Jan 8th 2006 And we force our faith??

Here's an "interesting" article I recently read.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10712047/

Luigi Cascioli, author of "The Fable of Christ" and one-time seminary student turned atheist is actually suing over the existence of Christ. Cascioli is saying that the Church is breaking two Italian laws

1.)"Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief)
2.)"Sostituzione di Persona," (impersonation.)

He claims that the church based Christ off of a 1st century Jew named John of Gamala
and that a real Jesus never existed.

This is the depths of insanity we are dealing with folks.
Not to mention poor research skills.

The John of Gamala is nothing more than another run of the mill alleged basis for the "story" of Christ.
Sorry nothing new here folks. This is just another in a long line of frantic attempts by the atheists to justify their beliefs. The atheists are fighting an uphill battle on these Christ-myth conspiracies as one of the most widely accepted fact on Jesus by all respected Scholars across the board is that indeed Jesus did exist.

Let's look at the non-biblical sources for confirmation of Jesus having lived.

Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?) a Jewish historian and a Jewish priest at the time of the Jewish Revolt of A.D. 66.) mentions John the Baptist and Herod, Jesus, James the brother of Jesus, Ananias the High Priest who was mentioned in Acts 23:2

As we are particularly examining Jesus, here is Josephus's mention of Christ in his book "Antiquities" which was a history of the Jews:

"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."

There is some dispute as to whether this is a latter insertion by later Christians. However, there is no proof that such insertions into the text were ever made, and this Testimony is found in every copy of Josephus in existence. But for arguments sake lets say this is a forgery by later Christians shall we. Is this all we have or are there more extra-biblical accounts that speak of Jesus?
Absolutely!!!

Tacitus a Roman historian around AD c.55-A.D. c.117, speaks of "christus" in his historic account called the "Annals"

"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures 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 one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular."

Is this all???
No way

The Talmud

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one, who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover!"

(Gal. 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.")


Lucian (circa 120-after 180) Greek writer and rhetorician.

"The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. . . . You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property."


Thallus (Circa AD 52)

"On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down."

Julius Africanus (AD 221) mentioned Thallus' account of an eclipse of the sun.

"This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun."

(Luke 23:44-45)
(44. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. )


These are the non-biblical accounts of Jesus Christ. But is there any reason why we shouldn't trust the accounts of him in the New Testament?

Ah... NO

To me, the most obvious reason why we can trust the NT is simply this- They had no reason to lie!!!!
They had nothing to gain. The Gospel authors where condemned for Christ. They where ostracized from there communities in some instances. Not to mention the shame that would be attached to any follower of a man who was crucified like a common criminal.
In short they suffered and where imprisoned for their testimonies in regards to Christ. In fact it would have been much easier to have changed the story in order to make it more acceptable to the culture. Instead we have what we can all read. An account of a man (Jesus) condemned as a criminal, rejected by his home town, laughed at and scorned by his fellow country men. In Man's eye he was a failure.

Secondly:
All of the writing of the Gospel accounts and can be reasonable dated to before 70AD and perhaps 80 to 90AD for the gospel of John. (side note: the earliest writings pertaining to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism was over 300 years after his death)
So at the time that these where written and distributed there where many people who where eye witnesses of the events that where portrayed in the NT. Yet the authors openly asked people to look into the facts themselves and not to just take there word for it.

-Acts 26:26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.-

Now, if the authors where trying to cover up the true story would they have mentioned well know historical figure and information which could easily be verified and debunked if it where not true?

Finally, if they wanted to pass a made up story along as truth then they would never had claimed that women where the first to find the empty tomb. In 1st century Palestine women where considered to be unreliable as witnesses and very little credence was given to there testimonies. According to Josephus..."[women] are unacceptable because of the 'levity and temerity of their sex." Greek and Roman courts did not even allow women to be witnesses in a trial. Yet the disciples wrote that women found the empty tomb.
Now, If it where a fabricated story would it not have made more sense to say that Peter or James saw the tomb empty to lend more respectability to their claims.
However they wrote that women found the tomb empty because THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED.


Perhaps, if atheist like this Luigi Cascioli spent more time learning and less time trying to force their absurd beliefs on others then perhaps we would not have our time and money wasted with frivolous lawsuits such as this one in Italy.

For more info on the reliability of the NT check out J.P. Holdins site

http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nowayjose.html#eleven