sand . face of Jesus. shadow of nose. lip. eye. eye. beard. moustache. It looks like these white specks could be the crown of thorns around his head.
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