SAMPLE: Y-JESUS, Y-ORIGINS

SAMPLE: Y-JESUS, Y-ORIGINS

Y-JESUS.

table of contents

Born Identity

Was Jesus A Real Person?

pg 7

Chief Editors: Bill Bright, Larry Chapman Project Coordinator: Helmut Teichert Editorial Director: Rick James Design: Hydragraphik ® Studio ( www.hydragraphik.com ) Article Editors: Rick James, Eric Stanford Copy Editor: Eric Stanford Writers: Larry Chapman, Rick James, Eric Stanford Bright Media Foundation 100 Lake Hart Drive, #3400 Orlando, FL 32832 Copyright 2005 by Bright Media Foundation and B & L Publications. All rights reserved. ISBN 0-9717422-3-5

Jesus Complex

Was He Crazy, A Pathological Liar, Or The Son Of God?

pg 19

Mona Lisa’s Smirk

The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Conspiracy

pg 30

Jesus.doc

Is The New Testament Reliable?

pg 42

The Path Laid By Prophets Was The Messiah’s Identity Encrypted Within Ancient Hebrew Prophecy pg 59

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to Dr. Bill Bright, who passed away before this project was finished. Dr. Bright enthusiastically endorsed and contributed to the development of the material presented in this endeavor. His agreement to coauthor this material reflects his genuine belief that making a decision about who Jesus is and what he means to us is the most important decision we can make. Special thanks are also due to Rick James and Eric Stanford, who have both spent countless hours clarifying some of the concepts presented. Several others have contributed greatly to the writing of these articles, including Dave Chapman, Brian Ricci and his team at the University of Washington, including valuable input from ‘Jamin Latava. Special thanks also are due Helmut Teichert of Bright Media, who has been the overall director of the project. Finally I would like to thank my wife, Marianne, for inspiring me to undertake this effort.

Larry Chapman

Body Count

Explaining The Disappearance And Reappearance Of Jesus? pg 72

Die Hard

The Reason For The Suffering And Death Of Jesus pg 84

J C

Jesus Complex

WAS HE CRAZY, A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR, OR THE SON OF GOD? 18 • ARTICLE TWO • JESUS COMPLEX

JESUS COMPLEX • ARTICLE TWO • 19

GREAT MORAL TEACHER?

that is greatest among you, let him be your

to forgive sins. He says He always existed.

Almost all scholars acknowledge that

Some have tried to separate Jesus’ teach-

He says He is coming to judge the world at

Jesus was a great moral teacher. In fact,

ing on ethics from his claims about himself,

the end of time.”1

his brilliant insight into human morality

believing that he was simply a great man

is an accomplishment recognized even by

who taught lofty moral principles. This was

Theologian and author R. C. Sproul ran-

those of other religions. In his book Jesus of

the approach of one of America’s Founding

domly selected college students, asking

Nazareth, Jewish scholar Joseph Klausner

Fathers.

about their opinion of Jesus Christ. Many

wrote, “It is universally admitted … that

considered Jesus’ profound influence on

Christ taught the purest and sublimest eth-

President Thomas Jefferson, ever

ethics, calling him a great moral teacher.

ics … which throws the moral precepts and

the enlightened rationalist, sat

Others, impressed by two billion people

maxims of the wisest men of antiquity far

down in the White House with two

who call themselves Christians, responded

into the shade.”2

identical copies of the New Testa-

“Then comes the real shock,” wrote Oxford professor C. S. Lewis. “Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes

servant’—this is the inversion of all political wisdom, of all sanity.”3

about talking as if He was God. He claims

ment, a straight-edge razor, and

that he was a great religious leader. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has been

a sheaf of octavo-size paper. Over

Yet, from the eyewitness accounts of Jesus

called the most superlative teaching of

the course of a few nights, he made

to the present day, many of his two billion

human ethics ever uttered by an individual.

quick work of cutting and pasting

followers believe he is God, or the Son of

In fact, much of what we know today as

his own Bible, a slim volume he

God. So, who is right? Who really is Jesus

“equal rights” actually is the result of Jesus’

called “The Philosophy of Jesus of

Christ?

teaching. Historian Will Durant said of

Nazareth.” After slicing away every

Jesus that “he lived and struggled unremit-

passage that suggested Jesus’ di-

tingly for ‘equal rights’; in modern times

vine nature, Jefferson had a Jesus

he would have been sent to Siberia. ‘He

who was no more and no less than a good, ethical guide.4 Brimming with confidence after authoring the Declaration of Independence, apparently Jefferson thought he’d have a go at the Bible, cutting and pasting Jesus to conform to his own views. In other words, Jefferson liked Jesus’ teaching about ethics and morals, but he discarded the miracles and claims of divinity. Ironically, Jefferson’s memorable words in the Declaration of Independence were rooted in Jesus’ teaching that each person is of immense and equal importance to God, regardless of sex, race, or social status. The famous document sets forth, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men

20 • ARTICLE TWO • JESUS COMPLEX

are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights …” There is in all of this a drastic logical contradiction. Jefferson was by all counts

“Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if he was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time.”

a genius, but he wasn’t able to spot the key truth (most of us average mortals have missed it as well): if Jesus taught that he was God, could forgive sins, and was the co-creator of the universe, then he would not be a great moral teacher. It is hard to say what label we would give him, but it would best be given by a psychiatrist.

GREAT RELIGIOUS LEADER?

C. S. Lewis, Oxford scholar delivers you; it is his Noble Truths

is he?’ They were Jesus and Buddha. The

that instruct you. It is not Moham-

answers these two gave were exactly the

mad who transforms you; it is the

opposite. Buddha said unequivocally that

beauty of the Koran that woos you.

he was a mere man, not a god—almost as

By contrast, Jesus did not only

if he foresaw later attempts to worship him.

teach or expound His message. He

Jesus, on the other hand, claimed … to be

was identical with His message.5

divine.”6

The truth of Zacharias’s point is underscored by the number of times in the Gospels that Jesus’ teaching message was

Did Jesus deserve the title of “great reli-

simply “Come to me” or “Follow me” or

gious leader”? Surprisingly, Jesus never

“Obey me.”

claimed to be a religious leader. He never

and a few other religious groups outside the

earth? A danger of interpretation is to read

But this leads us to another point. Many

borders of traditional Christianity.

into a historical document our definition—

sayings of Jesus, if isolated and parsed,

in this case, what we mean by “complete

could be made to say something other than

Christians insist that Jesus did claim de-

authority.” But to locate meaning, context

what Jesus meant by them. Besides noting

ity. As a Deist, Thomas Jefferson had no

is everything.

historical context (that is, the meaning of “authority” in first-century Palestine), we

problem accepting Jesus’ teachings on morals and ethics while denying his deity.7

“Authority” was a well-understood term in

ascertain meaning by referencing with

But as we’ve said, and will explore further,

Roman-occupied Israel. At that time, Cae-

other statements. In other words, is this an

if he was not who he claimed to be, then

sar was the supreme authority in the entire

isolated statement of Jesus, or is it aug-

we must examine some other alternatives,

Roman world. His edict could instantly

mented by other such claims?

none of which would make him a great

launch legions for war, condemn or exoner-

moral teacher.

ate criminals, and establish laws and rules

Here is a partial list of similar statements

of government. In fact, Caesar’s authority

found in the Gospels.

Familiarity can breed apathy. And familiar

was such that he himself claimed divinity.

statements by and about Jesus within the

So, at the very least Jesus was claiming au-

• “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Gospels, including descriptions of him as

thority on a par with Caesar himself. But He

(John 11:25)

the Son of God, can wash over us with-

didn’t just say he had more authority than

• “I am the light of the world.” (John

out our realizing how bold, radical, and

the Jewish leaders or Roman rulers; Jesus

8:12)

controversial they were. Even a superficial

was claiming to be the supreme author-

• “I and my Father are one.” (John

reading of the Gospels reveals that Jesus

ity in the universe. To those he spoke to,

10:30)

claimed to be someone more than a prophet

it meant that he was God. Not a god—but

• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the

Clearly, from the earliest years of the

like Moses or Daniel. But it is the nature of

the God.

First and the Last, the Beginning and

church, Jesus was called Lord and regarded

those claims that concern us. Two questions are worthy of attention.

DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE GOD?

DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE THE CREATOR?

the End.” (Revelation 22:13).” • “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

got into religious politics or pushed an am-

But does that mean Jesus was a self-cen-

by most Christians as God. Yet his divinity

bitious agenda, and he ministered almost

tered egoist? Certainly not. On the contrary,

was a doctrine that was subjected to great

entirely outside the established religious

his entire life and ministry were focused

debate (see “Mona Lisa’s Smirk,” page 30).

• Did Jesus actually claim to be God?

framework. When one compares Jesus with

on other people and their needs, especially

So the question—and it is the question—is

• When he said “God,” did Jesus

those who were hurting and disenfran-

this: Did Jesus really claim to be God (the

really mean he was the Creator of

But is it possible that Jesus was just

the other great religious leaders, a remark-

• “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the

chised. The hallmarks of his ministry were

Creator), or was his divinity something in-

the universe spoken of in the

reflecting God’s authority and was not

able distinction emerges. Ravi Zacharias,

Father.” (John 14:9)

humility, compassion, and forgiveness.

vented or assumed by the New Testament

Hebrew Bible?

stating that he was the actual Creator?

who grew up in a Hindu culture, has studied world religions and observed a funda-

Nevertheless, Jesus made it clear that he

authors?

mental distinction between other religious

was sent from God and that he had the

founders and Jesus Christ.

power to forgive sins—a claim that infuriated the religious leaders.

Whatever we may make of their

• “I am the only way to the Father [God].” (John 14:6)

At first glance that seems plausible. Yet Strangely, the problem with answering

Jesus’ claim to have all authority seems to

Some scholars believe Jesus was such a

these questions is not having too little data

make sense only if he is the Creator of the

powerful teacher and compelling personal-

but having too much. But to see the answer

universe.

ity that his disciples just assumed he was

more clearly, looking at a deluge of instanc-

claims, one reality is inescap-

No other major religious leader ever

God. Or maybe they just wanted to think

es may be less helpful than exploring a few

able. They are teachers who point

claimed the power to forgive sins. But that

he was God. John Dominic Crossan and

in more detail—and better understanding

to their teaching or show some

is not the only claim Jesus made that sepa-

the Jesus Seminar (a fringe group skeptical

their contexts. Let’s consider Jesus’ words

particular way. In all of these, there

rated him from the others. In The World’s

of scholars with presuppositions against

in Matthew 28:18: “I have been given com-

emerges an instruction, a way of

Great Religions, Huston Smith observed,

miracles) are among those who believe

plete authority in heaven and on earth.”

living. It is not Zoroaster to whom

“Only two people ever astounded their

Jesus was deified in error. Others who say

you turn; it is Zoroaster to whom

contemporaries so much that the question

he didn’t claim to be God include Mormons,

What did Jesus mean when he claimed to

you listen. It is not Buddha who

they evoked was not ‘Who is he?’ but ‘What

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists,

have complete authority in heaven and on


(John 14:6)


Once again, we must go back to context. In

by calling him a great moral teacher? C. S.

The question we must deal with is, what

Death, of course, brings all things into

know his message would survive? Jesus’

the Hebrew Scriptures, when Moses asked

Lewis argued, “I am trying here to prevent

could possibly motivate Jesus to live his

proper focus. And while many martyrs

disciples had fled and Peter had denied

God his name at the burning bush, God

anyone from saying the really foolish thing

entire life as a lie? He taught that God

have died for a cause they believed in, few

him. Not exactly the formula for launching

answered, “I AM.” He was telling Moses

that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready

was opposed to lying and hypocrisy, so he

have been willing to die for a known lie.

a religious legacy.

that He is the only Creator, eternal and

to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher,

wouldn’t have been doing it to please his

Certainly all hopes for Jesus’ own personal

transcendent of time.

but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’

Father. He certainly didn’t lie for his follow-

gain would have ended on the cross. Yet, to

Do historians believe Jesus lied? Scholars

That is the one thing we must not say.”8

ers’ benefit. (All but one were martyred.)

his last breath, he would not relinquish his

have scrutinized Jesus’ words and life to

And so we are left with only two other

claim of being the unique Son of God.

see if there is any evidence of a defect in

From that time on, no practicing Jew would ever refer to himself or anyone else by “I AM.”

In his quest for truth, Lewis knew that

reasonable explanations, each of which is

his moral character. In fact, even the most

As a result, Jesus’ “I AM” claims infuriated

he could not have it both ways with the

problematic.

ardent skeptics are stunned by Jesus’ moral

the Jewish leaders. One time, for example,

identity of Jesus. Either Jesus was who he

some leaders explained to Jesus why they

claimed to be—God in the flesh—or his

were trying to kill him: “Because you, a mere

claims were false. And if they were false,

man, have made yourself God” (John 10:33).

Jesus could not be a great moral teacher.

BENEFIT

A

LEGACY

and ethical purity. One of those was skeptic and antagonist John Stuart Mill (1806–73),

So if Jesus was above lying for personal

the philosopher. Mill wrote of Jesus,

benefit, perhaps his radical claims were

He would either be lying intentionally or he

Many people have lied for personal gain.

falsified in order to leave a legacy. But the

About the life and sayings of Jesus

would be a lunatic with a God complex.

In fact, the motivation of most lies is some

prospect of being beaten to a pulp and

there is a stamp of personal origi-

But the point here is not simply that such

wonders why Christians and Muslims can’t

a phrase fumed the religious leaders. The

just all get along. (In the extended version,

perceived benefit to oneself. What could

nailed to a cross would quickly dampen the

nality combined with profundity

point is that they knew exactly what he

the final battle ends with a sing-along of

Jesus have hoped to gain from lying about

enthusiasm of most would-be superstars.

of insight in the very first rank of

was saying—he was claiming to be God,

“We Are the World.”) Characters like this

his identity? Power would be the most obvi-

the Creator of the universe. It is only this

are able to perceive events with the 20/20

ous answer. If people believed he was God,

Here is another haunting fact. If Jesus

our species can boast. When this

claim that would have brought the accusa-

moral clarity that a century or a millennium

he would have tremendous power. (That

were to have simply dropped the claim of

pre-eminent genius is combined

tion of blasphemy. To read into the text that

of reflection has provided.

is why many ancient leaders, such as the

being God’s Son, he never would have been

with the qualities of probably

Caesars, claimed divine origin.)

condemned. It was his claim to be God and

the greatest moral reformer and

his unwillingness to recant of it that got

martyr to that mission who ever

him crucified.

existed on earth, religion cannot

WAS

JESUS A LIAR?

Jesus claimed to be God is clearly war-

men of sublime genius of whom

ranted, not simply by his words, but also by

The idea that we are all part of God, and

One of the best-known and most influential

their reaction to those words.

that within us is the seed of divinity, is sim-

political works of all time was written by

The rub with this explanation is that Jesus

ply not a possible meaning for Jesus’ words

Niccolò Machiavelli in 1532. In his classic,

shunned all attempts to move him in the

and actions. Such thoughts are revisionist,

The Prince, Machiavelli exalts power,

direction of seated power, instead chastis-

If enhancing his credibility and historical

in pitching upon this man as the

foreign to his teaching, foreign to his stated

success, image, and efficiency above

ing those who abused such power and

reputation was what motivated Jesus to lie,

ideal representative and guide for

beliefs, and foreign to his disciples’ under-

loyalty, faith, and honesty. According to

lived their lives pursuing it. He also chose

one must explain how a carpenter from a

humanity.10

standing of his teaching.

Machiavelli, lying is okay if it accomplishes

to reach out to the outcasts (prostitutes

poor Judean village could ever anticipate

a political end.

and lepers), those without power, creating

the events that would catapult his name

According to historian Philip Schaff, there

a network of people whose influence was

to worldwide prominence. How would he

is no evidence, either in church history or

WHAT

KIND OF GOD?

The theory that Jesus may have believed in the divinity of all persons rests on what is most loathed in a movie like The Kingdom of Heaven. In revisionist historical movies, characters are plopped into the past, equipped with modern-day sensibilities and worldviews, immune to the prejudices, values, and beliefs of the world that the director has made them occupy. The result, in The Kingdom of Heaven, is that the medieval pilgrim, played by Orlando Bloom,


Jesus taught that he is God in the way the Jews understood God and the way the He-

Could Jesus Christ have been motivated

less than zero. In a way that could only be

brew Scriptures portrayed God, not in the

by this Machiavellian principle? We have

described as bizarre, all that Jesus did and

way the New Age movement understands

it on record that Muhammad lied, justify-

said moved diametrically in the other direc-

God. Neither Jesus nor his audience had

ing his actions by the principle that the

tion from power.

been weaned on Star Wars, and so when

end justifies the means. Maybe Jesus also

they spoke of God, they were not speaking

lied. In fact, the Jewish opponents of Jesus

It would seem that if power was Jesus’ mo-

of cosmic forces. It’s simply bad history to

were constantly trying to expose him as

tivation, he would have avoided the cross at

redefine what Jesus meant by the concept

a fraud and liar. They would barrage him

all costs. Yet, on several occasions, he told

of God.

with questions in attempts to trip him up

his disciples that the cross was his destiny

and make him contradict himself. Yet Jesus

and mission. How would dying on a Roman

responded with remarkable consistency.

cross bring one power?

But if Jesus wasn’t God, are we still okay

be said to have made a bad choice

9


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Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast,

Lewis regarded Christianity as just another

Lewis was a prolific author, writing The

Northern Ireland, in 1898. He graduated

myth. But another atheist, T. D. Weldon,

Chronicles of Narnia series, his autobiog-

from University College, Oxford, in 1923.

had shocked him with a statement regard-

raphy, Surprised by Joy, Mere Christianity,

For 30 years he was a fellow and tutor

ing the remarkable evidence for Jesus

and among his most substantial books,

in English at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Christ. Lewis began a quest for truth that

English Literature in the Sixteenth Century.

Then he went to Cambridge as professor of

led him to believe in a God, but he still was

In another work, The Problem of Pain,

medieval and Renaissance English. Lewis

unconvinced that Jesus was God. However,

Lewis suggested that much of the suffer-

was a brilliant lecturer who could speak

Lewis was greatly influenced by his friend

ing in the world can be traced to the evil

spontaneously about Greek and Latin texts

J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the

choices people make.

without notes.

Rings) and began to examine the rational basis for belief in Christianity. Together

In his own life, Lewis followed Christian

with Tolkien and Charles Williams, Lewis

principles. He gave away two-thirds of his

formed a literary group called the Inklings,

income, sat at the bedside of the sick, and

in which the members had deep conversa-

personally served the poor. The Chronicles

tions about the difference between Christi-

of Narnia series has turned out to be the

anity and myths. Although Christianity had

most lasting of Lewis’s fictional works.

a mythlike appearance, unlike myths and

Lewis died on November 22, 1963.

legends, it was backed by solid historical evidence, proving it to be true.

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ENDNOTES

in secular history, that Jesus lied about

this theory, Jesus was deluded into actually

if the life and death of Socrates are those of

But, if Lewis is right, then the claims of

anything. Schaff argued, “How, in the name

believing he was the Messiah.

a philosopher, the life and death of Jesus

Jesus maintain their weight and press in

Christ are those of a God.”14

around us, soliciting a response. As Lewis

1

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1972), 51.

stated it:

2

Quoted in Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, vol. 1 (Nashville: Nelson,

of logic, common sense, and experience, could a deceitful, selfish, depraved man

C. S. Lewis considered this option care-

have invented, and consistently maintained

fully. Lewis deduced the insanity of Jesus’

Schaff posed the question we must ask

from the beginning to end, the purest and

claims—if they are not true. He said that

ourselves: “Is such an intellect—thoroughly

You must make your choice. Either

3

Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy (New York: Washington Square, 1961), 428.

noblest character known in history with the

someone who claimed to be God would not

healthy and vigorous, always ready and

this man was, and is, the Son of

4

Linda Kulman and Jay Tolson, “The Jesus Code,” U. S. News & World Report, December

most perfect air of truth and reality?”11

be a great moral teacher. “He would either

always self-possessed—liable to a radical

God: or else a madman or some-

be a lunatic—on a level with the man who

and most serious delusion concerning his

thing worse. You can shut Him up

5

Ravi Zacharias, Jesus among Other Gods (Nashville: Word, 2000), 89.

To go with the option of liar seems to swim

says he is a poached egg—or else he would

own character and mission?”15

for a fool, you can spit at Him and

6

Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics (Downers Grove, IL:

upstream against everything Jesus taught,

be the Devil of Hell.”12

lived, and died for. To most scholars, it just

1979), 127.

kill him as a demon or you can fall So, was Jesus a liar or a lunatic, or was he

at his feet and call Him Lord and

22, 2003, 1.

InterVarsity, 1994), 150. 7

A Deist is someone who believes in a standoffish God—a deity who created the world and

doesn’t make sense. Yet, to deny Jesus’

Even those most skeptical of Christianity

the Son of God? Could Jefferson have been

God. But let us not come with any

then lets it run according to pre-established laws. Deism was a fad among intellectuals

claims, one must come up with some

rarely question Jesus’ sanity. Social reformer

right by labeling Jesus “only a good moral

patronizing nonsense about His

around the time of America’s independence, and Jefferson bought into it.

explanation. And if Jesus’ claims are not

William Channing (1780–1842), admittedly

teacher” while denying him deity? Interest-

being a great human teacher. He

8

Lewis, 52.

true, and he wasn’t lying, the only option

not a Christian, made the following observa-

ingly, the audience who heard Jesus—both

has not left that open to us. He did

9

Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003),

remaining is that he must have been self-

tion about Jesus: “The charge of an extrava-

believers and enemies—never regarded

not intend to.16

deceived.

gant, self-deluding enthusiasm is the last

him as a mere moral teacher. Jesus pro-

to be fastened on Jesus. Where can we find

duced three primary effects in the people

traces of it in history? Do we detect them in

who met him: hatred, terror, or adoration.

the calm authority of His precepts?”13

178–80. 10

Quoted in Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino,

CA: Here’s Life, 1999), 159. 11

Quoted in McDowell, New Evidence, 160.

12

Lewis, 52.

There was no trace of apathy about Jesus

13

Quoted in McDowell, New Evidence, 161, 162.

Although his own life was filled with

and his message. No evidence of people

14

Quoted in McDowell, New Evidence, 122, 129.

immorality and personal skepticism, the re-

expressing mild approval of him. Yet, two

15

Quoted in McDowell, New Evidence, 162.

nowned French philosopher Jean-Jacques

centuries after Jefferson, many still cut and

16

Albert Schweitzer, who was awarded the

Lewis, 52.

Rousseau (1712–78) acknowledged Jesus’

paste their own version of Jesus to com-

Nobel Prize in 1952 for his humanitarian

superior character and presence of mind.

fortably fit their lives, for a watered-down

efforts, had his own views about Jesus.

“When Plato describes his imaginary righ-

Jesus like Jefferson’s makes no demands

Schweitzer concluded that insanity was

teous man, loaded with all the punishments

upon us. And we need not concern our-

behind Jesus’ claim to be God. In other

of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of

selves with what Jesus said about life and

words, Jesus was wrong about his claims

virtue, he describes exactly the character of

purpose when we can more easily delete

but didn’t intentionally lie. According to

Christ. … What presence of mind. … Yes,

his claims.

WAS JESUS A LUNATIC?



30 • ARTICLE THREE • MONA LISA’S SMIRK

MONA LISA’S SMIRK • ARTICLE THREE • 31

“Nobody is saying Christ was a fraud, or

THE JESUS CONSPIRACY

denying that He walked the earth and inspired millions to better lives. All we are

The Da Vinci Code begins with the murder of a French museum curator named Jacques

saying is that Constantine took advantage

Saunière. A scholarly Harvard professor and a beautiful French cryptologist are commis-

of Christ’s substantial influence and impor-

sioned to decipher a message left by the curator before his death. The message turns out

tance. And in doing so, he shaped the face

to reveal the most profound conspiracy in the history of humankind: a cover-up of the true

of Christianity as we know it today.”1

message of Jesus Christ by a secret arm of the Roman Catholic Church called Opus Dei.

Could this shocking assertion from Dan

Before his death, the curator had evidence that could disprove the deity of Christ. Although

Brown’s best-selling book, The Da Vinci

(according to the plot) the church tried for centuries to suppress the evidence, great think-

Code, be true? Or is the premise behind it

ers and artists have planted clues everywhere: in paintings such as the Mona Lisa and Last

just the stuff of a good conspiracy novel—

Supper by da Vinci, in the architecture of cathedrals, even in Disney cartoons. The book’s

on a par with a belief that aliens crash-

main claims are these:

landed at Roswell, New Mexico, or that there was a second gunman on the grassy

• The Roman emperor Constantine conspired to deify Jesus Christ.

knoll in Dallas when JFK was assassinat-

• Constantine personally selected the books of the New Testament.

ed? Either way, the story is compelling. No

• The Gnostic gospels were banned by men to suppress women.

wonder Brown’s book has become one of

• Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly married and had a child.

the best-selling stories of the decade.

• Thousands of secret documents disprove key points of Christianity.

Since The Da Vinci Code has become so

Brown reveals his conspiracy through the book’s fictional expert, British royal historian Sir

popular and has gotten so many people

Leigh Teabing, who is played by Nicholas Cage (wait … sorry, I keep confusing this with

wondering about Jesus, why don’t we take

National Treasure). Presented as a wise old scholar, Teabing reveals to cryptologist Sophie

a look at some of its key claims to find out

Neveu that at the Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325 “many aspects of Christianity were debated

how reliable they might be? Along the way,

and voted upon,” including the divinity of Jesus. “Until that moment in history,” he says,

we may learn something about the histori-

“Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet … a great and powerful man, but a

cal evidence that bears on the historicity of

man nonetheless.”

Jesus.


Neveu is shocked. “Not the Son of God?” she asks. Teabing explains: “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.” “Hold on. You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote?” “A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing tells the stunned cryptologist.2 So, according to Teabing, Jesus was not regarded as God until the Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325, when the real records of Jesus were allegedly banned and destroyed. Thus, according to the theory, the entire foundation of Christianity rests upon a lie. The Da Vinci Code has sold its story well, drawing comments from readers such as “If it were not true it could not have been published!” Another said he would “never set foot in a church again.” A reviewer of the book praised it for its “impeccable research.”3 Pretty convincing for a fictional work. Let’s accept for the moment that Teabing’s proposal might be true. Why, in that case, would the Council of Nicaea decide to promote Jesus to Godhood?

In many ways, The Da Vinci Code is the ultimate conspiracy theory. If Brown’s assertions are correct, then we have been lied to—by the church, by history, and by the Bible. Perhaps even by those we trust most: our parents or teachers. And it was all for the sake of a power grab. “It was all about power,” Teabing continues. “Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power.”4 In many ways, The Da Vinci Code is the ultimate conspiracy theory. If Brown’s assertions are correct, then we have been lied to—by the church, by history, and by the Bible. Perhaps even by those we trust most: our parents or teachers. And it was all for the sake of a power grab. Although The Da Vinci Code is fictional, it does base much of its premise upon actual events (the Council of Nicaea), actual people (Constantine and Arius), and actual documents (the Gnostic gospels). If we are to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, our project must be to address Brown’s accusations and separate fact from fiction.


CONSTANTINE AND CHRISTIANITY

century. But in the fourth century, a church leader from the east, Arius, launched a cam-

But in the end the council overwhelmingly

New Testament canon (recognized by the

analysis of The Da Vinci Code, Dr. Erwin

paign to defend God’s oneness. He taught that Jesus was a specially created being, higher

declared Arius to be a heretic.

church as authentic eyewitness reports

Lutzer remarks, “Constantine did not

of the apostles). It further asserts that the

decide which books would be in the canon;

Something else Brown doesn’t mention is

New Testament accounts were altered by

indeed, the topic of the canon did not even

that Arius believed that Jesus was sinless,

Constantine and the bishops to reinvent

come up at the Council of Nicaea. By that

than the angels, but not God. This view is similar to that of Mormons and Jehovah’s WitIn the centuries prior to Constantine’s

nesses, who both deny Jesus’ deity.

reign over the Roman Empire, Christians had been severely persecuted. But then,

Athanasius and most church leaders, on the other hand, were convinced that Jesus was

created the universe, and was a unique and

Jesus. This fictional theory purports that

time the early church was reading a canon

while entrenched in warfare, Constantine

God in the flesh. Constantine wanted to settle the dispute, hoping to bring peace to his

special created being—not a mere man.

the four New Testament Gospels were

of books it had determined was the Word of

reported to have seen a bright image of a

empire, uniting the east and west divisions. Thus, in 325 a.d., he convened more than 300

Arius simply was reluctant to take the next

cherry-picked from a total of “more than 80

God two hundred years earlier.”6 Although

cross in the sky inscribed with the words

bishops at Nicaea (now part of Turkey) from throughout the Christian world.

step and classify Jesus as God in the full

gospels,” most of which were supposedly

the official canon was still years from being

sense. Brown’s assertions of Jesus’ mere

suppressed by Constantine.5

finalized, the New Testament of today was

“Conquer by this.” He marched into battle under the sign of the cross and took control

The crucial question is, did the early church think Jesus was the Creator or merely a cre-

mortality would have been as scandalous to

of the empire.

ation—Son of God or son of a carpenter? So, what did the apostles teach about Jesus?

Arius as to any other member of the Nicene

There are two central issues here, and we

council, since they clearly contradict the

need to address both. The first is whether

apostles’ teaching.

Constantine altered or biased the selection

In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (played

of the New Testament books. The second

by Teabing) doesn’t address the fact that

The bishops reasoned that if Jesus is not

is whether he barred documents that could

the New Testament books were in circula-

Constantine’s apparent conversion to

In the letter to the church at Philippi, the apostle Paul clearly affirms Jesus’ status as de-

Christianity was a watershed in church

ity—as the very Creator of the universe.

history. Rome became a Christian empire.

deemed authentic more than two centuries before Nicaea.

For the first time in nearly 300 years it

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made

God, worshiping him would be idolatry,

and perhaps should have been included in

tion more than two centuries prior to the

was relatively safe, and even cool, to be a

himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human

since God alone is to be worshiped (Exodus

the Bible.

council. But he does assert that the Gnostic

Christian.

form. And in human form obediently humbled himself even further by dying a

34:14; Isaiah 45:18-23). The answer to the first question ironically

rized Bibles commissioned by Constantine

The problem is that Jesus had publicly con-

comes from (among other evidences) two

at the council. He excitedly tells Neveu:

criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-7) No longer were Christians persecuted for

writings were eliminated from 50 autho-

their faith. Constantine then sought to unify

These words from Paul were written well over 200 years before the council of Nicaea. But

doned the worship he received from his dis-

of the church’s earliest heretics: Marcion

his eastern and western empires, which

is this view that Jesus was already widely regarded as God reflected in The Da Vinci Code?

ciples. And, as we have seen, Paul and other

and Valentinus. Marcion, writing in the mid

Because Constantine upgraded

had been badly divided by schisms, sects,

Let’s check.

apostles clearly taught that Jesus is God and

second century listed books he considered

Jesus’ status almost four centuries

is worthy of worship. Paul continues to tell

authentic writings of the apostles, naming

after Jesus’ death, thousands of

Brown asserts in his book, through Teabing (not played by Nicolas Cage), that the majority

the Philippians, “At the name of Jesus every

11 of the 27 books contained in the New

documents already existed chroni-

of bishops at Nicaea overruled Arius’s belief

knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).

Testament to this day. And Valentinus al-

cling His life as a mortal man. To

luded to many of the themes and passages

rewrite the history books, Constan-

and cults, centering mostly around the issue of Jesus Christ’s identity. These are some of the kernels of truth in

that Jesus was a “mortal prophet” and

The Da Vinci Code, and kernels of truth are

adopted the doctrine of Jesus’ divinity by a

From the first days of the Christian church,

from the New Testament. The key here is

tine knew he would need a bold

a prerequisite for any successful conspiracy

“relatively close vote.” True or false?

Jesus was regarded as far more than a

that scholars date the writings of these two

stroke. From this sprang the most

mere man, and most believers worshiped

heretics from 150 to 200 years before Con-

profound moment in Christian his-

stantine convened the bishops in 325 a.d.

tory. … Constantine commissioned

theory. But the book’s plot turns Constantine into a conspirator. So let’s address a

In reality, the vote was a landslide: only two

him as Lord—the Creator of the universe.

key question raised by Brown’s theory: did

of the 318 bishops dissented. Whereas Arius

So, how could Constantine have invented

Constantine invent the Christian doctrine

believed that the Father alone was God, and

the doctrine of Jesus’ divinity if the church

So, if the New Testament was already

omitted those gospels that spoke of

of Jesus’ divinity?

that Jesus was His supreme creation, the

had regarded Jesus as God for more than

widely in use 200 years before Constantine

Christ’s human traits and embel-

council concluded that Jesus and the Father

200 years? The Da Vinci Code doesn’t ad-

and the Council of Nicaea, how could the

lished those gospels that made

were of the same divine essence. They were

dress this question.

emperor have invented or altered it? By

Him godlike. The earlier gospels

that time the church was widespread and

were outlawed, gathered up, and

encompassed hundreds of thousands if

burned.7

DEIFYING JESUS To answer Brown’s accusation, we must first determine what Christians in general believed before Constantine ever convened the council at Nicaea. Christians had been worshiping Jesus as God since the first


distinct, coexistent, coeternal Persons, but one God. Finally the church had a definitive

FIRING ON THE CANON

and financed a new Bible, which

not millions of believers, all of whom were

doctrine on the Godhead, called the Nicene Creed. Now, it is true that Arius was per-

The Da Vinci Code also states that Con-

suasive and had considerable influence. The

stantine suppressed all documents about

landslide vote came after considerable debate.

Jesus other than those found in our current

familiar with the New Testament accounts.

According to Brown, not only did Constantine choose the books that make up our

In his book The Da Vinci Deception, an

New Testament (an assertion we have seen


the bishops at Nicaea.

tament’s wide acceptance well before Constantine convened

Thus, even the “outlaws” of Christianity validate the New Tes-

Gospels were alluded to by Valentinus.

Vinci Code that “eighty gospels” existed, only New Testament

120 years after Jesus. In spite of Brown’s assertion in The Da

is a sizable portion of our New Testament, and it was in place

elation and likely contained 2 John, Hebrews, and Jude. This

Matthew, Luke, John, 10 of Paul’s 13 letters, 1 John, and Rev-

“The Gospel of Truth,” contains themes and passages from

One document, the manifesto of the Valentinian school called

the leading Gnostic, Valentinus.

the 52 writings, scholars discovered works many attribute to

these ancient Valentinian documents was unfolded. Among

belonged to a library in a monastery. Suddenly the mystery of

codices (handwritten books). They were written in Coptic and

the Gnostic gospels were found in 13 leather-bound papyrus

of Nag Hammadi. Fifty-two copies of ancient writings, called

In 1945 a discovery was made in Upper Egypt, near the town

Testament. Oh, wait a minute—we do.

before Constantine and Nicaea regarded as the official New

would know for sure what Christians nearly two centuries

If only we had a copy of what was in Valentinus’s gospel we

he saw fit.

Testament books intact but scribbled in his own changes as

showed the other way. Valentinus kept the agreed-upon New

cording to Tertullian, heretic number two, named Valentinus,

Scriptures whatever did not conform to his opinion. And ac-

One was Marcion’s way—he used a knife to excise from the

remarked that there were two ways to butcher Scripture.

Tertullian (c.155 or 160–after 220 a.d.), a church father,

Council of Nicaea.

in a.d. 135 affirms their acceptance 200 years prior to the

tant point is that Marcion’s partial list of New Testament books

in ours. What he amputated is harder to discern. The impor-

know what was in his Bible, and it contained much of what is

that to him sounded like the Old Testament. We generally

the entire Old Testament as well as any New Testament books

removed this God from his version of the Bible. He amputated

he thought was the cranky God of the Old Testament, so he

The wealthy merchant Marcion (d. c.160 a.d.) didn’t like what

Heretics confirm the New Testament is false) but also he purposely expunged

Persia and in the Greek Platonic schools

mysticism became fused with astrology,

Following the apostles’ teaching, the early

the church. Ironically, it is the Gnostic Gospel

other documents that presented Jesus as

of philosophy. The Gnostics had groups

magic. … They collected sayings of Jesus

church leaders unanimously condemned the

of Thomas that demeans women. It concludes

a man and a prophet, not the Son of God.

throughout the Roman Empire and drew

shaped to fit their own interpretation (as

Gnostics as a cult. Church father Irenaeus,

(supposedly quoting Peter) with this eye-pop-

These other gospels to which Brown refers

those who had a fascination with the mysteri-

in the Gospel of Thomas), and offered their

writing 140 years before the Council of Ni-

ping statement: “Let Mary go away from us,

were Gnostic writings, and so some general

ous. In a sense, they were similar to the New

adherents an alternative or rival form of

caea, confirmed that the Gnostics were con-

because women are not worthy of life.” Then

background of the writers of these works is

Age movement of today, delving into astrol-

Christianity.”8

demned by the church as heretics. He also

Jesus allegedly tells Peter that he will make

in order.

ogy and esoteric wisdom—the parallel is not

rejected their “gospels.” However, referring to

Mary into a male so that she may enter the

the four New Testament Gospels, he said, “It

kingdom of heaven. Read: women are inferior.

is not possible that the Gospels can be either

With sentiments like that on display, it’s dif-

more or fewer in number than they are.” 9

ficult to conceive of the Gnostic writings as

exact, though, as the Gnostics never dabbled

SECRET “KNOWERS”

EARLY CRITICS

in the recording of whale music. Contrary to Brown’s assertions, it was not

The Gnostic gospels are attributed to a

As Christianity spread, the Gnostics mixed

Constantine who branded the Gnostic

group known as (big surprise here) the

some doctrines and elements of Christian-

beliefs as heretical; it was the apostles

Christian theologian Origen wrote this in

Gnostics. Their name comes from the Greek

ity into their beliefs, morphing Gnosticism

themselves. A mild strain of the philosophy

the early third century, more than a hun-

word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” These

into a counterfeit Christianity. Perhaps they

was already growing in the first century

dred years before Nicaea:

people thought they had secret, special

did it to keep recruitment numbers up and

just decades after the death of Jesus. The

knowledge hidden from ordinary people. Of

make Jesus a poster child for their cause.

apostles, in their teaching and writings,

the 52 writings, only five are actually listed

However, for their system of thought to fit

as gospels. As we shall see, these so-called

has recognized, which is that only

being a battle cry for women’s liberation.

four gospels should be accepted.10 On the contrary, the Jesus of the biblical There we have it in the words of a highly

Gospels always treated women with dignity

regarded early church leader. The Gnostics

and respect. Revolutionary verses like this

I know a certain gospel which is

were recognized as a non-Christian cult

one found within the New Testament have

went to great lengths to condemn these be-

called “The Gospel according to

well before the Council of Nicaea.

been foundational to attempts at raising

with Christianity, Jesus needed to be rein-

liefs as being opposed to the truth of Jesus,

Thomas” and a “Gospel accord-

gospels are markedly different from the

vented, stripped of both his humanity and

to whom they were eyewitnesses.

ing to Matthias,” and many others

But there’s more evidence calling into ques-

or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.

New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark,

his absolute deity.

have we read—lest we should in

tion claims made in The Da Vinci Code.

For you are all Christians—you are one in

Luke, and John. In The Oxford History of Christianity John The origins of Gnosticism are obscure. It

McManners wrote of the Gnostics’ mixture

seems to have arisen centuries before Christi-

of Christian and mythical beliefs. “Gnosti-

anity and to have been rooted in the ancient

cism was (and still is) a theosophy with

religions of Syria, Babylonia, Phoenicia, and

many ingredients. Occultism and oriental


women’s status: “There is no longer Jew

Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Check out, for example, what the apostle

any way be considered ignorant

John wrote near the end of the first century:

because of those who imagine they

“Who is the great liar? The one who says

possess some knowledge if they

that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are

are acquainted with these. Never-

Brown suggests that one of the motives for

antichrists, for they have denied the Father

theless, among all these we have

Constantine’s alleged banning of the Gnostic

When it comes to the Gnostic gospels, just

and the Son” (1 John 2:22).

approved solely what the church

writings was a desire to suppress women in

about every book carries the name of a New

WHO’S SEXIST? MYSTERY AUTHORS


MRS. JESUS

Fraudulent writings that were rejected by

early Christians accepted as trustworthy.”12

harmonize with other testimony about Jesus that

the Gospel of Thomas excluded itself! It did not

on the part of a council: the right way to put it is,

Gospel of Thomas was excluded by some fiat

by the early church: “It is not right to say that the

why the Gospel of Thomas was not accepted

New Testament scholar Bruce Metzger revealed

church thought as well.

in favor of its reliability? If so, that’s what the early

it was written closer to the original events to be

of Luke appealing? And do you find the fact that

Do you find the open and aboveboard approach

you were taught. (Luke 1:1-4)

for you, to reassure you of the truth of all

have decided to write a careful summary

of these accounts from the beginning, I

promises. Having carefully investigated all

of what God has done in fulfillment of his

early disciples and other eyewitnesses

the reports circulating among us from the

us. They used as their source material

about the events that took place among

2. Many people have written accounts

the Twin recorded.11

living Jesus spoke and Judas Thomas

1. These are the hidden sayings that the

Luke (c. a.d. 60).

the second from the New Testament’s Gospel of

the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas (c. a.d. 150) and

sider the following two statements, the first from

mind on”? Keeping that question in mind, con-

and history and here it is for you to make up your

one who says, “I’ve searched all the evidence

that were mysteriously revealed to me,” or some-

one who says, “Hey, I’ve got some secret facts

Who would you be more likely to believe—some-

MYSTERY VERSUS HISTORY

Testament character: the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, and so

ENDNOTES 1

Doubleday, 2003), 234. 2

Brown, 233.

3

Quoted in Erwin Lutzer, The Da Vinci De-

ception (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2004), xix.

HISTORY’S VERDICT

the early church for heretical views are not

on. (Sounds a little like roll call at a parochial school.) These are the books that conspiracy

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (New York:

4

Brown, 233.

5

Brown, 231.

6

Lutzer, 71.

7

Brown, 234. John McManners, ed., The Oxford History

theories like The Da Vinci Code are based upon. But were they even written by their pur-

A Newsweek magazine article concluded

secret, having been known about for centu-

So, what are we to conclude regarding the

8

ported authors?

that the theory that Jesus and Mary

ries. If Brown is referring to the apocryphal,

various conspiracy theories about Jesus

of Christianity (New York: Oxford University

Magdalene were secretly married has no

or infancy, Gospels, they have been known

Christ? Karen King, professor of ecclesiastical

Press, 2002), 28.

The Gnostic gospels are dated about 110 to 300 years after Christ, and no credible scholar

historical basis.16 The proposal set forth

about for centuries. No surprise there. They

history at Harvard, has written several books

9

believes any of them could have been written by their namesakes. In James M. Robinson’s

in The Da Vinci Code is built upon one

have never been considered part of the

on the Gnostic gospels, including The Gospel

Code (Nashville: Nelson, 2004), 114.

comprehensive The Nag Hammadi Library, we learn that the Gnostic gospels were written

obscure verse in the Gospel of Philip. And

authentic writings of the apostles.

of Mary of Magdala and What Is Gnosticism?

10

Bock, 119-120.

by “largely unrelated and anonymous authors.”13 Dr. Darrell L. Bock, professor of New Tes-

its account, saying that Jesus “kissed Mary

King, though a strong advocate of Gnostic

11

Marvin Meyer, The Gospel of Thomas

tament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote, “The bulk of this material is a few

Magdalene,” is subject to interpretation

And if Brown (Teabing) is referring to the

teaching, concluded, “These notions about

(San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1992), 21.

generations removed from the foundations of the Christian faith, a vital point to remember

and isn’t corroborated by any shred of reli-

Gnostic gospels, that cat is also out of the

the conspiracy theory ... are all very marginal

12

when assessing the contents.”14

able evidence.

bag. They are not secret and neither do

ideas that have no historical basis.”

Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

In spite of the lack of historical evidence,

13

Robinson, 13.

conspiracy theories will still sell millions of

14

Bock, 64.

books and draw millions of people to the box

15

Norman Geisler and Ron Brooks, When

office. Scholars in related fields, some Chris-

Skeptics Ask (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker,

they disprove Christianity. New Testament New Testament scholar Norman Geisler commented on two Gnostic writings, the Gospel

Perhaps the Gnostics felt the New Tes-

scholar Raymond Brown has said of the

of Peter and the Acts of John. (These Gnostic writings are not to be confused with the

tament was a bit shy on romance and

Gnostic gospels, “We learn not a single

New Testament books written by John and Peter.) “The Gnostic writings were not written

decided to sauce it up a little. Whatever the

verifiable new fact about the historical

by the apostles, but by men in the second century (and later) pretending to use apostolic

reason, this isolated and obscure verse writ-

Jesus’ ministry, and only a few new sayings

authority to advance their own teachings. Today we call this fraud and forgery.”15

ten two centuries after Christ isn’t much to

that might possibly have been his.”17

base a conspiracy theory upon. Interesting The Gnostic gospels are not historical accounts of Jesus’ life but instead are largely esoter-

reading perhaps, but definitely not history.

ic doctrine, shrouded in mystery, leaving out historical details such as names, places, and events. This is in striking contrast to the New Testament Gospels, which contain innumerable historical facts about Jesus’ life, ministry, and words.

Unlike the Gnostic gospels, whose authors are unknown and who were not eyewit-

THE “SECRET” DOCUMENTS

nesses, the New Testament we have today has passed numerous tests for authenticity (see “Jesus.doc” page 42). The contrast is

The rejected documents and church power struggle that The Da Vinci Code purports were

Along with all the other problems with

devastating to those pushing conspiracy

covered up is interesting but not the stuff of a full-blown conspiracy. To create a sell-20-

claims in The Da Vinci Code, there isn’t

theories. New Testament historian F. F.

million-copies kind of conspiracy, you need something truly scandalous. How about this:

any evidence to support Teabing’s asser-

Bruce wrote, “There is no body of ancient

Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene, fathering a child with her, and the church

tion that thousands of secret documents

literature in the world which enjoys such

has covered this up for nearly 2,000 years? Yeah, that will sell. But are there any historical

disproving Christianity exist. If there were

a wealth of good textual attestation as the

such documents, scholars opposed to Chris-

New Testament.”18

facts backing this assertion?

tianity would have a field day with them.


19

Darrell L. Bock, Breaking the Da Vinci

Quoted in Lee Strobel, The Case for

1998), 68.

tians and some with no faith at all, have

1998), 156.

disputed the claims of The Da Vinci Code.

16

However, the easily swayed will still wonder,

wood, “Decoding ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ ”

Could there be something to it after all?

Newsweek, December 8, 2003, 54.

Barbara Kantrowitz and Anne Under-

17

Quoted in Lutzer, 32.

Award-winning television journalist Frank

18

Quoted in Josh McDowell, The New

Sesno asked a panel of historical scholars

Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San

about the fascination people have with con-

Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life, 1999), 37.

spiracy theories. Professor Stanley Kutler

19

from the University of Wisconsin replied,

in America,” U. S. News & World Report,

“We all love mysteries—but we love con-

December 22, 2003, 2.

spiracies more.”

20

20

Linda Kulman and Jay Tolson, “Jesus

Stanley Kutler, interview with Frank

Sesno, “The Guilty Men: An Historical Review,” The History Channel, April 6, 2004.


Jesus.doc Is the New Testament reliable? In July 2000 ABC News anchor Peter Jennings was in Israel broadcasting a television special on Jesus Christ. His program, “The Search for Jesus,” explored the question of whether the Jesus of the New Testament was historically accurate. Jennings featured opinions on the Gospel accounts from DePaul professor John Dominic Crossan, three of Crossan’s colleagues from the Jesus Seminar, and two other Bible scholars. (The Jesus Seminar is a group of scholars who debate Jesus’ recorded words and actions and then use red, pink, gray, or black beads to cast votes indicating how trustworthy they believe statements in the Gospels are.)1

Some of the comments were stunning. There on national TV Dr. Crossan not only cast doubt on more than 80 percent of Jesus’ sayings but also denied Jesus’ claims to divinity, his miracles, and his resurrection. Jennings clearly was intrigued by the image of Jesus presented by Crossan.

While Jennings may have an undiscerning eye when it comes to theology, he knows what makes for a good news program. And searching for true Bible history is always news, which is why every year Time and Newsweek go on a cover story quest for Mary, Jesus, Moses, or Abraham. Or—who knows?—maybe this year it will be “Bob: The Untold Story of the Missing 13th Disciple.”

42 • ARTICLE FOUR • JESUS.DOC

JESUS.DOC • ARTICLE FOUR • 43

ANCIENT GREEK DOCUMENT COMPARISON (PARTIAL & COMPLETE MANUSCRIPTS)9 This is entertainment, and so the investigation will never end nor yield answers, as that would eliminate future programming. Instead, those with radically different views are thrown together like an episode of Survivor, hopelessly convoluting the issue rather than bringing clarity.

A serious investigation of the issues related to the historical Jesus cannot be conducted through sound-bite analysis. And we’re prepared to admit that neither is a magazine article. But Jennings’s report did focus on one issue that ought to be given some serious thought. Crossan implied that the original accounts of Jesus were embellished by oral tradition and were not written down until after the apostles were dead. Thus they are

LOST IN TRANSLATION

to know if this is really true? A serious investigation of the issues related to the historical Jesus cannot be conducted through sound-bite analysis. In this magazine we have tried to go beyond the sound bites and examine the evidence. But we’re prepared to admit that a magazine article can only summarize scholars’ conclusions. Yet, these summaries are sufficient to show that sound bites about Jesus frequently

scholarly consensus regarding the Jesus of the New Testament.


WRITTEN

EARLIEST COPIES

GAP FROM ORIGINAL

NUMBER OF COPIES

Homer

Iliad

800 B.C.

c.400 b.c.

400 yrs.

643

Herodotus

History

480–425 B.C.

c.900 a.d.

1,350 yrs.

8

Thucydides

History

460–400 B.C.

c.900 a.d.

1,300 yrs.

8

Plato

400 B.C.

c.900 a.d.

1,300 yrs.

7

Demosthenes

300 B.C.

c.1100 a.d.

1,400 yrs.

200

c.900 a.d.

1,000 yrs.

10

part—4th cent.

400 yrs.

1 partial

most—10th cent.

1,000 yrs.

19 copies

Caesar

Gallic Wars

100–44 B.C.

Livy

History of Rome

59 B.C.–A.D.17

Tacitus

Annals

A.D.

100

c.1100 a.d.

1,000 yrs.

20

Pliny Secundus

Natural History

A.D.

61–113

c.850 a.d.

750 yrs.

7

A.D.

50–100

fragment—c.114

+ 50 yrs.

5,366

books—c.200

100 yrs.

most—c.250

150 yrs.

complete—c.325

225 yrs.

New Testament

gin with two simple questions: When were the original documents of the New Testament written? And who wrote them? A major part of the New Testament is the

of approximately 100 years from Christ’s

• numerous writings of early Chris-

The importance of these questions should

apostle Paul’s 13 letters to young churches

death (scholars put Jesus’ death between

tian sources, such as Clement of

be obvious. If the accounts of Jesus were

and individuals. Paul’s letters, dated be-

a.d. 30 and 33). And since all the eyewit-

Rome, Ignatius, and Polycarp

written after the eyewitnesses were dead,

tween the mid 40s and the mid 60s (12 to

nesses would have been dead, the Gospels

• discovered copies of Gospel

no one could verify their accuracy. But if

33 years after Christ), constitute the earliest

could only have been written by unknown,

fragments carbon-dated as early as

the New Testament accounts were written

witnesses to Jesus’ life and teaching. Will

fraudulent authors.

a.d. 117

while the original apostles were still alive,

Durant wrote of the historical importance

then their authenticity could be estab-

of Paul’s letters, “The Christian evidence

So, what evidence do we have concerning

lished. Peter could say of a forgery in his

for Christ begins with the letters ascribed

when the Gospel accounts of Jesus were

name, “Hey, I didn’t write that.” And Mat-

to Saint Paul. … No one has questioned the

really written? The consensus of most

thew, Mark, Luke, or John could respond

existence of Paul, or his repeated meetings

scholars is that the Gospels were written by

to questions or challenges aimed at their

with Peter, James, and John; and Paul en-

the apostles during the first century. They

accounts of Jesus.

viously admits that these men had known

cite several reasons that we will review

Christ in the flesh.”

later in this article. For now, however, note

do more to distort historical truth than enlighten. There actually is considerable

BOOK

So, what does the evidence show? We be-

largely unreliable and fail to give us an accurate picture of the real Jesus. How are we

AUTHOR

2

The New Testament writers claimed to be rendering eyewitness accounts of Jesus.

BUT IS IT TRUE?

that three primary forms of evidence appear to build a solid case for their conclusions:

The apostle Peter stated it this way in one letter: “We were not making up clever

In books, magazines, and TV documen-

• early documents from heretics

stories when we told you about the power

taries, the Jesus Seminar suggests the

such as Marcion and the school of

of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming

Gospels were written as late as a.d. 130

Valentinus citing New Testament

again. We have seen his majestic splendor

to 150 by unknown authors. If those later

books, themes, and passages (see

with our own eyes” (2 Peter 1:16).

dates are correct, there would be a gap

“Mona Lisa’s Smirk”)


Robinson dates the New Testament earlier

Every letter was meticulously penned in ink

than even most conservative scholars. In

on parchment or papyrus. And so, today,

Redating the New Testament Robinson

scholars can study the surviving copies

asserts that most of the New Testament

(and the copies of copies, and the copies of

was written between a.d. 40 and 65. That

copies of copies—you get it), to determine

puts its writing as early as seven years after

authenticity and arrive at a very close ap-

Christ lived.5 If that is true, any histori-

proximation of the original documents.

cal errors would have been immediately exposed by both eyewitnesses and the

In fact, scholars studying ancient literature

enemies of Christianity.

have devised the science of textual criticism to examine documents such as The Odys-

So let’s look at the trail of clues that takes

sey, comparing them with other ancient

us from the original documents to our New

documents to determine their accuracy.

Testament copies today.

More recently, military historian Charles

WHO NEEDS KINKO’S? The original writings of the apostles were

Sanders augmented textual criticism by

Imagine if we had only two or three copies

When counting translations into other

devising a three-part test that looks at not

of the original New Testament manu-

languages, the number is a staggering

only the faithfulness of the copy but also the

scripts. The sampling would be so small

24,000—dating from the 2ND to 4TH centuries.

credibility of the authors. His tests are these:

that we couldn’t possibly verify accuracy.

revered. Churches studied them, shared

Compare that with the second-best-document-

them, carefully preserved them and stored

1. The bibliographical test

even thousands, we could easily weed out

ed ancient historical manuscript, Homer’s

them away like buried treasure.

2. The internal evidence test

the errors of poorly transmitted documents.

Iliad, with 643 copies.7 And remember that

But, alas, Roman confiscations, the passage

most ancient historical works have far fewer So, how well does the New Testament

existing manuscripts than that one does (usu-

of 2,000 years, and the second law of ther-

Let’s see what happens when we apply

compare with other ancient writings with

ally fewer than 10). New Testament scholar

modynamics have taken their toll. So, to-

these tests to the early New Testament

regard to both the number of copies and

Bruce Metzger remarked, “In contrast with

day, what do we have of those original writ-

manuscripts.

the time gap from the originals? More than

these figures [of other ancient manuscripts],

ings? Nothing. The original manuscripts are

5,000 manuscripts of the New Testament

the textual critic of the New Testament is em-

all gone (though each week Bible scholars,

exist today in the original Greek language.

barrassed by the wealth of his material.”8


TIME GAP Not only is the number of manuscripts significant, but so is the time gap between when

On the other hand, if we had hundreds or

3. The external evidence test6

curacy of the New Testament.

under the supervision of church leaders.

pare with other ancient history? Sinaiticus has been of enormous help to scholars in verifying the ac-

The notoriously skeptical scholar John A. T.

• How well does a document com-

commissioned Eusebius to prepare in the early fourth century. Codex

hundreds of copies were carefully made

Sir William Ramsey, Archaeologist

speculate that it is one of the 50 Bibles the emperor Constantine

As the number of churches multiplied,

New Testament we have, and it is among the most important. Some

between about 50 A.D. and 75 A.D.”4

the earliest copies?

Codex Sinaiticus is one of the earliest complete manuscripts of the

New Testament at “very probably sometime

between the original writings and

manuscript to the British Museum for £100,000.

they faithful to the originals?

as protector of the Greek Church. In 1933 the Soviet Union sold the

where Albright put the writing of the entire

• How large of a time gap is there

The monastery agreed to present the manuscript to the tsar of Russia

the New Testament available, and if so, are

portions of the manuscripts he had seen earlier.

New Testament critics of today.”3 Else-

document are in existence?

dishes. Tischendorf immediately recognized the valuable remaining

examine. But are there ancient copies of

wrapped manuscript that had been stored on a shelf with cups and

A.D. 130 and 150 given by the more radical

• How many copies of the original

a monk took Tischendorf to his room and pulled down a cloth-

manuscripts if they have reliable copies to

time with help from the Russian Tsar Alexander II. Once he was there,

full generations before the date of between

Fifteen years later, Tischendorf returned to the Sinai monastery, this

rians aren’t troubled by the lack of original

to take the 43 pages he had discovered.

for dating any book after about A.D. 80, two

asks:

show him any more manuscripts. However, they did allow Tischendorf

ancient history exists today either. Histo-

Tischendorf’s enthusiasm made the monks wary, and they would not

cally that there is no longer any solid basis

ancient history from the same period. It

had already been burned!

fate; no other comparable document from

been discarded to be used as fuel. Two basketloads of such papers

He wrote, “We can already say emphati-

This test compares a document with other

the librarian about them and was horrified to learn that the pages had

Yet the New Testament is not alone in this

He had never seen Greek manuscripts that old. Tischendorf asked

while most of the apostles were still alive.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL TEST

at Mount Sinai. The German scholar was both elated and shocked.

all the New Testament books were written

“Luke is a historian of the first rank…. This author should be placed along with the very greatest historians…Luke’s history is unsurpassed in trustworthiness.”

filled with old pages in the library of the monastery of St. Catherine

hoping one might emerge).

for New Testament manuscripts. By accident, he noticed a basket

concluded on the basis of his research that

In 1844 the German scholar Constantine Tischendorf was searching

no doubt, tune in to Antiques Roadshow

THE DISCOVERY OF CODEX SINAITICUS

Biblical archaeologist William Albright

the original was written and the date of the copy. Over the course of a thousand years of copying, there’s no telling what a text could evolve into—I wonder what Jesus meant by “blessed are the cheesemakers.” But over a hundred years, that’s a different story. German critic Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792–1860) once contended that John’s Gospel was not written until about a.d. 160;


therefore, it could not have been written by

In fact, there is a nearly complete copy of

The point is this: If the New Testament re-

Let’s take as an example the movie Friday

Finally, the use of actual towns and familiar

Details. Historians love details in a docu-

John. This, if true, would have not only under-

the Bible called, Codex Vaticanus, that was

cords were made and circulated so closely

Night Lights. It purports to be based on

landmarks such as the Houston Astrodome

ment because they make it easy to verify

mined John’s writings but cast suspicion on

written only about 250 to 300 years after the

to the actual events, their portrayal of

historical events, but like so many movies

leads us to take as history those elements

reliability. Paul’s letters are filled with de-

the entire New Testament as well. But then,

apostles’ original writing. The oldest known

Jesus is most likely accurate. But external

loosely based on actual events, it leaves

of the story, because they’re too easy to cor-

tails. And the Gospels abound with them.

when a cache of New Testament papyri frag-

complete copy of the New Testament in an-

evidence is not the only way to answer the

you constantly questioning, “Did things re-

roborate or falsify.

For example, both Luke’s Gospel and his

ments were discovered in Egypt, among them

cient uncial script is named, Codex Sinaiti-

question of reliability; scholars also use

ally happen that way?” So, how would you

was a fragment of the Gospel of John (specifi-

cus, now housed at the British Museum.

internal evidence to answer this question.

determine its historical reliability?

cally, P52: John 18:31-33) dated to roughly 25

Like Codex Vaticanus, it is dated from the

years after John wrote the original.

fourth century. Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, going back to early in Christian history, are like

INTERNAL EVIDENCE TEST

These are but a few examples of how inter-

named Theophilus, who was undoubtedly a

nal evidence leads either toward or away

well-known individual at the time.

One clue would be the presence of irrel-

from the conclusion that a document is

evant material. Let’s say that in the middle

historically reliable. We’ll look briefly at the

If these writings had been mere inventions

of the film the coach, for no apparent

internal evidence for the historicity of the

of the apostles, phony names, places, and

New Testament.

events would have quickly been spotted by

Metzger explained, “Just as Robinson

other early biblical manuscripts in that they

Crusoe, seeing but a single footprint in the

differ minimally from each other and give

Like good detectives, historians verify reli-

reason, gets a phone call informing him

sand, concluded that another human being,

us a very good picture of what the original

ability by looking at internal clues. Such

that his mother has brain cancer. The event

with two feet, was present on the island

documents must have said.

clues reveal motives of the authors and

has nothing to do with the plot and is never

their willingness to disclose details and

mentioned again. The only explanation for

with him, so P52 [the label of the fragment]

Book of Acts were written to a nobleman

WHAT’S IN THERE

their enemies, the Jewish and Roman leaders. This would have become the Watergate of the first century. Yet many of the New

proves the existence and use of the Fourth

Even critical scholar John A. T. Robinson

other features that could be verified. The

the presence of this irrelevant fact would

Several aspects of the New Testament help

Testament details have been proved true

Gospel during the first half of the second

has admitted, “The wealth of manuscripts,

key internal clues these scholars use to test

be that it actually happened and that the

us determine its reliability based on its own

by independent verification. Classical his-

century in a provincial town along the Nile

and above all the narrow interval of time

for reliability are the following:

director had a desire to be historically ac-

content and qualities.

torian Colin Hemer, for example, “identifies

far removed from its traditional place of

between the writing and the earliest extant

composition (Ephesus in Asia Minor).”10

copies, make it by far the best attested text

• consistency of eyewitness reports

of any ancient writing in the world.”12

• details of names, places, and events

Find after find, archeology has unearthed

curate.

84 facts in the last 16 chapters of Acts that Consistency. Phony documents either leave

have been confirmed by Archaeological

Another example, same movie. Following

out eyewitness reports or are inconsis-

research.”15

• letters to individuals or small groups

the flow of the drama, we want the Permian

tent. So outright contradiction among the

copies of major portions of the New Testa-

Professor of law John Warwick Montgomery

• features embarrassing to the authors

Panthers to win the state championship.

Gospels would prove that they contain

In the previous few centuries, skepti-

ment dated to within 150 years of the

affirmed, “To be skeptical of the resultant

• the presence of irrelevant or counter-

But they don’t. This feels counterproductive

errors. But at the same time, if each Gospel

cal Bible scholars attacked both Luke’s

originals.11 Most other ancient documents

text of the New Testament books is to allow

productive material

to the drama, and immediately we know

said exactly the same thing, it would raise

authorship and its dating, asserting that

have time gaps of from 400 to 1,400 years.

all of classical antiquity to slip into obscu-

• lack of relevant material

it’s there because in real life Permian lost

suspicions of collusion. It would be like co-

it was written in the second century by an

For example, Aristotle’s Poetics was written

rity, for no documents of the ancient period

the game. The presence of counterproduc-

conspirators trying to agree on every detail

unknown author. Archaeologist Sir William

about 343 b.c., yet the earliest copy is dated

are as well attested bibliographically as the

tive material is also a clue to historical

of their scheme. Too much consistency is

Ramsey was convinced they were right,

a.d. 1100, with only five copies in existence.

New Testament.”13

accuracy.

as doubtful as too little.

and he began to investigate. After exten-

14

sive research, the archaeologist reversed

And yet no one is going in search of the historical Plato, claiming he was actually a

Eyewitnesses to a crime or an accident

his opinion. Ramsey conceded, “Luke is a

fireman and not a philosopher.

generally get the big events right but see it

historian of the first rank. … This author

from different perspectives. Likewise, the

should be placed along with the very great-

four Gospels describe the events of Jesus’

est historians. … Luke’s history is unsur-

life from different perspectives. Yet, regard-

passed in respect of its trustworthiness.”16

less of these perspectives, Bible scholars are amazed at the consistency of their accounts and the clear picture of Jesus and his teaching they put together with their complementary reports.



Acts chronicles Paul’s missionary voyages,

Well, some of them were clearly intended

Counterproductive or irrelevant material.

The external evidence test thus builds

listing places he visited, people he saw,

to be circulated widely. Yet large portions

The Gospels tell us that the empty tomb of

on the evidence provided by other tests.

messages he delivered, and persecution he

of the New Testament consist of personal

Jesus was discovered by a woman, even

In spite of the conjecture of a few radical

suffered. Could all these details have been

letters written to small groups and individu-

though in Israel the testimony of women

skeptics, the New Testament portrait of the

faked? Roman historian A. N. Sherwin-

als. These documents, at least, would not

was considered to be virtually worthless

real Jesus Christ is virtually smudgeproof.

White wrote, “For Acts the confirmation of

be considered prime candidates for falsifi-

and was not even admissible in court.

Although there are a few dissenters such

5

historicity is overwhelming. … Any attempt

cation.

Jesus’ mother and family are recorded as

as the Jesus Seminar, the consensus of

Testament, quoted in Norman L. Geisler

to reject its basic historicity must now ap-

John A. T. Robinson, Redating the New

stating their belief that he had lost his

“Overall, at least seventeen non-Christian

experts, regardless of their religious beliefs,

and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough

pear absurd. Roman historians have long

Embarrassing features. Most writers don’t

mind. Some of Jesus’ final words on the

writings record more than fifty details

confirms that the New Testament we read

Faith to Be an Atheist (Wheaton, IL: Cross-

taken it for granted.”17

want to publicly embarrass themselves.

cross are said to have been “My God, my

concerning the life, teachings, death, and

today faithfully represents both the words

way, 2004), 243.

Historians have therefore observed that

God, why have you forsaken me?” And so

resurrection of Jesus, plus details concern-

and events of Jesus’ life.

6

McDowell, 33-68.

From the Gospel accounts to Paul’s let-

documents containing embarrassing rev-

goes the list of incidents recorded in the

ing the early church.”22 This is astounding,

7

McDowell, 34.

ters, the New Testament authors openly

elations about the authors are generally to

New Testament that are counterproductive

considering the lack of other history we

Clark Pinnock, professor of interpretations

8

Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New

described details, even citing the names

be trusted. What did the New Testament

if the intent of the author were anything

possess from this time period. Jesus is men-

at McMaster Divinity College, summed

Testament (New York: Oxford University

of individuals who were alive at the time.

authors say about themselves?

but the accurate transmission of the life

tioned by more sources than the conquests

it up well when he said, “There exists no

Press, 1992), 34.

and teachings of Jesus Christ.

of Caesar during this same period. It is even

document from the ancient world wit-

9

more astounding since these confirmations

nessed by so excellent a set of textual

10

Metzger, 39.

Historians have verified at least thirty of these names.18

Surprisingly, the authors of the New

McDowell, 38.

Testament presented themselves as all too

Lack of relevant material. It is ironic (or

of New Testament details date from 20 to

and historical testimonies. … An honest

11

Metzger, 36-41.

Letters to small groups. Most forged texts

frequently dimwitted, cowardly, and faith-

perhaps logical) that few of the major is-

150 years after Christ, “quite early by the

[person] cannot dismiss a source of this

12

John A. T. Robinson, Can We Trust the

are from documents both general and

less. For example, consider Peter’s threefold

sues facing the first-century church—the

standards of ancient historiography.”23

kind. Skepticism regarding the historical

New Testament? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,

public in nature, like this magazine article

denial of Jesus or the disciples’ arguments

Gentile mission, spiritual gifts, baptism,

credentials of Christianity is based upon an

1977), 36.

(no doubt countless forgeries are already

over which of them was the greatest—both

leadership—were addressed directly in

The reliability of the New Testament is

irrational basis.”27

13

Quoted in McDowell, 36.

circulating on the black market). Historical

stories recorded in the Gospels. As respect

the recorded words of Jesus. If his follow-

further substantiated by over 36,000 extra-

14

J. P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City

expert Louis Gottschalk notes that personal

for the apostles was crucial in the early

ers were simply generating the material

biblical Christian documents (quotes from

(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 134-157.

letters intended for small audiences have a

church, inclusion of this kind of material

to encourage the growing church, it is in-

church leaders of the first three centuries)

high probability of being reliable.19 Which

doesn’t make sense unless the apostles

explicable why they would not have made

dating as early as ten years after the last

category do the New Testament documents

were reporting truthfully.20

up instructions from Jesus on these issues.

writing of the New Testament24). If all the

1

In one case, the apostle Paul flatly stated

copies of the New Testament were lost, you

In The Story of Civilization, Will Durant

about a certain subject, “On this we have

wrote about the apostles, “These men were

no teaching from the Lord.”

fall into?

hardly of the type that one would have chosen to remold the world. The Gospels realistically differentiate their characters,

15

Quoted in Geisler and Turek, 256.

16


17


Seminar was organized under the aus-

18

Geisler and Turek, 269.

could reproduce it from these other letters

pices of the Westar Institute to renew the

19

J. P. Moreland, 136-137.

and documents with the exception of a few

quest of the historical Jesus. At the close

20

Geisler and Turek, 276.

verses.25

of debate on each agenda item, Fellows of

21

Durant, 563.

the Seminar vote, using colored beads to

22

Gary R. Habermas, “Why I Believe the

Boston University professor emeritus

indicate the degree of authenticity of Jesus’

New Testament is Historically Reliable,”

Howard Clark Kee concludes, “The result of

words or deeds.”

Why I am a Christian, eds Norman L.

The third and final measure of a docu-

the examination of the sources outside the

2

ment’s reliability is the external evidence

New Testament that bear … on our knowl-

The Story of Civilization (New York: Simon

MI: Baker, 2001), 150.

test, which asks, “Do historical records

edge of Jesus is to confirm his historical

& Schuster, 1972), 555.

23

Ibid.

outside the New Testament confirm its

existence, his unusual powers, the devotion

3

24

Ibid.

reliability?” So, what did non-Christian

of his followers, the continued existence of

Biblical Lands (New York: Funk & Wag-

25

Metzger, 86.

historians say about Jesus Christ?

the movement after his death … and the

nalls, 1955), 136.

26


penetration of Christianity … in Rome itself

4

27

Quoted in Josh McDowell, The Resurrec-

by the later first century.”26

Conservative View,” Christianity Today,

tion Factor (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life

January 18, 1993, 3.

Publishers, 1981), 9.

EXTERNAL EVIDENCE TEST

and honestly expose their faults.”21


ENDNOTES According to jesusseminar.org, “The Jesus

Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, vol. 3 of

William F. Albright, Recent Discoveries in

William F. Albright, “Toward a More

Geisler & Paul K. Hoffman (Grand Rapids,


th e MESS IAH’S

Y IT T N E ID ENCR YP TE D

w as

WITHIN ANC I E N T

Heb r e w

58 • ARTICLE FIVE • THE PATH LAID BY PROPHETS

PROP H E C Y.

THE PATH LAID BY PROPHETS • ARTICLE FIVE • 59

So consider a prophet’s dilemma: death if

above this man until it covered the whole

This is said to be about the death of Prin-

he was proved wrong and the possibility

earth. According to Dixon, this child would

cess Diana. (You were probably thinking

of death if he was right. No true prophet

be a descendant of the ancient Egyptian

Margaret Thatcher.) Prophecies like this are

wanted to offend God, and just as few

Queen Nefertiti. 1

as nebulous as seeing images in clouds. Yet

Today, Frank Abagnale is sought after by

So, could Jesus have been a fake Messiah,

governments and corporations as an expert

fooling even the most noteworthy religion

on detecting forgery, embezzlement, and

scholars? Is it possible he was groomed

document falsification. But between the

by his parents or undisclosed mentors to

ages of 16 and 21, he was one of the world’s

become the long-promised king that Israel

The God of the Hebrews spoke to his people

wanted to be sawn in half. Thus most

most successful con artists. He cashed $2.5

had been looking for?

through prophets, men and women who

prophets waited until they were absolutely

Where is this guy? Have you seen him? And

mus prophecy fulfilled. Highly suspect, but

were especially attuned to God and who

convinced that God had spoken, or else

how about that lasting world peace—it’s

difficult to disprove.

nice, huh?

million in fraudulent checks in all 50 states

GO D’S MOUTH PIE CES

and 26 foreign countries. He also success-

In fact, if Jesus was an imposter, he would

may or may not have been a part of the reli-

they kept their mouths shut. Kings began

fully passed himself off as an airline pilot,

not be the first person in the history of

gious establishment. Some of the prophets’

to shudder at their words. A true prophet’s

an attorney, a college professor, and a

Israel to have lied about being the Mes-

messages were for the present; others, for

messages were never wrong.

pediatrician before being apprehended by

siah. Through the centuries prior to Christ’s

the future. Either way, their role was to pro-

the French police.

birth, and afterward as well, many self-pro-

claim God’s declarations and disclosures to

claimed messiahs arose, only to be shown

the people.

psychics. When “The People’s Almanac” re-

tion yields two indisputable facts. Her rate

searched the predictions of 25 top psychics,

Now here’s a question: how would the ac-

of accuracy is equivalent to those guessing

92 percent of the predictions had proved

curacy of these biblical prophets match up

the future (about 11 percent, and her most

wrong. The other 8 percent were question-

with today’s psychics?

publicized fulfillments were prophecies so

able and could be explained by chance or

In general, being a prophet ranked up

intentionally vague as any number of events

general knowledge of circumstances. 4 In

could have been hailed as fulfillments.

other experiments with the world’s fore-

to be cons or lunatics.

ably because you watched the 2002 movie

And this is generally the track record of In fact, an exhaustive search of her predic-

Catch Me If You Can, in which Abagnale

Ancient Hebrew prophecies had clearly

there with working at a meatpacking plant

was played by Leonardo DiCaprio (who

predicted the reign of a future king who

among the world’s most hazardous oc-

passed himself off as an actor in Titanic).

would bring peace to Israel and be their

cupations. Even when they were telling the

Savior. A sense of expectancy filled the

truth, prophets might be killed or thrown

What would it take to top Abagnale’s

land and captivated Jewish hopes and aspi-

performance as a con man? Well, if Jesus

PROP HET S

SA

If this story sounds familiar to you, it’s prob-

some insist this is evidence of a Nostrada-

PSY CHICS?

most psychics, their rate of accuracy has Even the widely publicized prophecies of

been shown to hover around 11 percent,

To consider whether modern psychics’ ac-

Nostradamus have frequently been proved

which might not be a bad average except

into prison by people who didn’t like what

curacy approaches that of biblical prophets,

wrong in spite of his vague oracles, which

for the fact that people making random

rations. In such an atmosphere as Israel’s,

they were saying. (Some kings hated

let’s take Jean Dixon as a case study. This

are difficult to disprove.2 For example, here

guesses about the future score at the same

Christ wasn’t the Messiah he claimed to

could not someone less qualified have been

hearing bad news.) According to historical

American psychic seemed to have a special

is one of the predictions of Nostradamus:

percentile. This doesn’t disprove all future

be, there would be no contest. We’re not

pressed into, or conformed himself to fit, the

accounts, the prophet Isaiah was sawn in

ability to foretell events. But upon analysis

talking about conning thousands, as in

mold of Messiah? The answer to that ques-

half.

her reputation seems unwarranted.

the case of Abagnale. If Jesus Christ was

tion hangs on the Old Testament prophe-

an imposter, his con job has changed the

cies pointing to the Messiah.

telling, but it certainly explains why psyTakes the Goddess of the Moon, for

chics aren’t winning the lottery.

his Day & Movement: For instance, Dixon had a vision that on

A frantic wanderer and witness of

course of 2,000 years of history and influ-

February 5, 1962, a child was born in the

Gods Law,

enced billions.

Middle East who would transform the world

In awakening the worlds great

by the year 2000. This special man would

regions to Gods will (Ones Will).3

create a one-world religion and bring lasting world peace. She saw a cross growing



The difference between psychics and prophets seems to be more one of kind than one of degree. Prophets made specific declarations about future events in relation

According to the Hebrew requirements that a prophecy must have a 100 percent rate of

to God’s unfurling plan—and did it with unwavering accuracy. Psychics are more mercenary, providing vague sketches of the future to a market willing to pay for

According to the Hebrew requirement that a prophecy must have a 100 percent rate of accuracy, the true Messiah of Israel must fulfill them all or else he is not the Mes-

accuracy, the true Messiah of Israel must fulfill them all or else he is not the Messiah.

their services. They offer information with a

siah. So the question that either vindicates Jesus or makes him culpable for the world’s greatest hoax is, did he fit and fulfill these Old Testament prophecies?

questionable track record.

When forensic scientists discover a DNA everyday perspective, you can see how

r e l i g io us

PROPH ECY

I N

PERSPECTIV E

profile match, the odds of having the wrong

TA HM

And if you put this degree of accuracy into

ARE

person is frequently less than one in several

astounding it is. For example, it would

billion (something for deviants to keep in

have been miraculous if in 1910 you had

mind). It would seem we are in the same

predicted that a man named George Bush

neighborhood of odds, and numbers of

would win the 2000 election. But imagine

zeros, in considering a single individual

if you had included some of these details in

th e O DDS

?

fulfilling these prophecies.

Prophecy can be rather mystical, meta-

But in the world of religion, prophecy serves

physical, and—for lack of a better word—

an important function. It becomes one sure

creepy. It conjures up images of séances

way to know if someone is speaking from

• The candidate with the most

and other worlds. In Star Wars there is the

God or if he is not, for only an omniscient

total votes would lose the election.

foretelling of one who would bring balance

God could exhaustively know the future.

• All major TV networks would

You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are

person fulfilling eight specific prophecies.

to the Force. The Lord of the Rings movies

And on this point the prophecy in the Old

announce the winner and then

only a small village in Judah. Yet a

(This is not the same as flipping a coin

weave their imaginary themes around

Testament stands as unique, for most of

reverse themselves.

ruler of Israel will come from you,

eight times in a row and getting heads

scenes of prophetic utterances. But such is

the renowned holy books are devoid of

• One state (Florida) would swing

one whose origins are from the

each time.) First the students calculated

the world of imagination.

predictive prophecy. For example, while the

the election.

distant past. (Micah 5:2)

the odds of one person fulfilling all the

Book of Mormon and the Hindu Veda claim

• The U.S. Supreme Court would

Regarding the real world, it has been said

divine inspiration, there is really no means

ultimately determine the winner.

that if a person knew just one minute of the

to corroborate their claims; you’re simply

future he could rule the world. Think about

left with “Yeah, that sounds like something

it. One minute of knowing every hand dealt

God might say.”

at the Trump Casino. You’d become the

your prediction:

Let’s look at two of the specific prophecies

Professor of mathematics Peter Stoner gave

about the Messiah in the Old Testament.

600 students a math probability problem that would determine the odds for one

conditions of one specific prophecy, such The Lord himself will choose [a]

as being betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces

sign. Look! The virgin will conceive

of silver. Then the students did their best to

Had such occurred, there would be

a child! She will give birth to a son

estimate the odds for all of the eight proph-

churches named after you and dashboard

and will call him Immanuel—“God

ecies combined.

statuettes bearing your likeness. But you

is with us.” (Isaiah 7:14)

richest person in the world and Donald

Bible scholar Wilbur Smith compared the

didn’t, so there aren’t. As difficult (or

would become a postal worker.

prophecies of the Bible with other historical

impossible) as it would have been in 1910

Now, before considering the other 59 proph-

against one person fulfilling all eight

books, stating that the Bible “is the only

to have accurately predicted this precise

ecies, you have to stop and ask yourself

prophecies are astronomical—one in 1021.

volume ever produced by man, or a group of

sequence of events, the odds are incredibly

how many people in the category of poten-

To illustrate that number, Stoner gave the

men, in which is to be found a large body of

more difficult for Jesus, or any one person,

tial Messiah throughout history were born

following example: “First, blanket the entire

prophecies relating to individual nations, to

to have fulfilled all the Hebrew prophe-

of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. “Well,

Earth land mass with silver dollars 120 feet

Israel, to all the peoples of the earth, to cer-

cies for the Messiah. Contained within the

let’s see, there’s my neighbor George, but

high. Second, specially mark one of those

tain cities, and to the coming one who was

Old Testament, written hundreds of years

… no, never mind; he was born in Brook-

dollars and randomly bury it. Third, ask a

to be the Messiah.”5 Thus the Bible lays out

before the birth of Jesus, are 61 specific

lyn.” In the case of 61 detailed prophecies

person to travel the Earth and select the

its claim for inspiration in such a way that

prophecies and nearly 300 references about

being fulfilled by one person, we are talking

marked dollar, while blindfolded, from the

it can be either substantiated or disproved.

the Messiah.6

about virtually impossible odds.

trillions of other dollars.”7


The students calculated that the odds


Association, which stated, “The mathematical analysis … is based upon principles of prob-

have accused him of living his life in such a way as to intentionally fulfill them. A reason-

ability which are thoroughly sound, and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a

able objection, but not as plausible as it might seem.

checked what the findings implied, experts

Old Testament prophecy. They have granted that Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies but

checked and rechecked the dating. At last the

that), so it’s important to note that Stoner’s work was reviewed by the American Scientific

commissioned experts dated some of the docu-

And over the years a similar claim has been made by skeptics about Jesus’ fulfillment of

ments to 150 years before Christ.

People can do some pretty squishy things with numbers (especially with a last name like

of Jesus. Surprised at the early dating, experts

proper and convincing way.” 8

these copies were transcribed prior to the birth

Consider the nature of just four of the messianic prophecies:

dreds of year earlier, dating tests confirmed that

With that as an introduction, let’s add six more predictions to the two we’ve already con-

copies of the original prophecies written hun-

• His lineage would come from David (Jeremiah 23:5).

Although these documents were well-preserved

• His birth would occur in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Jeremiah 23:5

600 b.c.

• He would migrate to Egypt (Hosea 11:1). • He would live in Nazareth (Isaiah 11:1).9

Prophecy: The Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

Luke 3:23, 31

4 b.c.

Zechariah 11:13

487 b.c.

Matthew 26:15

a.d. 30

Psalm 22:16

1000 b.c.

tion. And once Herod died, Jesus’ parents naturally decided to resettle in Nazareth.

Luke 23:33

a.d. 30

Even if at a young age an imposter Jesus looked at the prophecies he had accidentally

Now, what could Jesus do about fulfilling these prophecies? Neither he nor his parents had any control over his ancestry. His birth in Bethlehem was the result of a census mandated

pierced.

by Caesar Augustus. His parents’ move to Egypt was prompted by King Herod’s persecu-

and other community documents in caves to

Prophecy: The Messiah would have his hands and feet

preserve them. And there they remained for cen-

Fulfillment: “They gave him thirty pieces of silver.”

before that, some of them hid their biblical scrolls putting down a Jewish revolt. Quite possibly, all

fulfilled and decided to go for it and see if he could make the rest (like someone deciding stacked against him. Consider some of the factors in the prophecies we’ve already looked

Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. many prophecies would be beyond all

The eight prophecies we’ve reviewed about the Messiah were written by men from differ-

mathematical possibility. It could never

ent times and places between about 500 and 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Thus there

happen, no matter how much time was

was no opportunity for collusion among them. Notice too, the specificity. This is not the

allotted. One mathematician’s estimate of

genre of a Nostradamus prediction—“When the moon turns green, the lima bean will lie

those impossible odds is “one chance in a

cloaked by the roadside.”

trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion.”10

CONTROL Bertrand Russell, adamant atheist, was

Imagine winning a Powerball lottery with merely

asked in a Look magazine interview what

one ticket among tens of millions sold. Now imag-

evidence it would take for him to believe in

ine winning a hundred of these lotteries in a row.

God. Russell responded, “Well, if I heard a

What would people think? Right, “It was rigged!”

voice from heaven and it predicted a series

Two conclusions emerge: First, only a transcendent Being could orchestrate such events. And second, it makes all of Jesus’ other claims credible and worthy of serious consideration.

CAV ESHELD

The odds against one person fulfilling that

TH E

a.d. 27

wh at

John 1:26

references to 61 specific prophecies of the

In 1947 an Arab boy named Muhammad discov-

here in the crowd is someone you do not know.”

500 b.c.

ered a limestone cave near the Dead Sea that

Fulfillment: John told them, “I baptize with water, but right

Malachi 3:1

contained some clay jars. After Muhammad’s

siah.

Bible scholars tell us that nearly 300

seems they originally belonged to an ascetic reli-

Prophecy: A messenger would be sent to herald the Mes-

initial surprise, he discovered that inside the jars

a.d. 30

were ancient scrolls. No one knew at the time

Matthew 21:7

gious group called the Essenes (a little like monks

garments over the colt, and he sat on it.”

Jesus, yet what control did he have over the fulfillment of any of them? of the Middle Ages) who lived in a community

Fulfillment: “They brought the animals to him and threw their

crucifixion; and people would cast lots for his clothes. These prophecies all came true for

how valuable these scrolls were. Inside those

500 b.c.

clay jars were well-preserved manuscripts from

Zechariah 9:9

near the caves.

Prophecy: The Messiah would appear riding on a donkey.

at: the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver; he would be killed by means of

every Old Testament book except Esther. Most

a.d. 30

The theory goes that the community (called the

John 19:23-24

not tear it but throw dice to see who gets it.’ ”

Qumran community, after their location) came to

Fulfillment: “The soldiers … took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said, ‘Let’s

to shoot the moon in the card game Hearts), the deck would still have been impossibly

importantly, these were by far the oldest biblical

1000 b.c.

manuscripts scholars had ever seen.

Psalm 22:18

an end in the late 60s a.d. when Roman troops

Prophecy: People would cast lots for the Messiah’s clothing.

marched through the area in the process of

criminals on either side.”

How did these manuscripts get there? Well, it

were crucified there—Jesus on the center cross, and the two

the Essenes were slaughtered at that time. But

Fulfillment: “They came to a place called The Skull. All three


turies until a curious boy found them, remarkably

Fulfillment: “Jesus … the son of David …”

o ut of HIS

Archaeologists and paleographers were com-

David.

missioned to date the documents scientifically.

Prophecy: The Messiah would be from the lineage of King

unchanged in the dry desert climate.

sidered, giving us a total of Professor Stoner’s eight:


of things and they came to pass, then I guess I’d have to believe

To better understand the first-century Jews’ misunderstanding, consider this messianic

there’s some kind of supernatural being.”

prophecy written 700 years before the birth of Jesus by the prophet Isaiah. Was it referring to Jesus?

Bible scholar Norman Geisler responded to Russell’s skepticism. “I’d say, ‘Mr. Russell, there has been a voice from heaven; it has predict-

All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

ed many things; and we’ve seen them undeniably come to pass.’”11

Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

Geisler was alluding to the fact that only a transcendent Being outside of time would be able to accurately predict future events.

a n I NTERE STING TWIS T

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among

A

PRO O F

JA R

the people realized that he was dying for their sins—that he was suffering their

NI

If these predictions were fulfilled so ac-

punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was

We’ve looked at the evidence for Jesus’ fulfillment of messianic

curately through the life of Jesus, it seems

buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

prophecies from every angle but one. What if the Christian scribes

logical to wonder why everyone in Israel

who copied scrolls of Isaiah and the other Old Testament prophetic

would not have been able to see it. But as

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his

books altered them to make them correspond to Jesus’ life?

his crucifixion attests, not everyone did see

life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs….

it. As the apostle John said of Jesus, “Even

And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it pos-

This is a question many scholars and skeptics have asked. And it

in his own land and among his own people,

sible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. (Portions of

seems possible, even attractive. It would prevent us from making

he was not accepted” (John 1:11). Why?

Isaiah 53:6-11)

Jesus into a lying imposter, which seems highly unlikely, and it would explain the amazing accuracy of his fulfillment of prophecies.

Considering the embattled history of Israel,

As Jesus hung on the cross, some understandably may have been thinking, How could this

So, how do we know that the Old Testament prophetic books, such

it is not difficult to read into the definition

be the Messiah? At the same time, others may have been wondering, Who else but Jesus

as Isaiah, Daniel, and Micah, were written hundreds of years before

of Messiah the idea of a political freedom

could Isaiah be talking about?

Christ, as purported? And if they were, how do we know Christians

fighter. It is understandable how a first-cen-

didn’t alter the texts later?

tury Jewish person might think, How could

1

I POSSIB LE

IMP OSTER

W

oppressed under Roman occupation?

the human impossibility of accurately predicting future events. But then something occurred that doused all enthusiasm for the theory.

While Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophe-

Something called the Dead Sea Scrolls.

cies, he did so in ways that no one was

Terence Hines, Pseudoscience and the

Paranormal (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus

the Messiah have come and Israel still be For 1,900 years, many skeptics held fast to that theory, based upon

ENDN OTES

Books, 2003), 193. So, what are we to make of Jesus having fulfilled so many prophecies written hundreds

2

of years prior to his birth? Leonardo DiCaprio … I mean, Frank Abagnale might be a good

Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA:

imposter, but even he got caught by the time he was old enough to drink a beer legally.

Here’s Life Publishers, 1999), 194.

Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That

3

Prediction 3, Quatrain 2, 28.

expecting. He sought a moral and spiritual

Jesus doesn’t look anything like a more competent Frank Abagnale. He’s in a different

4

McDowell, Ibid.

Half a century back, the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls provided

revolution, not a political one, accomplish-

category altogether. No imposter could ever beat such odds as those presented by Hebrew

5

Quoted in McDowell, 12-13.

Bible scholars with copies of Old Testament books that were far older

ing his objectives through self-sacrifice

prophecy.

6

McDowell, 164-193.

than any others known to exist. Extensive tests proved that many of

and humble service, healing and teaching.

7

Peter W. Stoner, Science Speaks (Chicago:

these copies were made before Jesus Christ even lived. And they are

Meanwhile, Israel was looking for another

And what does that mean? Two conclusions emerge: First, only a transcendent Being

Moody Press, 1958), 97-110.

virtually identical to the texts of the Bible we were already using.

Moses or Joshua who would lead them in a

could orchestrate such events. And second, it makes all of Jesus’ other claims credible and

8

Stoner, 5.

conquest to recover their lost kingdom.

worthy of serious consideration.

9

The Hebrew word netzer, appearing in

As a result, even scholars who deny Jesus as the Messiah accept

Isaiah 11:1, is believed by many to refer to

these manuscripts of the Old Testament as having predated his

Of course, many Jews of Jesus’ day did

In the Gospel of John, Jesus made the claim, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Over-

Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown.

birth and therefore concede that the prophecies about the Messiah

recognize him as the Messiah—the entire

whelming evidence seems to indicate that the signature on that check is not a forgery.

10

contained within them have not been altered in order to conform to

foundation of the Christian church being

Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 262.

Jesus.

Jewish. The majority, however, did not.

11

Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith (Grand Quoted in Strobel, 141.

And it’s not so hard to comprehend why.

