AboutDean Gade Expertise I have knowledge of various writings of: the Ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene fathers. The history of the Bible`s origin. The original language of the New Testament. The history of the Old Testament and the changes in the church in the New Testament.
Experience I am a college and seminary graduate( BA., BTh. MDiv.)who studied the history of Christianity during the eight years of study in those institutions as well as study in order to teach and write courses on church history.
Question I just had a conference with my son’s agnostic/atheist world history teacher. I expressed my concern of him pushing his views on such young minds. My conversation, with a councilor present, went very well from my point of view.
An issue came up, however, that I think would make a huge impact on this young teacher. He made the statement that he had studied the early manuscripts and can find no writings of Roman or Greek origin that support Jesus' miracles. He said all of the writings were by Jesus' followers. I have heard that there is some third party evidence in the past, but I have no idea where I heard this. I am appealing to you or someone you might know to help me produce some of this information so I can share this with this teacher. I feel like this one bit of information would have a dramatic effect on this teacher.
My experience has been, it's not the people that question and research that end up in hell. It is usually the people who don't care to find out. Please let me know if you know of anything or anyone that would help in this situation.
Thanks,
Answer There has not been any person who lived around the time of Jesus that had as many eyewitness writers concerning them as Jesus did. All other historical people had only one or two who were eyewitnesses. To argue that it was Jesus "followers" who wrote about Him doesn't change the fact that the "followers" of other historical figures on or before Jesus' time DIDN'T write about them nor did non-followers who may have been eyewitnesses.
Josephus, a Jewish historian, who was not a follower of Jesus, did write about Jesus. But since Josephus didn't believe in miracles, he didn't give Jesus credit concerning these things because he didn't believe in them.
We, who know that Jesus has risen and is still alive and active in our lives know of His miracles. But we cannot expect those who deny His divinity to have any faith in what was written by earlier followers. Those earlier followers say the same thing:
1 Co 1:20-22
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age ? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
NIV
2 Co 4:3-4
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
NIV
