Anachronistic expectations imposed on ancient historians who would have had no reason or even opportunity to record the events of life of Jesus, is more an excuse than a reason to deny the very modest historical claims that I will once again, repeat.
"Even the most critical historian can confidently assert that a Jew named Jesus worked as a teacher and wonder-worker in Palestine during the reign of Tiberius, was executed by crucifixion under the prefect Pontius Pilate and continued to have followers after his death."(Craig)
Your list of historians is inaccurate. Many of them were not living or working at the time of Christ's ministry. Either you are ignorant of history or you are purposely ignoring it. You say Tacitus is silent about Christ, but that is not true. Commenting on Nero's blaming of the Christians for the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 he says this...
"Nero fastened the guilt . . . on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of . . . Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome. . ."(Tacitus, Annals 15.44)
Of course this is why...
"Even the most critical historian can confidently assert that a Jew named Jesus worked as a teacher and wonder-worker in Palestine during the reign of Tiberius, was executed by crucifixion under the prefect Pontius Pilate and continued to have followers after his death."(Craig)
The book of Acts is dated by many scholars before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and most likely before the the death of Paul. Paul's letters are dated in the early to mid 50's so you are at least a hundred years off on your dates.
To say Paul only deals with the resurrection is also a factual error. The resurrection is the crowning event that if true, verifies all the claims of Christ, and if false, renders everything else that Jesus claimed and did, meaningless. If you are prepared to grant the resurrection, then what is the problem with the other, certainly lesser miracles? |
