Seminary Program

This is where we post the essays from many of our Universal Life Church Seminary students. When students finish a ULC course, they write a comprehensive essay about their experiences with the course, what they learned, didn't learn, were inspired by, etc. Here are their essays.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Historical Evidence About Jesus

How do we know that Jesus Christ is an historical person and what is the historical evidence
 
            Jesus Christ is mentioned by numerous pagan sources and Christian sources the Christian sources could at this point considered biased that is until we have looked at the pagan sources. The pagan authors consist of correspondence from emperors to senior officers in the Mediterranean and vice a versa as such these would be considered very good sources in this instance the reason being despite their negativity they prove a religious group existed known as Christians and also a person known as Jesus Christ existed. Although this may sound and read as if you are following the pagans as an historian and a Christian you have know found substantial evidence this then leads us to believe the Bible is a good source of history and aspects of Jesus life and works and the persons that have followed not only him but his disciples which kept the faith developing to what it is today.

            Among the sources we have Tacitus a Roman Historian who has associated Christ with Pontius Pilate the Procurator under the Emperor Tiberius.
            Pliny who sent a letter to Emperor Trajan raising concerns about the Christians.

            Suetonius mentions that under Claudius the Jews were thrown out of Rome for rioting over Christ this shows that not only the name is known in the Mediterranean but also in Rome by the Jews Christian followers and Romans alike.

            These witnesses are of vast importance as the persons or authors and co responders that are mentioned are all educated persons and have positions in Roman life. The Bible itself then adds the final touches and gives us the links as too what the Jesus was doing and his message to his followers.

Rev. Andrew Longsden

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