"There are many references to Jesus in the works of Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and other classical writers."
No, there aren't. These were not contemporaries and the brief one-line interpolations prove the opposite of what you desperately hope for. Use some common sense! This was a man who rose from the dead and performed acts of magic before visitors from all over the world! But all history is virtually SILENT! Even more telling--complete and utter silence from historian's who lived where he walked and talked and "performed". One scholar who lived near Jerusalem and wrote voluminously on the Old Testament had no
knowledge of Jesus or of any of these events, where people from all over the world attended and witnessed (according to the fictional stories). So, in fact, all your denials are refuted by thousands of books and papers that show how impossible the Jesus stories are. And not a single word has been found that was written during the possible life-line of "Jesus (7 BCE-33CE)--even though hundreds of thousands of educated people came from over the world to witness amazing feats and were CONVINCED of these facts! Just use some common sense!
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[ a] as the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[ b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Firstly, there were religious Jews from every Nation on Earth who witnessed the supernatural events of Pentecost. These were educated, wealthy, and travelled individuals. Yet they have set down not a single word in history! Nor have any of their acquaintances--even though these miracles must have been spoken of every day of the rest of their lives!
There were gentiles there from ever nation in the world who experienced conversions more astounding even than Paul's "vision". Yet they wrote nothing! We only know about it because decades later, some writers invented the stories!
And the great historian and religious scholar, Philo, was there--Philo who wrote thousands and thousands of pages on the Old Testament and the prophecies...NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS INTERNATIONAL EVENT! Nothing from the Chinese. Nothing from the "Arabs"--who were there and took it all home. Nothing from Asia. Nothing from Africa. Nothing from Europe. Nothing from anywhere! HELLO??
The world talked and wrote about everything else! But they never uttered a single word about an international, supernatural event--witnessed, as it were, on the World Stage! The purported reason that thousands of people from all over the world were in Jerusalem was to celebrate the Old Testament Pentecost. So that day, 3000 new converts took up the gospel message--and for the 50 days of Pentecost thereafter. Yet, not a single person writes about these incredible, life-changing events! These converts preached everywhere of Jesus Christ! They also brought all these stories back to the Nations where they resided! But nobody writes a word until decades later! The silence is DEAFENING!!!
"How comes it that, through all the Gospel traditions without exception, there comes a remarkably firmly-drawn portrait of an attractive young man moving freely about women of all sorts, including the decidedly disreputable, without a trace of sentimentality, unnaturalness, or prudery, and yet, at every point, maintaining a simple integrity of character?"
LOL! Get real!
How comes it that, through all 26 books without exception, there comes a remarkably firmly drawn portrait of an attractive young man--tall, athletic, strong, moving freely amongst humans and animals--with no trace of prudery, unnaturalness, or sentimentality! Always loyal, always steadfast, always dependable, always intelligent and full of courage. And always victorious! The reasonable answer is that such a man really existed and acted in the way that scores of books and numerous movies and documentaries tell us.
Lord Greystoke! My hero! |
