Tell me more ×
Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -4 down vote favorite

My understanding is that the gospels were written several hundred years A.D. Given the way people pass around information even within one lifetime, and the apparent ability to record information during the time of Jesus, what historical evidence is there of miracles being done, outside the gospels and perhaps Paul's writings (if he wasn't a first hand witness, or if those writings were recorded later)? (If the previous statements aren't correct/accurate, please comment.)

I.e. what was written and recorded during the time of Jesus, that described the miracles that Jesus performed. Making eyeballs, limbs, walking on water -- all the "beyond-physics" kind of stuff.

share|improve this question
10  
Where does this understanding come from? Last I heard, the Gospels could be dated pretty reliably to the late first century AD. The Bible as a collection of sacred writings was not compiled until several hundred years later, but the individual writings contained therein are considerably older. – Mason Wheeler♦ Oct 5 '11 at 4:42
4  
@Mason Wheeler's statement is well-documetned as well. A quick Google search for "manuscript evidence for the New Testament" will turn up plenty, such as this: debate.org.uk/topics/history/bib-qur/bibmanu.htm Eyewitness testimony, and the fact that the gospels were written during the time when there would have been eye-witnesses hostile to Christianity who would have been able to refute them, had they been false is one evidence. – David Stratton Oct 5 '11 at 4:50
3  
The gospels + Paul is 5 sources. Asking about the reliability of these sources might be a good question, but assuming they are unreliable isn't. – gmoothart Oct 5 '11 at 5:52
2  
@gmoothart: Plus Peter, James and Jude (identified with the apostle Judas "not Iscariot") makes 8. – Mason Wheeler♦ Oct 5 '11 at 13:02
2  
As others have noted, a large portion of this question hinges on a patently false premise. Would you like to re-write it to ask about other extra-Biblical evidence without the bit about the Gospels being an unreliable witness or is there something else you are trying to ask here? – Caleb♦ Oct 5 '11 at 14:28
show 2 more comments

1 Answer

up vote 6 down vote

My understanding is that the gospels were written several hundred years A.D.

This is plainly erroneous. We have manuscripts of the New Testament dating from within the first century AD. Seeing as Jesus died around 30 AD it is very early accounts.

Josephus the first century Jewish historian says about Jesus the following

Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?) mentions Jesus - Antiquities, Book 18, ch. 3, par. 3.

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

You can find the full accounts of 1st century historians attesting to Jesus in the following link

http://carm.org/non-biblical-accounts-new-testament-events-andor-people

It is also curious to note that if you take away the extant manuscript of the New Testament then you can still deduce the content of the bible from the early church correspondence.

One church would write to another and quote a bible verse and warn the other church about possible heresies. This gives us another early sources to compare manuscripts with to deduce the authenticity of the message

If you are interested in a more intense account of these matter I should recommend to you the book "Evidence that demands a verdict." By Josh McDowell. Really a excellent resource for anyone who wants to know the truth about these matters.

share|improve this answer
Thanks for your comment, will digest and investigate. Quick question, did Jesus die at "zero After Death"? It appears the whole BC / AD thing is confusing/incorrect, discounting the 30 or 33 years of his stay on the planet? I.e. it seems B.C. should before his birth, and 0 AD should be just after his death. – Ray K Oct 5 '11 at 19:53
@Ray: "AD" actually stands for the Latin "Anno Domini," in the year of our Lord. It can be thought of as "after birth," not "after death." – Mason Wheeler♦ Oct 5 '11 at 20:15
Ah, thanks. So how much time in years would you then say passed between the events and the recordings? I think my original notion or memory of 2-3 "hundred years" was really an assumption of 2 -3 generations, but I'm not sure how long people lived at that time, or the dates. So, I'm glad folks are chiming in and helping to identify that: was it not recorded at the time, was it passed down through several generations; OR, more alarmingly, ... Hence, the need for the other question/investig on what all exists, to prove that this physical transcendence actually happened, and wasn't made up. – Ray K Oct 6 '11 at 19:52
And I'm not talking "resurrection" here. To me that simply means, it is not natural for God's son/daughter to die, which Jesus then needed to demonstrate; that there was a way "out of here that isn't via the grave". I'm aware too of the scripture, "it is appointed once for man to die, ...". But the thing is, everyone is dead (they just don't know it). Meaning, they are separated from what they are as God's Son/Daughter. Surely, God (Father) is not sick and dying, and surely we are made in that image and likeness. Which too, unfortunately far too many don't think about - what that means. – Ray K Oct 6 '11 at 19:54
I'll add one of the most significant parables of the bible, describing the "fall"; that of course, is the story of the prodigal son. And so, as long as "people" (children of *** GOD ***) are sick and dying, they already are in "hell". Meaning, they are already in the other state of the two possible states. Unfortunately, main stream religion has greatly misrepresented that; but that's a whole other story, one I'll share if someone posts a question and I figure out how to see it. – Ray K Oct 6 '11 at 19:57

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.