Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject: Documentary on Jesus (Yeshua) Christ
DOCUMENTARY ON OUR SAVIOR JESUS (YESHUA):
INTRODUCTION:
This discourse will of necessity be rather lengthy as it is intended to cover Jesus' (Yeshua's) life up to when he returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father (YHWH) per John 6:62, "`What' then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?" (American Standard Version; ASV), so he could, per Ephesians 1:20-22, "which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly `places', 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church," (ASV).
It is intended to assist all sincere ones as a study aid in true 'Sola Scriptura' format to gain a better understanding of the Bible. To that end over 40 different Bibles have been referred to at various places to assist all with regard to being comfortable with many different Bibles. The two most quoted Bibles were the American Standard Version (ASV) and the Webster Bible by Noah Webster (WB). The Webster Bible is a 'take-off' from the Authorized King James (AV), but with the English upgraded to a more modern English language form.
It was written in true 'Sola Scripture' format so as to let the Bible interpret or express itself in keeping with 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (WB). Now please be like those in Berea, per Acts 17:11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (WB).
I recommend studying this discourse by major part and/or sub-part of a major part as it is NOT light reading material, but very informative and intense reading material. Do NOT attempt to read it all at once or you will fail to really comprehend the important material being discussed. Your salvation may depend on what you learn about Bible truths from it. Note, references are either given right in the text or at the end of the section.
Also, there is no question that Jesus (Yeshua) is divine, what else could a spirit individual be if he was the only begotten Son of Almighty God (YHWH)? If you do not believe this, you will probably gain little from this discourse.
I TIME OF BIRTH AND DEATH OF OUR SAVIOR, JESUS (YESHUA):
Time of Birth, and Length of Ministry:
There are many opinions with respect to when Jesus (Yeshua) was born and the length of his ministry, but the best available facts show he was born in the time frame of September-October [Jewish month of Ethanim] in the year 2 B.C., and was baptized about the same time of the year in 29 C.E., and died about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, the 14 th. Day of the Jewish month of Nisan [March-April], of the year 33 C.E. Now what is the basis for these dates?
As it happened, Jesus (Yeshua) was born approximately sic months after the birth of his relative, John the Baptizer, during the rule of the pagan Roman Emperor Caesar Sugustus who rained from 31 B.C. to 14 C.E., and the Syrian governorship of Quirinius, and toward the close of the reign of Herod the Great over Judea per Matthew 2:1 & 13-15 & 19-23, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying," and "13 Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son." And "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned [of God] in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee, 23 and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene." (ASV). The Apostle Luke also testified to these facts at Luke 1:24-32, "And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men. 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord [is] with thee. 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS." (ASV); And at Luke 2:1-7, "Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; 5 to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. 6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (ASV).
Relationship to Death of Herod:
Now his birth can be affixed to Herod's death even though the date of Herod's death is a debated one, there are many indicators pointing to 1 B.C.. Let's look at some of the intervening events between the time of Jesus' (Yeshua's) birth and Herod's death. They were: (1) Jesus' (Yeshua's) circumcision on the eighth day per Luke 2:21, "And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called JESUS, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." (ASV); (2) taken to the temple 40 days after birth per Luke 2:22-23, " And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)," (ASV), as foretold at Leviticus 12:1-5 & 8, "And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman conceive seed, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall continue in the blood of [her] purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 5 But if she bear a maid-child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her impurity; and she shall continue in the blood of [her] purifying threescore and six days.", And "And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean." (ASV); (3) the journey of astrologers to Bethlehem [the three kings of Spanish tradition] per Matthew 2:1-11, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a governor, who shall be shepherd of my people Israel. 7 Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found [him,] bring me word, that I also may come and worship him. 9 And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." (ASV); (4) His parents flight to Egypt with him per Matthew 2:13-15, "Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son." (ASV); (5) and the slaughter of all boys under two years in district of Bethlehem under orders of Herold when he found out that the Astrologers were not going to lead him to Jesus (Yeshua) so he could kill him per Matthew 2:16-18, "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise-men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had exactly learned of the Wise-men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted, because they are not." (ASV) would allow the time required for these intervening events between his birth and that of Herod's death which is indicated to be in 1 B.C.
Relationship to John the Baptist:
Luke 3:1-3 gives further basis for the previously given dates as follows, "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the highpriesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;" (ASV) which proves that John the Baptizer started preaching and baptizing during the 15 year of the reign of pagan Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar. This 15 th. Year started at the latter half of 28 C.E. to approximately August-September of 29 C.E. At an indicated age of 30 years, Jesus (Yeshua) went to John and got baptized and started his ministry. This was in strict compliance with the covenant requiring those going into sanctuary service by at least 30 years of age as affirmed at Numbers 4:1-3 & 22-23 & 29-30, "And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses, 3 from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting." (ASV), and "22 Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families; 23 from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of meeting", and "29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers' houses; 30 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the work of the tent of meeting." (ASV). On the basis of John's birth occurring 30 years before he began his ministry in Tiberius' 15 th. Year.
Jewish Scholars in Agreement:
While there is quite a wide consensus of opinion that Yeshua was born at some time during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), or Succot (Tabernacles), the timing can be narrowed down to Succot, in the opinion of this author, because of the abundance of historical and traditional associations which surround it. It should be noted that all of these festivals normally occur in the Autumn, or during the September or October time-frame, but it varies from year to year because the Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and doesn't track with the Gregorian calendar.
The calculation of the time of Yeshua's birth begins with Z'chariyahu (Zechariah), the father of Yochanan (John) the Baptist. According to Luke 1:5 he was a priest of the order of Aviyah. He was performing his duties, burning incense in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), when an angel appeared and said his wife Eli-Sheva would conceive and bear a son, and he would be called Yochanan (John). [source, "Messiahmas? On the Birth Date of Jesus of Nazareth" by Uri Marcus]
Secular Research Source:
Nowadays, most serious Bible students and scholars agree in that Jesus was not born on December 25th. Why? It is simple. Because the shepherds had their flocks in open field [1] which implies a date prior to October. And having in mind that the reason why Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, traveled to Jerusalem in order to be taxated. No competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the season when Judea was impassable. [2]
Who decided December 25th as Jesus' birthdate? The early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus' birth, and therefore the exact date has not been preserved in festivals. The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (354 A.D.) which assumed Jesus' birth to be Friday, December 25, 1 A.D. December 25th was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in 440 A.D. as a sincretism between the new religion of the Roman Empire and the tradition of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, observed near the winter solstice, which was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood. [3]
So the, just when was Jesus born? Although the Bible doesn't explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus.
The Year of Jesus' Birth In the other hand, the year of Jesus' birth is broadly accepted as 4 B.C., primarily from erroneous conclusions derived from Josephus' recording of an eclipse, assumed to be on March 13, 4 B.C., "shortly before Herod died." There are a number of problems with this, in addition to the fact that it was more likely the eclipse to happened on December 29, 1 .B.C. Considerable time elapsed between Jesus' birth and Herod's death since the family fled to Egypt to escape Herod' edict and they didn't return until after Herod's death.[4] Furthermore, Herod died on January 14, 1 B.C. [5]
Fact: Tertullian, (born about 160 A.D.) stated that Augustus began to rule 41 years before the birth of Jesus and died 15 years after that event. [6] Augustus' died on August 19, 14 A.D., placing Jesus' birth at 2. B.C. [7] Fact: Tertullian also notes that Jesus was born 28 years after the death of Cleopatra in 30 B.C., which is consistent with a date of 2 B.C.
Fact: Iraneus, born about a century after Jesus, also notes that the Lord was born in the 41st year of the reign of Augustus. Since Augustus began his reign in the autumn of 43 B.C., this also appears to substantiate the birth in 2 B.C.
Fact: Eusebius (264-340 A.D.), the "Father of Church History," ascribes it to the 42nd year of the reign of Augustus and the 28th from the subjection of Egypt on the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. [8] The 42nd year of Augustus ran from the autumn of 2 B.C. to the autumn of 1 B.C. The subjugation of Egypt into the Roman Empire occurred in the autumn of 30 B.C. The 28th year extended from the autumn of 3 B.C. to the autumn of 2 B.C. the only date that would meet both of these constraints would be the autumn of 2 B.C. [144000.net/birth.htm][references for secular research: (1) Luke 2:8. (2) Matthew 24:20. (3) Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux, Neptune NJ, 1916. (4) Matthew 2:15, 19-22. (5) Magillath Ta'anith, an ancient Jewish scroll contemporary with Jesus. (6) Tert. adv Judaeous, c.8. (7) No year 0 between B.C. and A.D. (8) Eccle. Hist., i.5. 9.]
II PREHUMAN EXISTANCE OF JESUS:
How He Is The Only-Begotten Son:
Why is Jesus (Yeshua) called the only begotten Son of God (YHWH) when in reality there are many sons of God (YHWH)? John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at John 3:16-18, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 4:9, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him." (ASV); now this does not mean that the other created spirit beings were not also God's (YHWH's) sons, as they are also called sons as affirmed at Genesis 6:2, "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose." (ASV); And at job 1:6, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them" (ASV); And at Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (ASV); And at Job 2:1, "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (ASV). So what makes Jesus (Yeshua) unique?
He is unique by virtue of his being the only direct creation by Almighty God (YHWH), thus making him different from all others of God's (YHWH's) sons, allof whom were created or begotten by god (YHWH) through that firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). Therefore, Jesus was God's (YHWH) 'only-begotten Son' in a very special sense just as Isaac was Abraham's 'only-begotten son' in a special sense even though he already had a son, Ishamel, but not by his wife Sarah as testified to at Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten [son];" (ASV); And at Genesis 16:15, "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (ASV).
Of course some will say begotten does not mean create, but they never quantify what it means. They have to consider the facts which are (1) the Bible says at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV); (2) the meaning of the word create which is "To cause to come into existence; originate" [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]; (3) That humans create by means of copulation as did Abraham in the creation or begetting of his son, Isaac, as shown in Hebrews 11:17 and Genesis 16:15, quoted previously; whereas, the Bible makes no mention of a Mrs. God (YHWH). Therefore, God (YHWH) creates differently, obviously, from man. He always existed as shown at Psalms 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. " (ASV); And at Psalms 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting." (ASV); and at Job 36:26, "Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable." (ASV); And at 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (ASV). Of course another way of looking at the verb beget is to look at its synonyms and its definition which are (1) To procreate; be the father of. (2) To cause to be; occasion [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]. Now that makes it clear one of its meanings is to cause to be same as for create. If that is not clear enough for some, let's consider the definition of its synonym as given above, procreate which means by definition (1) To engender or beget (offspring), (2) To originate; produce; and at its ethnology from Latin, [- before + creare to create> ] which leaves no doubt that it means to create as does the other synonym, engender which by definition means (1) To cause to exist; give rise to; produce. (2) beget, (3) To come into being; and its ethnology from Latin [- in + genus, generis race] [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries].
Of course some critics say that having been created makes Jesus (Yeshua) inferior, but the Bible shows the exact opposite at Philippians 2:1-11, "If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ASV). Obviously all thinking people should believe the Bible and not accept the opinions of man.
Master workman in Keeping With Jewish Law of Agencies:
The Jewish Law of Agencies which is basically as follows, "Jesus (Yeshua) was God's (YHWH's) appointed agent in accordance with the 'Biblical law of agency' described as, "Scripture mentions something being done by Person A, whilst another mentions it being done by Person B. This is best understood when we grasp the Schaliach Principle, or the Jewish Law of Agency, which is expressed in the dictum, "A person's agent is regarded as the person himself." Therefore any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principle." (The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowski and Geoffrey Wigoder). Now that we know what the Jewish Law of Agencies is, let's see how it applies to Jesus (Yeshua).
First it is necessary to understand that Jesus (Yeshua) is often referred to as the 'Word' as shown at John 1:114, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at 1 John 1:1, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life " (ASV); And at Revelation 19:13, "And he [is] arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (ASV). That which is said about the Word in the New Testament fits remarkably the description of 'wisdom' in the Old Testament given at Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). There wisdon is personified, and represented as able to speak and act per Proverbs 8:1, "Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?" (ASV). In fact it was understood by many Christian writers of the early centuries of the C.E. that this section referred symbolically to God's (YHWH) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) in his pre-human state. Thus, in view of the scriptures already considered, there is no denying that the Son, Jesus (Yeshua) was 'produced' by God (YHWH) 'as the "beginning of his way, Before his works of old" or the earliest of his achievements very long ago and was beside God (YHWH) as his agent or master worker during the creation of the earth as described in Proverbs just quoted. Hebrew, like modern day Spanish, assigns gender to its nouns, and the word for 'wisdom' is always in the feminine gender. Thus, this would remain the case even when is personified and therefore would not rule out wisdom's being used in a figurative way to represent God's firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). It is to be remembered that the title "gohe'leth"or "Kohelet" or congregator in English that Solomon applied to himself at Ecclesiastes 1:1, "The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Yerushalayim" (Hebrew Names Version of World English Bible ), and this word also is in the feminine gender.
God's (YHWH's) own wisdom was shown in creation at Proverbs 3:19-20, "Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew." (ASV), but only through his Son, Jesus (Yeshua); this is also shown at 1 Corinthians 8:6, "yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him." (ASV). Likewise God's (YHWH's) purpose toward mankind is made manifest through his Son; therefore the Apostle John could say that Jesus (Yeshua) represents per 1 Corinthians 1:24 & 30, "but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (ASV); And at "30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:" (ASV); And at 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, "but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, [even] the [wisdom] that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: 8 which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:" (ASV); And at Proverbs 18-21, "Riches and honor are with me; [Yea], durable wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice; 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries. " (ASV). Thus as we can see that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ has become to us wisdom from God, and also righteousness and sanctification and a release by ransom.
Not a Co-Creator:
Jesus (Yeshua) took part with respect the creative works, but this did NOT make him a co-Creator along with his Father (YHWH). Why not? Because all the power for creation came from God through his Holy Spirit, or active force as shown by Genesis 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (ASV); And at Psalms 33:6, "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." (ASV). Of course some may object and have different views with regard to what the Holy Spirit is, but let's look at the facts. The "New American Bible Catholic Bible," says in a footnote regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa•ra'kle•tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." Thus God (YHWH) is the source of all life, all animate creation, both visible and invisible, as shown at Psalms 36:9, "For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light." (ASV). Thus all of creation including his only begotten Son owes their lives to him. Thus, rather than being a co-Creator with his Father (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) was the agent or instrumentality through whom God (YHWH), the Creator, worked using him as his 'master worker.' Jesus (Yeshua) himself gave credit to his Father (YHWH) for all of creation, see Matthew 19:4-6, "And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (ASV).
Prehuman Existance of Jesus (Yeshua):
Let's look at Jesus' (Yeshua's) existence before he came to earth to be born of a virgin per Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. 19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: 23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. 25 And he knew her not till she brought forth her first born son: and he called his name Jesus." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of his prehuman heavenly life before coming to earth at John 3:13, "And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." (DRCB); And at John 6:38, "Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me." (DRCB) which shows he was sent down to earth by his Father (YHWH); And John 8:23, "And he said to them: You are from beneath: I am from above. You are of this world: I am not of this world." (DRCB) clearly showing in his own words where he came from; And at John 8:42, " Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded and came. For I came not of myself: but he sent me." (DRCB) here he tells specifically who his Father is; And John 8:52, "The Jews therefore said: Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets: and thou sayest: If any man keep my word, he shall not taste death for ever." (DRCB). Jesus (Yeshua) was with his Father (YHWH) from the beginning of creation since he was, as previously shown, the first of God's creation and used in the creation of all else per Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV); And this fact was also shown at Colossians 1:15-22, " who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it was the good pleasure [of the Father] that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20 and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, [I say], whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens. 21 And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22 yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:" (ASV); And at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV), thus the scriptures identify the 'Word' or 'Logos' as God's (YHWH's) first creation, his firstborn Son.
Therefore, as just shown, Jesus (Yeshua) was truly the Son of his Father (YHWH) who gave him life. This is shown to be clearly a fact at John 6:56-57, " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me." (ASV). Therefore, if the estimates of the age of the universe made recently by scientist are anywhere near correct, Jeusu' existence as a spirit creature started many thousands of millions of years before the creation of the first human, and this is indicated also at Micah 5:2, "But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." (ASV). Thus this firstborn spirit Son was used by his Father (YHWH) in the creation of all else as revealed at John 1:3, "All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made." (ASV), And at Colossians 1:16-17, "for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in him all things consist." (ASV). Included in the things that his Father (YHWH) empowered him to create would be the millions of other spirit sons of God's (YHWH's) heavenly family per Revelation 5:11, " And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;" (ASV). This is also highlighted with the creation of menkind when Jesus (Yeshua) and his Father (YHWH) were discussing it at Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (ASV).
Why the Title, "The Word":
This name or title identifies the function that God's (YHWH's) firstborn Son would perform for his Father (YHWY). This is first revealed at Exodos 4:16, where God (YHWH) speaks to his servant Moses about his brother, "And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God." (ASV). As God's (YHWH's) spokesman on earth, Aaron served as the mouth for Moses; likewise the Word, or Logos, who became Jesus (Yeshua) did likewise for his Father (YHWH). God (YHWH) used his Son to give instructions and information to others of his family of spirit sons, and also used him to deliver his message to humans on earth as his spokesman. This is testified to at John 7:16-17, "Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or [whether] I speak from myself." (ASV); And at John 12:50, "And I know that his commandment is life eternal: the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak." (ASV); And at John 18:37, " Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." (ASV).
While some texts refer to God (YHWH) as though directly speaking to humans, others make it clear that he did so through his son or angelic representatives in keeping with the Jewish Law of Agencies previously discussed. Some relevant scriptures are Exodus 3:2-4, "And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I." (ASV), which compares with Acts 7:30-35, "And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord, 32 I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent [to be] both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush." (ASV). Reasonably, in most such cases God (YHWH) spoke through the word.
III JESUS' (YESHUA'S) BIRTH ON EARTH:
Let's face it, Jesus' (Yeshua's) birth and the circumstances surrounding it were very different from any other. Angels had appeared on the earth to men in human form that they had materialized for the occasion before Jesus (Yeshua), but had then dematerialized after finishing their assignment as shown at Genesis 19:1, "And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth;" (ASV), and else where. However, in doing so they only maintained their materialized human form for a little while; now with the case of God's (YHWH's) only begotten Son, his life force was to be transferred into the womb of a young Jewish lady, Mary. This would be an unprecedented occurrence as always before in human history, all children had been conceived in imperfection and with inherited sin, but this time, this was NOT to be the case.
Now how did this all come about? For answers we turn to the Bible at Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS." (ASV); This is reaffirmed at Luke 1:30-35, "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." (ASV). Thus, Jesus (Yeshua) was different that the angels who had materialized temporarily in the past, but had remained angels. Jesus (Yeshua) came to earth by being born as a human, the man Jesus (Yeshua), and to reside among mankind. John testifies at John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); For this reason the 'Word' or 'Logos' as Jesus (Yeshua) was known by could call himself 'the Son of man.' As stated at John 1:51, "And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." (ASV); And at John 3:14-15, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; 15 that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life." (ASV).
Of course, some doubters and critics point to the expression 'resided among mankind' and claim this shows Jesus (Yeshua) was not a true human, but only an incarination. However, this does not 'wash' with how the Apostle Peter used a similar expression about himself at 2 Peter 1:13-14, "And I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me." (ASV).
Why was this transfer of Jesus' (Yeshua's) life force to the womb of Mary and his subsequent birth as a human necessary? Let's look at Galatians 4:4, "but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law," (ASV) which indicates this was necessary in order for the child that was born to retain his identity as the same individual who had resided in heaven as the 'Word' or 'Logos', and only is this way could he have, also, been the actual son of Mary. This was important with respect fulfillment of prophesy since the Messiah or savior was to be a genuine descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and King David and hence a legitimate heir of the divine promises made to them as he would be since Mary was a genuine descendant of all of them, her forefathers. Therefore he could fulfill the divine promises made to them at Genesis 22:15-18, "And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast obeyed my voice." (ASV); And at Genesis 26:24, "And Jehovah appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake." (ASV); And at Genesis 28:10-14, "And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (ASV); And at Genesis 49:10, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be." (ASV); And at 2 Samuel 7:8, "Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people, over Israel;" (ASV); And at 2 Samuel 7:11-16, "and `as' from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. 12 When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 15 but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." (ASV).
While Mary was a descendant of the sinner Adam, and therefore imperfect and sinful, Mary's firstborn could be perfect and free from sin due to his father being Almighty God (YHWH). From what is revealed in the Bible, it appears that the perfect individual male life force, God (YHWH), causing the conception canceled out any imperfection existent in Mary's ovum through his active force the Holy Spirit. However, whatever the case, the operation of God's (YHWH) Holy Spirit at this time guaranteed the success of God's (YHWH's) purpose [for more information on this Holy Spirit, see details in "Not a Co-Creator" in section II]. This is just as the angel Gabriel explained to Mary as shown at Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." (ASV).
In that it was Almighty God's (YHWH's) active force or Holy Spirit that made the birth possible, Jesus (Yeshua) owed his human life to his heavenly Father (YHWH), and not to any man such as his adoptive father Joseph as testified to at Matthew 2:13-15, "Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son." (ASV); And at Luke 3:23, "And Jesus himself, when he began `to teach', was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the `son' of Heli," (ASV). Therefore as stated at Hebrews 10:5, "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, But a body didst thou prepare for me;" (ASV), God (YHWH) prepared a body for him; therefore, his conception was truly "undefiled, separated from sinners," as testified to at Hebrews 7:26, "For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" (ASV): And at John 8:46, "Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?" (ASV); And at 1 Peter 2:21-22, "For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" (ASV).
Though he was perfect in physical form, his Father's (YHWH's) message of truth and righteousness that Jesus (Yeshua) boldly proclaimed made him repulsive and despicable in the eyes of the bigots and hypocritical opposers that falsely claimed he was an agent of Beelzebub, or a man possessed of a demon or a blasphemous fraud per Matthew 12:24, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons." (ASV); And at Matthew 27:39-43, "And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, 40 and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself: if thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 In like manner also the chief priests mocking `him', with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him. 43 He trusteth on God; let him deliver him now, if he desireth him: for he said, I am the Son of God." (ASV); And at John 8:48, "Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?" (ASV); And at John 15:17-25, "These things I command you, that ye may love one another. 18 If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before `it hated' you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But `this cometh to pass', that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause." (ASV). For Jesus' (Yeshua's) true followers today, they experience the same type of treatment and false accusations that their leader and savior experienced in his day on earth. Obviously, if you are not experiencing persecution of some sort or another for openly telling others about God's (YHWH's) today, you are in error and not telling the truth. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 brings this point home as follows, "But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; 16 to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (ASV), which makes it clear true Christian preachers of the word of God (YHWH) would be a "sweet savor" for those receptive to God (YHWH); but an odor of death to those rejecting their message.
IV THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JESUS' NAME:
Most names in ancient Israel had a meaning, remember the angel Gabriel told Mary to call her as yet unborn son, Jesus; this name meant 'God is Salvation' and was not an uncommon name back there, nor in Spanish speaking countries until today. But this name only gives a hint with regard to its real significance. It can readily be seen that while Jesus' (Yeshua's) death by torture plays a vital part in human salvation, acceptance of this is by no means all that is required in 'putting faith in the name of Jesus,' per Acts 10:43, "To him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins." (ASV). After his resurrection, Jesus informed his disciples at Matthew 28:18, that, "And Jesus came, and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and upon earth." (Webster Bible by Noah Webster; WB). The Apostle Paul made it clear that his Father (YHWH) has subjected all things to his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) with the specific exception of himself at 1 Corinthians 15:27, "For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted who did put all things under him." (WB); And at Hebrews 1:1-14, "When in former times God spoke to our forefathers, he spoke in fragmentary and varied fashion through the prophets. 2 But in this the final age he has spoken to us in the Son whom he has made heir to the whole universe, and through whom he created all orders of existence: 3 The Son who is the effulgence of God's splendour and the stamp of God's very being, and sustains the universe by his word of power. When he had brought about the purgation of sins, he took his seat at the right hand of Majesty on high, raised as far above the angels, 4 as the title he has inherited is superior to theirs. 5 For God never said to any angel, 'Thou art my Son; today I have begotten thee', or again, 'I will be father to him, and he shall be my son.' 6 Again, when he presents the first-born to the world, he says, 'Let all the angels of God pay him homage." 7 Of the angels he says, 'He who makes his angels winds, And his ministers a fiery flame'; 8 but of the Son, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and erve, And the scepter of justice is the scepter of his kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved right and hated wrong; Therefore, O God, thy God has set thee above thy fellows, By anointing with the oil of exultation.' 10 And again, 'By thee, Lord, were earth's foundations laid of old, And the heavens are the work of thy hands. 11 They shall pass away, but thou endurest; Like clothes they shall all grow old; 12 Yes, they shall be changed like any garment. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.' 13 To which of the angels has he ever said, 'Sit at my right hand until I make thy enemies they footstool'? What are they all but ministrant spirits, sent out to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (The New English Bible; NEB); And at Hebrews 2:8, "thou hast subjected all things under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, he has left nothing unsubject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to *him*," (The Darby Translation). Thus, His 'name' is more shown by the scriptures to be more excellent than that of God's (YHWH's) angels, in that his name embraces or stands for the great authority that God (YHWH) has given to him per Hebrew 1:3-4, just previously quoted. Since this is the case, only those who recognize his 'name' and bow to its authority thereby represented will gain eternal life per Acts 4:12, "There is no salvation by anyone else, for no one else in all the wide world has been appointed among men as our only medium by which to be saved." (The New Testament by Charles B. Williams); And at Ephesians 1:19-23, "and what the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength, 20 [in] which he wrought in the Christ [in] raising him from among [the] dead, and he set him down at his right hand in the heavenlies, 21 above every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that to come; 22 and has put all things under his feet, and gave him [to be] head over all things to the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all:" (The Darby Translation); And at Philippians 2:9-11, "For both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren," (WB). All true footstep followers of His must have sincerity and be without hypocrisy, comply with the standards of his Father (YHWH) that Jesus (Yeshua)revealed as his spokesman or agent, and, in faith, obey the commands he gave per Matthew 7:21-23, "Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (WB); And at Romans 1:5, "Through him God gave me the privilege of being an apostle, for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey." (Good News For Modern Man Bible by American Bible Society); And at 1 John 3:23, "`His orders are that we should put our trust in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another-as we used to hear him say in person." (The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips).
Illustrating another aspect of Jesus' (Yeshua's) 'name' is his prophetic warning that his followers would be hater and persecuted by bigots per Matthew 24:9, "Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you: and ye will be hated by all nations for my name's sake." (WB); And at Matthew 10:22, "And ye will be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (WB); And at John 15:20-21, "Remember the word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do to you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." (WB); And at Acts 9:15-16, "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake." (ASV). Why is this so? It is because his 'name' represents God's (YHWH's) appointed Ruler, the King of kings, to whom all nations should bow in submission or suffer destruction per Revelation 19:11-16, "And after the three days and a half [the] spirit of life from God came into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those beholding them. 12 And I heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them, Come up here; and they went up to the heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand names of men were slain in the earthquake. And the remnant were filled with fear, and gave glory to the God of the heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe comes quickly. 15 And the seventh angel sounded [his] trumpet: and there were great voices in the heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world of our Lord and of his Christ is come, and he shall reign to the ages of ages. 16 And the twenty-four
Worldly critics do not want to accept the Inspired Word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, and are always trying to find fault with it and failing to apply the constraints given in it when applying logic and reasoning. In fact, they sometimes even label events whose understanding is simple if you apply the constraints therein given by calling them contradictions which they are not.
In addition, they often claim, without proof of course, that accounts about him by contemporary historians have been "doctored". Why, because they want to justify their none belief in their Creator, Almighty God (YHWH).
<<<"Interestingly, the first type of records comes from what are known commonly as "hostile" sources-writers who mentioned Jesus in a negative light or derogatory fashion. Such penmen certainly were not predisposed to further the cause of Christ or otherwise to add credence to His existence. In fact, quite the opposite is true. They rejected His teachings and often reviled Him as well. Thus, one can appeal to them without the charge of built-in bias. " [source - Apologetics Press :: Reason & Revelation, The Historical Christ-Fact or Fiction? by Kyle Butt, M.A., sub-part HOSTILE TESTIMONY]>>>.
Interestingly, as noted by E.P. Sanders in his book, "The Historical Figure of Jesus," at page 49, he noted that most of the First Century literature that survives unto today that mentions Jesus (Yeshua) was written by a small elite class of Romans that detested him and considered his as "merely a troublesome rabble-rouser and magician."[source - The Historical Figure of Jesus, by E.P. Sanders 1933, at page 49].
With respect C. Tacitus, It is well known that he hated Jesus (Yeshua) and regarded him as a troublesome rabble-rouser and had nothing positive to say about what he referred to as a "deadly superstition," but readily admitted that this individual that he hated had existed as we have seen previously. <<<" His testimony establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that the Christian religion not only was relevant historically, but that Christ, as its originator, was a verifiable historical figure of such prominence that He even attracted the attention of the Roman emperor himself!" [source - Apologetics Press :: Reason & Revelation, The Historical Christ-Fact or Fiction? by Kyle Butt, M.A., sub-part HOSTILE TESTIMONY]>>>.
Therefore the only conclusion is that Jesus (Yeshua) was a real person, and that more has been written about him than any other person in human history. <<<" Critics do not like having to admit it, but they cannot successfully deny the fact that Jesus had a greater impact on the world than any single life before or after. Nor can they deny the fact that Jesus died at the hands of Pontius Pilate." !" [source - Apologetics Press :: Reason & Revelation, The Historical Christ-Fact or Fiction? by Kyle Butt, M.A., sub-part HOSTILE TESTIMONY]>>>.
Michael Grant stated (in 1977) that the view is derived from a lack of application of historical methods: <<<"...if we apply to the New Testament, as we should, the same sort of criteria as we should apply to other ancient writings containing historical material, we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned. ... To sum up, modern critical methods fail to support the Christ myth theory. It has 'again and again been answered and annihilated by first rank scholars.' In recent years, 'no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary." [source - M. Grant, Jesus: An Historian's Review, pp. 199-200 , as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And the New Testament is full of eyewitness accounts by the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus (Yeshua) that associated with him during his life and no such account exist for any other personage of antiquity.
THE REALITY:
WITH RESPECT FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS:
Worldly critics make the false claim which on the surface sound valid, but on closer examination are not. Let's look at one of these:
<<<" The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, writing during the second half of the first century CE, produced two major works: History of the Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews. Two apparent references to Jesus occur in the second of these works. The longer, and more famous passage, occurs in Book 18 of Antiquities and reads as follows (taken from the standard accepted Greek text of Antiquities 18:63-64 by L. H. Feldman in the Loeb Classical Library):
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and as a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvellous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.
This passage is called the Testimonium Flavianum, and is sometimes cited by propagandists as independent confirmation of Jesus' existence and resurrection. However, there is excellent reason to suppose that this passage was not written in its present form by Josephus, but was either inserted or amended by later Christians:
1. The early Christian writer Origen claims that Josephus did NOT recognize Jesus as the Messiah, in direct contradiction to the above passage, where Josephus says, "He was the Messiah." Thus, we may conclude that this particular phrase at least was a later insertion. (The version given above was, however, known to Jerome and in the time of Eusebius. Jerome's Latin version, however, renders "He was the Messiah" by "He was believed to be the Christ.") Furthermore, other early Christian writers fail to cite this passage, even though it would have suited their purposes to do so. There is thus firm evidence that this passage was tampered with at some point, even if parts of it do date back to Josephus.
2. The passage is highly pro-Christian. It is hard to imagine that Josephus, a Pharisaic Jew, would write such a laudatory passage about a man supposedly killed for blasphemy. Indeed, the passage seems to make Josephus himself out to be a Christian, which was certainly not the case.
Many Biblical scholars reject the entire Testimonium Flavianum as a later Christian insertion. However, some maintain that Josephus's work originally did refer to Jesus, but that Christian copyists later expanded and made the text more favorable to Jesus. These scholars cite such phrases as "tribe of Christians" and "wise man" as being atypical Christian usages, but plausible if coming from a first century Palestinian Jew. Of course, a suitably clever Christian wishing to "dress up" Josephus would not have much trouble imitating his style.
Philip Burns (pib@merle.acns.nwu.edu) has provided some of the following material on the following alternate versions or reconstructions of the Testimonium Flavianum.
One possible reconstruction of the Testimonium Flavianum, suggested by James Charlesworth, goes like this, with probably Christian interpolations enclosed in brackets: [source - not given by worldly critic posting same]>>>.
Now on close examination of this critics writings we see internal problems as follows to their false contentions regarding Jesus (Yeshua).
<<<" The early Christian writer Origen claims that Josephus did NOT recognize Jesus as the Messiah[[Thereby testifying to his real existence]][[Of course Josephus did not recognize him as the Messiah, but that is far different from that of recognizing his existence and is like saying an American did not recognize Adolph Hitler as his leader which in no way implies none recognition of his having existed.]][[As to calling him the Messiah, that would be like historian H.G. Wells calling Adolph Hitler the leader of the Axis Powers, and in no way implying his belief in him as his leader]], in direct contradiction to the above passage, where Josephus says, "He was the Messiah." Thus, we may conclude that this particular phrase at least was a later insertion. (The version given above was, however, known to Jerome and in the time of Eusebius[[Early scholars did not question whether Jesus (Yeshua) had existed, only later critics far removed in time from his day did]]. Jerome's Latin version, however, renders "He was the Messiah" by "He was believed to be the Christ.") Furthermore, other early Christian writers fail to cite this passage, even though it would have suited their purposes to do so. There is thus firm evidence that this passage was tampered with at some point, even if parts of it do date back to Josephus. ">>>.
Now let's look at another passage in Josephus' "Antiquities of the Jews" found on page 598 of "The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus,
<<<"Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned; but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a Sanhedrim without his consent." [source - The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston, A.M. and Published by The John C. Winston Company, and containing the "Antiquities of the Jews" and the "Wars of the Jews" and other items, page 598]>>>.
Also, these critics willfully overlook what Josephus said with regard to John the Baptist as follows,
<<<"2. Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and as to come to baptism; for the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, bty sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him." ." [source - The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston, A.M. and Published by The John C. Winston Company, and containing the "Antiquities of the Jews" and the "Wars of the Jews" and other items, page 540.]>>>.
And now let's look at the passage in the Antiquities of the Jews that the critics like to claim was doctored in context, but goes right in the flow with everything else Josephus wrote,
<<<"...So he bid the Jews himself go away; but they bodily casting reproaches upon him, he gave the soldiers that signal which had been beforehand agreed on; who laid upon them such greater blows than Pilate had commanded them, and equally punished those that were tumultuous, and those that were not; nor did they spare them in the least; and since the people were unarmed, and were caught by men prepared for what they were about, there were a great number of them slain by this means, and others of them ran away wounded. And thus an end was put to this sedition.
3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was {the} Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him are not extinct at this day.
4. About the same time also another sad calamity put the Jews into disorder, and certain shameful practices happened about the temple of Isis that was at Rome. I will now first take notice of the wicked attempts about the temple of Isis, and will then give an account of the Jewish affairs. ..." [source - The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston, A.M. and Published by The John C. Winston Company, and containing the "Antiquities of the Jews" and the "Wars of the Jews" and other items, page 535]>>>.
Now, Yes, Flavius Josephus was a Jew and almost certainly did not believe in Jesus (Yeshua) as the Christ, but he was employed by the Roman Army as a historian and dutifully recorded reality whether he agreed religiously with it or not, just as well-known Roman Chatholic historian Will Durant did, who wrote, "Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it ... pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist results. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity ... [Caesar and Christ, page 595) (Lamson, Newton & Durant)]. The problem is critics do NOT want to recognize the objectivity of good historians and compilers of facts, but wish to unjustly use their objectivity to claim their works have been doctored and/or are just plain wrong.
Some claim what Josephus wrote are forgeries, but an examination of his work quickly shows this can not be the case. Let's look at some of what he wrote in brief:
<<<"Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others [or, some of his companions]: and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, [source - "Antiquities of the Jews, from The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus as translated by William Whiston, A.M., published by the John C. Winston Co., of Philadelphia, page 598.]>>>.
And
<<<"2. Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from god, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the baptist; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards god, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified before hand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late. [source - "Antiquities of the Jews, from The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus as translated by William Whiston, A.M., published by the John C. Winston Co., of Philadelphia, page 540.]>>>.
And,
<<<"3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher os such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned his to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. Ant the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day. [source - "Antiquities of the Jews, from The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus as translated by William Whiston, A.M., published by the John C. Winston Co., of Philadelphia, page 535.]>>>.
And,
<<<"Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus recorded information pertaining to Jesus, thus removing the only supporting source for His existence as being in the New Testament. In 115 A.D., Tactius wrote about the great fire in Rome, "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberious at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths, Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed."
It is believed by some scholars that Tactius gained his information about Christ from official records, perhaps actual reports written by Pilate. Tactius also wrote about the burning of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. The Christians are mentioned as a group that were connected with these events. "All we can gather from this reference is that Tactius was also aware of the existence of Christians other than in the context of their presence in Rome," states Habermas. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian, wrote, "Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from the City." Chrestus is a variant spelling of Christ. Suetonius refers to a wave of riots that broke out in a large Jewish community in Rome during the year 49 A.D. As a result, the Jews were banished from the city....
WITH RESPECT P. CORNELIUS TACTIUS (AD 56 - C. 120):
(Cornelius Tacitus), c.A.D. 55-c.A.D. 117, Roman historian. Little is known for certain of his life. He was a friend of Pliny the Younger and married the daughter of Cnaeus Julius Agricola. In A.D. 97 he was appointed substitute consul under Nerva, and later he was proconsul of Asia. The first of his works was the Dialogus [dialogue], a discussion of oratory in the style of Cicero, demonstrating to some degree why Tacitus was celebrated as an eloquent speaker; this work was long disputed, but his authorship is now generally accepted. Tacitus then wrote a biography of Agricola, expressing his admiration for his father-in-law as a good and able man. His small treatise De origine et situ Germanorum [concerning the origin and location of the Germans], commonly called the Germania or Germany, supplies (along with the earlier account of Julius Caesar) the principal written material on the Germanic tribes. Archaeology bears out the accuracy of Tacitus, but the work is not objective; it is a picture of the simple Germans glorified by comparison with the corruption and luxurious immorality of the Romans. This moral purpose and severe criticism of contemporary Rome, fallen from the virtuous vigor of the old republic, also underlies his two long works, commonly called in English the Histories (of which four books and part of a fifth survive) and the Annals (of which twelve books-Books I-VI, XI-XVI-survive). The extant books of the Histories cover only the reign of Galba (A.D. 68-69) and the beginning (to A.D. 70) of the reign of Vespasian but give a thorough view of Roman life-persons, places, and events. The surviving books of the Annals tell of the reign of Tiberius, of the last years of Claudius, and of the first years of Nero. The account contains incisive character sketches, ironic passages, and eloquent moral conclusions. The declamatory writing of the Dialogus is replaced in the historical works by a polished and highly individual style, a wide range of vocabulary, and an intricate and startling syntax.[source - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07].
And another encyclopedia said, <<<" Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56 - ca. 117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works-the Annals and the Histories-examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those that reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. These two works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in 14 AD to (presumably) the death of emperor Domitian in 96 AD. There are significant lacunae in the surviving texts.
Other works by Tacitus discuss oratory (in dialogue format, see Dialogus de oratoribus), Germania (in De origine et situ Germanorum), and biographical notes about his father-in-law Agricola, primarily during his campaign in Britannia (see De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae).
Tacitus' historiographical style in his major works is annalistic. An author writing in the latter part of the Silver Age of Latin literature, his work is distinguished by a boldness and sharpness of wit, and a compact and sometimes unconventional use of Latin."[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>.
Now let's look at what this none Christian worshipper of the Unconquered Sun had to say about Jesus (Yeshua). <<<" The Roman historian Tacitus, writing in his Annals (c. 116) about the Great Fire of Rome (64), included an account of how the emperor Nero blamed the Christians in Rome for the disaster and initiated the first known persecution of early Christians by the Romans. This has become one of the best known and most discussed passages of Tacitus' works.[1] Although partly aimed at showing the inhumanity of the emperor, Tacitus' remarks have been studied more by modern scholars for information about his own religious attitudes and about the early history of Christianity.
Tacitus describes the support for the homeless provided by Nero and the rebuilding of the city, then refers to religious rituals carried out based on a consultation of the Sibylline Books.[2] However, none of this did away with the suspicion that the fire had been started on Nero's orders:
Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.
Tacitus then returns to the topic of Nero's reputation and the effect on it of these events: "Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed."[3]
References:
1. ^ Syme 533 n. 5 ("This famous chapter has provoked an enormous literature...").
2. ^ Tacitus, Annals 15.39-43.
3. ^ a b Tacitus, Annals 15.44, translated by Church and Brodribb.
[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>
The Catholic Encyclopedia said the following on C. Tactius,
<<<" We possess at least the testimony of Tacitus (A.D. 54-119) for the statements that the Founder of the Christian religion, a deadly superstition in the eyes of the Romans, had been put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate under the reign of Tiberius; that His religion, though suppressed for a time, broke forth again not only throughout Judea where it had originated, but even in Rome, the conflux of all the streams of wickness and shamelessness; furthermore, that Nero had diverted from himself the suspicion of the burning of Rome by charging the Christians with the crime; that these latter were not guilty of arson, though they deserved their fate on account of their universal misanthropy. Tacitus, moreover, describes some of the horrible torments to which Nero subjected the Christians (Ann., XV, xliv). The Roman writer confounds the Christians with the Jews, considering them as a especially abject Jewish sect; how little he investigated the historical truth of even the Jewish records may be inferred from the credulity with which he accepted the absurd legends and calumnies about the origin of he Hebrew people (Hist., V, iii, iv)..
AND, Those who regard the passage as spurious,
First, there are those who consider the whole passage as spurious. The principal reasons for this view appear to be the following:
* Josephus could not represent Jesus Christ as a simple moralist, and on the other hand he could not emphasize the Messianic prophecies and expectations without offending the Roman susceptibilities;
* the above cited passage from Josephus is said to be unknown to Origen and the earlier patristic writers;
* its very place in the Josephan text is uncertain, since Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., II, vi) must have found it before the notices concerning Pilate, while it now stands after them.
But the spuriousness of the disputed Josephan passage does not imply the historian's ignorance of the facts connected with Jesus Christ. Josephus's report of his own juvenile precocity before the Jewish teachers (Vit., 2) reminds one of the story of Christ's stay in the Temple at the age of twelve; the description of his shipwreck on his journey to Rome (Vit., 3) recalls St. Paul's shipwreck as told in the Acts; finally his arbitrary introduction of a deceit practised by the priests of Isis on a Roman lady, after the chapter containing his supposed allusion to Jesus, shows a disposition to explain away the virgin birth of Jesus and to prepare the falsehoods embodied in the later Jewish writings.".[source - The Catholic Encyclopedia]>>>.
OTHER EARLY PAGAN WRITERS ON CHRIST:
Here is what some other early pagan writers who lived in the First Century had to say about Christ,
<<<"B. Suetonius, Another Roman writer who shows his acquaintance with Christ and the Christians is Suetonius (A.D. 75-160). It has been noted that Suetonius considered Christ (Chrestus) as a Roman insurgent who stirred up seditions under the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54): "Judaeos, impulsore Chresto, assidue tumultuantes (Claudius) Roma expulit" (Clau., xxv). In his life of Nero he regards that emperor as a public benefactor on account of his severe treatment of the Christians: "Multa sub eo et animadversa severe, et coercita, nec minus instituta . . . . afflicti Christiani, genus hominum superstitious novae et maleficae" (Nero, xvi). The Roman writer does not understand that the Jewish troubles arose from the Jewish antagonism to the Messianic character of Jesus Christ and to the rights of the Christian Church.
C. Pliny the Younger
Of greater importance is the letter of Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan (about A.D. 61-115), in which the Governor of Bithynia consults his imperial majesty as to how to deal with the Christians living within his jurisdiction. On the one hand, their lives were confessedly innocent; no crime could be proved against them excepting their Christian belief, which appeared to the Roman as an extravagant and perverse superstition. On the other hand, the Christians could not be shaken in their allegiance to Christ, Whom they celebrated as their God in their early morning meetings (Ep., X, 97, 98). Christianity here appears no longer as a religion of criminals, as it does in the texts of Tacitus and Suetonius; Pliny acknowledges the high moral principles of the Christians, admires their constancy in the Faith (pervicacia et inflexibilis obstinatio), which he appears to trace back to their worship of Christ (carmenque Christo, quasi Deo, dicere).
D. Other pagan writers
The remaining pagan witnesses are of less importance: In the second century Lucian sneered at Christ and the Christians, as he scoffed at the pagan gods. He alludes to Christ's death on the Cross, to His miracles, to the mutual love prevailing among the Christians ("Philopseudes", nn. 13, 16; "De Morte Pereg"). There are also alleged allusions to Christ in Numenius (Origen, "Contra Cels", IV, 51), to His parables in Galerius, to the earthquake at the Crucifixion in Phlegon ( Origen, "Contra Cels.", II, 14). Before the end of the second century, the logos alethes of Celsus, as quoted by Origen (Contra Cels., passim), testifies that at that time the facts related in the Gospels were generally accepted as historically true. However scanty the pagan sources of the life of Christ may be, they bear at least testimony to His existence, to His miracles, His parables, His claim to Divine worship, His death on the Cross, and to the more striking characteristics of His religion." ).[source - The Catholic Encyclopedia]>>>.
JEWISH SOURCE OF THE FIRST CENTURY ON CHRIST:
<<<"Philo, who dies after A.D. 40, is mainly important for the light he throws on certain modes of thought and phraseology found again in some of the Apostles. Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., II, iv) indeed preserves a legend that Philo had met St. Peter in Rome during his mission to the Emperor Caius; moreover, that in his work on the contemplative life he describes the life of the Christian Church in Alexandria founded by St. Mark, rather than that of the Essenes and Therapeutae. But it is hardly probable that Philo had heard enough of Christ and His followers to give an historical foundation to the foregoing legends." ).[source - The Catholic Encyclopedia]>>>.
And,
<<<"The historical character of Jesus Christ is also attested by the hostile Jewish literature of the subsequent centuries. His birth is ascribed to an illicit ("Acta Pilati" in Thilo, "Codex apocryph. N.T., I, 526; cf. Justin, "Apol.", I, 35), or even an adulterous, union of His parents (Origen, "Contra Cels.," I, 28, 32). The father's name is Panthera, a common soldier (Gemara "Sanhedrin", viii; "Schabbath", xii, cf. Eisenmenger, "Entdecktes Judenthum", I, 109; Schottgen, "Horae Hebraicae", II, 696; Buxtorf, "Lex. Chald.", Basle, 1639, 1459, Huldreich, "Sepher toledhoth yeshua hannaceri", Leyden, 1705). The last work in its final edition did not appear before the thirteenth century, so that it could give the Panthera myth in its most advanced form. Rosch is of opinion that the myth did not begin before the end of the first century.
The later Jewish writings show traces of acquaintance with the murder of the Holy Innocents (Wagenseil, "Confut. Libr.Toldoth", 15; Eisenmenger op. cit., I, 116; Schottgen, op. cit., II, 667), with the flight into Egypt (cf. Josephus, "Ant." XIII, xiii), with the stay of Jesus in the Temple at the age of twelve (Schottgen, op. cit., II, 696), with the call of the disciples ("Sanhedrin", 43a; Wagenseil, op. cit., 17; Schottgen, loc. cit., 713), with His miracles (Origen, "Contra Cels", II, 48; Wagenseil, op. cit., 150; Gemara "Sanhedrin" fol. 17); "Schabbath", fol. 104b; Wagenseil, op.cit., 6, 7, 17), with His claim to be God (Origen, "Contra Cels.", I, 28; cf. Eisenmenger, op. cit., I, 152; Schottgen, loc. cit., 699) with His betrayal by Judas and His death (Origen, "Contra cels.", II, 9, 45, 68, 70; Buxtorf, op. cit., 1458; Lightfoot, "Hor. Heb.", 458, 490, 498; Eisenmenger, loc. cit., 185; Schottgen, loc. cit.,699 700; cf. "Sanhedrin", vi, vii). Celsus (Origen, "Contra Cels.", II, 55) tries to throw doubt on the Resurrection, while Toldoth (cf. Wagenseil, 19) repeats the Jewish fiction that the body of Jesus had been stolen from the sepulchre. "[source - The Catholic Encyclopedia]>>>.
EARLY CHRISTIAN SOURCES INCLUDING THE BIBLE:
<<<"Among the Christian sources of the life of Jesus we need hardly mention the so called Agrapha and Apocrypha. For whether the Agrapha contain Logia of Jesus, or refer to incidents in His life, they are either highly uncertain or present only variations of the Gospel story. The chief value of the Apocrypha consists in their showing the infinite superiority of the Inspired Writings by contrasting the coarse and erroneous productions of the human mind with the simple and sublime truths written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
Among the Sacred Books of the New Testament, it is especially the four Gospels and the four great Epistles of St. Paul that are of the highest importance for the construction of the life of Jesus.
The four great Pauline Epistles (Romans, Galatians, and First and Second Corinthinas) can hardly be overestimated by the student of Christ's life; they have at times been called the "fifth gospel"; their authenticity has never been assailed by serious critics; their testimony is also earlier than that of the Gospels, at least most of the Gospels; it is the more valuable because it is incidental and undesigned; it is the testimony of a highly intellectual and cultured writer, who had been the greatest enemy of Jesus, who writes within twenty-five years of the events which he relates. At the same time, these four great Epistles bear witness to all the most important facts in the life of Christ: His Davidic dscent, His poverty, His Messiahship, His moral teaching, His preaching of the kingdom of God, His calling of the apostles, His miraculous power, His claims to be God, His betrayal, His institution of the Holy Eucharist, His passion, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, His repeated appearances (Romans 1:3-4; 5:11; 8:2-3; 8:32; 9:5; 15:8; Galatians 2:17; 3:13; 4:4; 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 13:4; etc.). However important the four great Epistles may be, the gospels are still more so. Not that any one of them offers a complete biography of Jesus, but they account for the origin of Christianity by the life of its Founder. Questions like the authenticity of the Gospels, the relation between the Synoptic Gospels, and the Fourth, the Synoptic problem, must be studied in the articles referring to these respective subjects." [source - The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. Published 1910. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York]>>>.
THE HISTORIC RECORD AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Historic Record:
Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus recorded information pertaining to Jesus, thus removing the only supporting source for His existence as being in the New Testament. In 115 A.D., Tactius wrote about the great fire in Rome, "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberious at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths, Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed."
It is believed by some scholars that Tactius gained his information about Christ from official records, perhaps actual reports written by Pilate. Tactius also wrote about the burning of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. The Christians are mentioned as a group that were connected with these events. "All we can gather from this reference is that Tactius was also aware of the existence of Christians other than in the context of their presence in Rome," states Habermas. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian, wrote, "Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from the City." Chrestus is a variant spelling of Christ. Suetonius refers to a wave of riots that broke out in a large Jewish community in Rome during the year 49 A.D. As a result, the Jews were banished from the city.[source - Proving the historic Jesus by By Harry V. Martin, http://sonic.net/sentinel/naij3.html ].>>>.
And,
<<<"F.F. Bruce ("Christian Origins" pp. 29,30) draws attention to the fact that there are references to a history of the Eastern Mediterranean written by a historian called Thallus about 52 AD. Bruce shows elsewhere ("The New Testament Documents", p. 113) that a scholar named Julius Africanus quoted from Thallus, mocking his description of the darkness at the crucifixion of Jesus as due to the eclipse of the sun. This suggests that Thallus wrote an account of the crucifixion of Jesus which occurred some years before he wrote his history in 52 AD.[source - The Historical Christ, http://www.baptistchapel.net/pages.asp?pageid=20651 on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"Tacitus was a Roman historian writing early in the 2nd century A.D. His Annals provide us with a single reference to Jesus of considerable value. Rather frustratingly, much of his work has been lost, including a work which covers the years 29-32, where the trial of Jesus would have been had he recorded it. [Meie.MarJ, 89]
Here is a full quote of the cite of our concern, from Annals 15.44. Jesus and the Christians are mentioned in an account of how the Emperor Nero went after Christians in order to draw attention away from himself after Rome's fire of 64 AD:
But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind
[source - Jesus Nero's Scapegoats: by Cornelius Tacitus, The Reliability of the Secular References to Jesus, by J. P. Holding, http://www.tektonics.org/tekton_01_01_01_TC.html on 03/19/2008]
And,
<<<"On the eve of Passover Jesus was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favor, he was hanged on the eve of Passover. Ulla retorted: Do you suppose he was one for whom a defense could be made? Was he not a mesith (enticer), concerning whom Scripture says, "Neither shall thou spare nor shall thou conceal him?" With Jesus, however, it was different, for he was connected with the government. (Sanhedrin 43a)[source - Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a as provided by September 24, 2003 Steven Bayme, National Director, Contemporary Jewish Life Department , http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/997317/posts on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"[And first century slanders of Jesus (Yeshua) prove he existed] ""... Scholars have debated at length how Jesus came to have this name (i.e., ben Pandira) attached to his. Strauss thought it was from the Greek word pentheros, meaning 'son-in-law.' Klausner and Bruce accept the position that panthera is a corruption of the Greek parthenos meaning 'virgin.' Klausner says, 'The Jews constantly heard that the Christians (the majority of whom spoke Greek from the earliest times) called Jesus by the name "Son of the Virgin"... and so, in mockery, they called him Ben ha-Pantera, i.e., "son of the leopard."'... The theory most sensational but least accepted by serious scholars was dramatized by the discovery of a first century tombstone at Bingerbruck, Germany. The inscription read, 'Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera, an archer, native of Sidon, Phoenicia, who in 9 c.e. was transferred to service in Germany.'... This discovery fueled the fire of the theory that Jesus was the illegitimate son of Mary and the soldier, Panthera. Even Origen writes that his opponent, Celsus, in circa A.D. 178, said that he heard from a Jew that 'Miriam' had become pregnant by 'Pantheras,' a Roman soldier; was divorced by her husband, and bore Jesus in secret." [source - III.Ancient Secular Historians, I.Talmudic Sources, DOXA, http://www.doxa.ws/Jesus_pages/Talmud_JC.html on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"Celsus, a late second-century critic of Christianity, accused Jesus of being a bastard child and a sorcerer.[67] He is quoted as saying that Jesus was a "mere man".[68]
The Acts of Pilate is purportedly an official document from Pilate reporting events in Judea to the Emperor Tiberius (thus, it would have been among the commentaii principis). It was mentioned by Justin Martyr, in his First Apology (c. 150) to Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus, who said that his claims concerning Jesus' crucifixion, and some miracles, could be verified by referencing the official record, the "Acts of Pontius Pilate".[69] With the exception of Tertullian, no other writer is known to have mentioned the work, and Tertullian's reference says that Tiberius debated the details of Jesus' life before the Roman Senate, an event that is almost universally considered absurd.[70] There is a later apocryphal text, undoubtedly fanciful, by the same name, and though it is generally thought to have been inspired by Justin's reference (and thus to post-date his Apology), it is possible that Justin actually mentioned this text, though that would give the work an unusually early date and therefore is not a straightforward identification.[71]" [source - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"[Pliny the Younger (c. 62 - c.113 AD) was the Roman Governor of Bithynia (present-day northwestern Turkey). Around 111 or 112 AD, he wrote the following letter to Emperor Trajan of Rome asking for advice on how to deal with Christians. - quite a letter preserved from antiquity, and this is only one of ten .]
It is a rule, Sir, which I inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts; for who is more capable of guiding my uncertainty or informing my ignorance? Having never been present at any trials of the Christians, I am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in examining or punishing them. Whether any difference is to be allowed between the youngest and the adult; whether repentance admits to a pardon, or if a man has been once a Christian it avails him nothing to recant; whether the mere profession of Christianity, albeit without crimes, or only the crimes associated therewith are punishable -- in all these points I am greatly doubtful.
In the meanwhile, the method I have observed towards those who have denounced to me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever the nature of their creed might be, I could at least feel not doubt that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement. There were others also possessed with the same infatuation, but being citizens of Rome, I directed them to be carried thither.
These accusations spread (as is usually the case) from the mere fact of the matter being investigated and several forms of the mischief came to light. A placard was put up, without any signature, accusing a large number of persons by name. Those who denied they were, or had ever been, Christians, who repeated after me an invocation to the gods, and offered adoration, with wine and frankincense, to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for that purpose, together with those of the gods, and who finally cursed Christ -- none of which acts, it is into performing -- these I thought it proper to discharge. Others who were named by that informer at first confessed themselves Christians, and then denied it; true, they had been of that persuasion but they had quitted it, some three years, others many years, and a few as much as twenty-five years ago. They all worshipped your statue and the images of the gods, and cursed Christ.
They affirmed, however, the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food -- but food of an ordinary and innocent kind. Even this practice, however, they had abandoned after the publication of my edict, by which, according to your orders, I had forbidden political associations. I judged it so much the more necessary to extract the real truth, with the assistance of torture, from two female slaves, who were styled deaconesses: but I could discover nothing more than depraved and excessive superstition.
I therefore adjourned the proceedings, and betook myself at once to your counsel. For the matter seemed to me well worth referring to you, especially considering the numbers endangered. Persons of all ranks and ages, and of both sexes are, and will be, involved in the prosecution. For this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread through the villages and rural districts; it seems possible, however, to check and cure it." [source - http://www.allaboutthejourney.org/pliny-the-younger.htm on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"Pliny the Younger, the provincial governor of Pontus and Bithynia, wrote to Emperor Trajan c. 112 concerning how to deal with Christians, who refused to worship the emperor, and instead worshiped "Christus".
Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ - none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do - these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.
They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food-but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations." [source - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"[The ancient Roman historian Suetonius, he was court official under the Roman Emperor Hadrian,
made two interesting historical notes about the followers of Jesus Christ ] "Suetonius provides more insight into how and why "Chrestus" would cause such disturbances among the Jews in Rome when he tells of Nero's campaign of persecution against the Christians, launched in A.D. 64. (Scholars believe this was the persecution that claimed, among others, Peter and Paul - both believed to have died in Rome). Suetonius describes these "Christians" as a "class of men given to a new and mischevious superstition."
[source - Suetonius on Christians in Rome, Ancient Roman Historian Writes of Jesus' Followers, by Brian Tubbs, http://protestantism.suite101.com/blog.cfm/suetonius_on_christians_in_rome on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"There are passages relevant to Christianity in the works of four major non-Christian writers of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries - Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger. However, these are generally references to early Christians rather than a historical Jesus. Of the four, Josephus' writings, which document John the Baptist, James the Just, and possibly also Jesus, are of the most interest to scholars dealing with the historicity of Jesus (see below). Tacitus, in his Annals written c. 115, mentions popular opinion about Christus, without historical details (see also: Tacitus on Jesus). There is an obscure reference to a Jewish leader called "Chrestus" in Suetonius. Pliny condemned Christians as easily-led fools." [source - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"The Talmud Sanhedrin 43a, which dates to the earliest period of composition (Tannaitic period) contains the following:
On the eve of the Passover, Yeshu was hanged. Forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried: "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.[72] [source - From The Babylonian Talmud, translated I. Epstein (London: Soncio, 1935), vol. 3, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<"Michael Grant stated (in 1977) that the view is derived from a lack of application of historical methods:
...if we apply to the New Testament, as we should, the same sort of criteria as we should apply to other ancient writings containing historical material, we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned. ... To sum up, modern critical methods fail to support the Christ myth theory. It has 'again and again been answered and annihilated by first rank scholars.' In recent years, 'no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary." [source - M. Grant, Jesus: An Historian's Review, pp. 199-200 , as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<" In The Historical Figure of Jesus, E.P. Sanders used Alexander the Great as a paradigm-the available sources tell us much about Alexander's deeds, but nothing about his thoughts. "The sources for Jesus are better, however, than those that deal with Alexander" and "the superiority of evidence for Jesus is seen when we ask what he thought."[74] Thus, Sanders considers the quest for the Historical Jesus to be much closer to a search for historical details on Alexander than to those historical figures with adequate documentation.
Consequently, scholars like Sanders, Geza Vermes, John P. Meier, David Flusser, James H. Charlesworth, Raymond E. Brown, Paula Fredriksen and John Dominic Crossan argue that, although many readers are accustomed to thinking of Jesus solely as a theological figure whose existence is a matter only of religious debate, the four canonical Gospel accounts are based on source documents written within decades of Jesus' lifetime, and therefore provide a basis for the study of the "historical" Jesus. These historians also draw on other historical sources and archaeological evidence to reconstruct the life of Jesus in his historical and cultural context." [source - Sanders 1993:3 as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<" Lucian, a second century Romano-Syrian satirist, who wrote in Greek, wrote:
The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day - the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account... You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.[66]" [source - Lucian, The Death of Peregrine, 11-13 in The Works of Lucian of Samosata, translated by H. W. Fowler (Oxford: Clarendon, 1949) vol. 4 as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<" Thallus, of whom very little is known, wrote a history from the Trojan War to, according to Eusebius, 109 AD. No work of Thallus survives. There is one reference to Thallus having written about events beyond 109 AD. Julius Africanus, writing c. 221, while writing about the crucifixion of Jesus, mentioned Thallus. Thus:
On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in his third book of History, calls (as appears to me without reason) an eclipse of the sun.[65]" [source - Julius Africanus, Extant Writings XVIII in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. A. Roberts and J. Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973) vol. VI, p. 130 as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
And,
<<<" Tacitus (c. 56-c. 117), writing c. 116, included in his Annals a mention of Christianity and "Christus", the Latinized Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah". In describing Nero's persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome c. 64, he wrote:
Nero fastened the guilt of starting the blaze and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius 14-37 at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.[53]
R. E. Van Voorst noted the improbability that later Christians would have interpolated "such disparaging remarks about Christianity".[54] For this reason the authenticity of the passage is rarely doubted, but there is disagreement about what it proves. It has been controversially speculated that Tacitus may have used one of Pilate's reports to the emperor as the source for his statement that "Christus" had been crucified by Pilate.[55] Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman wrote that: "Tacitus's report confirms what we know from other sources, that Jesus was executed by order of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, sometime during Tiberius's reign."[56] Others would say it tells us only what the Christians in the year 116 believed, and is not therefore an independent confirmation of the Gospel reports. For example, historian Richard Carrier writes "it is inconceivable that there were any records of Jesus for Tacitus to consult in Rome (for many reasons, not the least of which being that Rome's capitol had burned to the ground more than once in the interim), and even less conceivable that he would have dug through them even if they existed ... It would simply be too easy to just ask a Christian--or a colleague who had done so ... there can be no doubt that what Pliny discovered from Christians he had interrogated was passed on to Tacitus."[57]" [sources - ^ Tacitus, Annals 15.44 (Latin, English and also here) ^ Robert E. Van Voorst (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence. Wm. B. Eerdmans, p. 43. See also the criterion of embarrassment. ^ F.F. Bruce, Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) p. 23 ^ Ehrman, p. [212 INSERT TITLE]. as provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus on 03/19/2008]>>>.
CONCLUSION AND ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
As can be readily seen, it is totally unreasonable to assert that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is not a genuine historic figure as do some unreasonable ones. And to reiterate what was said in the introduction,
<<<"Interestingly, the first type of records comes from what are known commonly as "hostile" sources-writers who mentioned Jesus in a negative light or derogatory fashion. Such penmen certainly were not predisposed to further the cause of Christ or otherwise to add credence to His existence. In fact, quite the opposite is true. They rejected His teachings and often reviled Him as well. Thus, one can appeal to them without the charge of built-in bias. " [source - Apologetics Press :: Reason & Revelation, The Historical Christ-Fact or Fiction? by Kyle Butt, M.A., sub-part HOSTILE TESTIMONY]>>>.
But for those wanting to do additional research and/or checking, here are some resources not previously mentioned:
REFERENCES
Anderson, J.N.D. (1969), Christianity: The Witness of History (London: Tyndale).
Anderson, Norman (1985), Jesus Christ: The Witness of History (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), second edition.
Barker, Dan (1992), Losing Faith in Faith (Minneapolis, MN: Freedom From Religion Foundation).
Beare, Francis Wright (1962), The Earliest Records of Jesus (New York: Abingdon).
Blomberg, Craig L. (1987), The Historical Reliability of the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
Bruce, F.F. (1953), The New Testament Documents-Are They Reliable? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), fourth edition.
Bruce, F.F. (1967), The New Testament Documents-Are They Reliable? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), fifth edition.
Chapman, Colin (1981), The Case for Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Daniel-Rops, Henri, (1969), "Silence of Jesus' Contemporaries," The Sources for the Life of Christ, ed. Henri Daniel-Rops (New York: Hawthorn).
Durant, Will, ed. (1932), On the Meaning of Life (New York: Long and Smith).
Geisler, Norman L. and Ronald M. Brooks (1990), When Skeptics Ask (Wheaton, IL: Victor).
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject: The Meaning of Immanuel at Matthew 1:23, An Understanding Of
The Meaning of Immanuel at Matthew 1:23, An Understanding Of Ancient Hebrews
INTRODUCTION:
Many do not understand Matthew 1:23, "Lo! a Virgin, shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,--and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which is, being translated, God with us." (Rotherham Bible of 1902; RB). Some thing it means that Almighty God (YHWH) came down to earth and was among mankind, but it does not. In ancient times the name of the true God was incorporated into many ancient Hebrew names and still is in many names used by the Hebrews in this very day.
THE LINGUISTIC FACTS ON THE NAME IMMANUEL:
Now you can understand the significance, let's take a brief look at knowing a little about ancient Semitic naming practices. In fact, many Hebrew and Arabic speaking people still form names in this manner. But here are the facts so you can learn from them:
<<<" Hebrew personal names have meanings, and many such personal names have throughout time, been linked to the Sacred Name YAHU. In this obscure way, the Sacred Name YAHU has been preserved for modern times, notwithstanding the fact that it has been almost totally removed from most Bible Translations.
This Name, through recent archeological discoveries in Israel, has been found to be part of more Hebrew words and names than were formerly known. There is an untold number of usages in the Tanach ('Old Testament') where this form of the Sacred Name is used as a conjunction in Biblical names. Some of the more common examples of these are:
EliYahu ('Elijah')
YeremiYahu ('Jeremiah')
YeshiYahu ('Isaiah')
YahuShafat ('Josephat')
NetanYahu (also the name of former Israeli Prime Minister)
YahuNatan ('Jonethan')
and of course, the Messianic Salvation Name YAHU'SHUAH ('Yeshuah')
In each of the examples above, the meanings of these names refer to the Name of the Most High, eg. YAHU is Strength, my God is YAHU, etc
Similarly, the Tribe of Judah, the progeny of which to this day, still represents the original Hebraic Faith instituted by Moses according to the Divine Mandate which was handed to him personally by YAHU, God of Israel, some 4000 years ago. All the disasters of Time failed to wipe out the Tribe of Judah, which today is known as 'the Jews' - in Hebrew: Yahudim. The Tribe of Judah, in Hebrew is 'Yahuda', a Jew is 'Yahudi'. While no specific Hebrew meaning is attached to this term in the modern usage, we do find the following meanings as applied to obscure Bible characters with similar names:
'YahuAdah' (YAH unveils) 1 Chron. 8:36
'YahuYadah' (YAH knows) 2 Samuel 8:18, etc
Can it be that sinister powers have erased the linkage with the 'guardians of His Oracles' (the Jews) to the Name of YAHU? - Rom 3:2 - they, who have been His Testimony to the world all these centuries?
Strange also how, in the modern Hebrew dictionary, three words appear in successive order:
* Yehudah - with its derivations referring to Jews
* YHVH - the Sacred Name, and
* Y'SHUAH (abbreviated form for YAHU'SHUAH) - the Messiah's Name.
THE TETRAGRAMMATON
The Sacred Name appears in the Hebrew Scriptures as four Hebrew letters Yud, hey, vav, hey, which is closest represented by the letters YHVH. This format is known as the Tetragrammaton. According to Jewish tradition it is regarded as 'not to be uttered' in order never to profane it in any way. In Judaism it is therefore pronounced as 'Adonai', meaning 'Lord'. Notwithstanding this prohibition, the Sacred Name is acknowledged in its usage as part of the names of many Biblical characters, as referred to above - and as any Bible concordance or reference book will provide.
Because of these prohibitions, translations of the original Hebrew scrolls have, throughout the ages, replaced the Tetragrammaton with 'the LORD' (in capital letters) and the Sacred Name, in so doing, became 'lost' for many centuries.
Since the sixties, there has been a movement in modern theology and especially amongst sincere Bible students throughout the world, to restore the newly 'rediscovered' Sacred Hebrew Name. Sacred Name publications which chose to restore the Sacred Name in the almost 7000 instances in the Bible, appeared one after the other and the 'Sacred Name Movement', towards the nineties and the turn of the millennium, became a flood which today literally engulfs the world...
Although there is no firm consensus on the actual pronouncement or spelling of the Tetragrammaton YHVH, there are several representations or transliterations in use by theologians and Bible students. Some of the more popular forms are YAHVEH, YAHWEH and Jehovah. ... [Source: http://www.biblicalhebrew.com/links.htm ]">>>
And,
<<<" (Im•man'u•el) [With Us Is God].
A name first mentioned by the prophet Isaiah (7:14; 8:8) during the reign of Ahaz (761-746 B.C.E.). In Matthew 1:23, the only other occurrence, Immanuel is a name-title applied to Christ the Messiah.
In view of the circumstances under which the prophecy was given, Bible commentators have looked for an "Immanuel" in Isaiah's day, one who fittingly served then as a sign that 'God was with them.' In that eighth century B.C.E., Pekah and Rezin, the kings of Israel and Syria, were bent on overthrowing Ahaz, king of Judah, in order to put the son of Tabeel upon his throne. (Isa 7:1-6) Jehovah, however, remembered his kingdom covenant with David, the forefather of Ahaz, and sent his prophet with this reassuring message:
"Listen, please, O house of David. . . . Jehovah himself will give you men a sign: Look! The maiden herself will actually become pregnant, and she is giving birth to a son, and she will certainly call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey he will eat by the time that he knows how to reject the bad and choose the good. For before the boy will know how to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground of whose two kings you are feeling a sickening dread will be left entirely."-Isa 7:13-16.
Then, after telling about the birth of Isaiah's second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the prophecy next describes how the threat to Judah would be removed. As an irresistible flood, the Assyrians would completely inundate Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel, not stopping until they had dangerously spread over the land of Judah, even "to fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" Then, in poetic grandeur, the prophet Isaiah warns all those in opposition to Jehovah: If you gird yourselves for war, if you plan out a scheme, if you speak a word against Jehovah-"it will not stand, for God is with us [Immanuel]!"-Isa 8:5-10.
Some have suggested that in the type back there "Immanuel" was a third son of Isaiah, perhaps by a Jewish maiden who may have become a second wife of the prophet. Certain Jewish commentators endeavored to apply the prophecy to the birth of Ahaz' son Hezekiah. This, however, is ruled out, since the prophecy was uttered during Ahaz' reign (Isa 7:1), making Hezekiah at least nine years old at the time.-2Ki 16:2; 18:1, 2.
Another possible candidate was Isaiah's second son, mentioned in the next chapter, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, concerning whom it was said: "Before the boy will know how to call out, 'My father!' and 'My mother!' one will carry away the resources of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria before the king of Assyria." (Isa 8:1-4) Certainly this echoes what was said about Immanuel: "Before the boy will know how to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground of whose two kings [of Damascus and Samaria] you are feeling a sickening dread will be left entirely." (Isa 7:16) Also, the birth of Isaiah's second son is presented in close connection with the further prophecy involving Immanuel and, as Immanuel was to be a "sign," so also Isaiah said: "I and the children whom Jehovah has given me are as signs."-Isa 7:14; 8:18.
The principal objection to this identification of Isaiah's second son as the Immanuel of Ahaz' day is on the grounds that Isaiah's wife is spoken of as "the prophetess," not as "the maiden," as well as the fact that she was already the mother of Isaiah's firstborn, Shear-jashub, hence no "maiden." (Isa 7:3; 8:3) It may be noted, however, that the Hebrew word here translated "maiden" is not bethu•lah', meaning, specifically, "virgin," but is `al•mah', having a broader reference to a young woman, who could be either a virgin maiden or a recently married woman. The singular `al•mah' also occurs in six other texts, more than one of which involves a virgin maiden.-Ge 24:43 (compare ?Ge 24 ?vs 16); Ex 2:8; Ps 68:25; Pr 30:19; Ca 1:3; 6:8.
The full and complete identity of Immanuel, of course, is found in the office and personage of the Lord Jesus Christ. The use, therefore, of the Hebrew word `al•mah' in the prophecy would accommodate both the type (if such was a young wife of Ahaz or of Isaiah) and the antitype (the betrothed and yet virgin Mary). In the case of Mary there was no question about her being a virgin when she became "pregnant by holy spirit," both Matthew and Luke recording this historical fact. (Mt 1:18-25; Lu 1:30-35) "All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet," Matthew observed. It was a sign that identified the long-awaited Messiah. So in keeping with these facts, Matthew's Gospel (quoting Isa 7:14) uses the Greek word par•the'nos, meaning "virgin," to translate `al•mah', saying: "Look! The virgin [par•the'nos] will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel." (Mt 1:22, 23) In no way was this taking liberties or distorting the text. Over a century earlier, the Jewish translators of the Greek Septuagint had also used par•the'nos in rendering Isaiah 7:14.
This identity of Jesus Christ as Immanuel did not mean he was the incarnation of God, 'God in the flesh,' which proponents of the Trinity teaching claim is implied by the meaning of Immanuel, namely, "With Us Is God." It was a common practice among Jews to embody the word "God," even "Jehovah," in Hebrew names. Even today Immanuel is the proper name of many men; none of whom are incarnations of God.
If there seems to be a conflict between the angel's instructions to Mary ("you are to call his name Jesus") and Isaiah's prophecy ("she will certainly call his name Immanuel"), let it be remembered that Messiah was also to be called by yet other names. (Lu 1:31; Isa 7:14) For example, Isaiah 9:6 said concerning this one: "His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Yet none of these names were given to Mary's firstborn as personal names, neither when he was a babe nor after he took up his ministry. Rather, they were all prophetic title-names by which Messiah would be identified. Jesus lived up to the meaning of these names in every respect, and that is the sense in which they were prophetically given, to show his qualities and the good offices he would perform toward all those accepting him as Messiah. So also with his title Immanuel. He measured up to and fulfilled its meaning.
Worshipers of Jehovah have always desired God to be with them, on their side, backing them up in their undertakings, and often he reassures them that he is, sometimes giving them visible signs to this effect. (Ge 28:10-20; Ex 3:12; Jos 1:5, 9; 5:13-6:2; Ps 46:5-7; Jer 1:19) If today the personal identity of Immanuel in the days of Ahaz remains uncertain, it may be that Jehovah so directed in order not to distract the attention of later generations from the Greater Immanuel, when he put in his appearance as a sign from heaven. With the coming of his beloved Son to earth as the promised Messianic "seed" (Ge 3:15) and rightful heir to the throne of David, Jehovah was furnishing his greatest sign that he had not forsaken mankind or his Kingdom covenant. The title-name Immanuel, therefore, was particularly appropriate to Christ, for his presence was indeed a sign from heaven. And with this foremost representative of Jehovah among mankind, Matthew under inspiration could truly say, "With Us Is God." [source - Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. I ]">>>
And,
<<<" Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: ?? (El, meaning 'God') and (Immanu, meaning 'with us'); Standard Hebrew ?Immanu'el, Tiberian Hebrew ?Immanű'el). It is a name used in the Bible in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8. It also appears in Matthew 1:23 in the Christian New Testament.
Christian Usage: Christian belief holds that the Emmanuel is the Messiah foretold in the other prophecies of Isaiah. In Isaiah 8:8, Palestine is called the land of Emmanuel, though in other passage it is termed the land or the inheritance of God,[1] so that Emmanuel and God are identified. Again, in the Hebrew text of Isaias 8:9-10, the Prophet predicts the futility of all the enemies' schemes against Palestine, because of Emmanuel. In 9:6-7, the characteristics of the child Emmanuel are so clearly described for Christians that they do not doubt his Messianic mission. The eleventh chapter pictures the Messianic blessings which the child Emmanuel will bring upon the earth. Moreover, St Matthew (1:23) expressly identifies the Emmanuel with Jesus the Messiah, and Christian tradition has constantly taught the same doctrine. A number of the Church Fathers, such as St Irenaeus, Lactantius, St Epiphanius, St John Chrysostom, and Theodoret, regarded the name "Emmanuel" not merely as a pledge of Divine assistance, but also as an expression of the mystery of the Incarnation by virtue of which the Messiah will be "God with us".
Christians hold that Emmanuel as described in Isaiah cannot be an ideal or metaphorical person, and cannot be identified with the regenerate people of Israel, nor with religious faith, for "he shall eat butter and honey." It is thought that both the text and the context indicates that the Prophet does not refer to a child in general, but points to an individual.
Christians reject the idea that the name Emmanuel refers to a son of the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 8:1-4 is used to show that the Prophet's son has a name that is not Emmanuel. The child is not thought to be a son of Achaz either, for Christians assert that Ezechias did not possess the most essential characteristics of Emmanuel as described by Isaiah.[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia] ">>>
CONCLUSION:
Now I hope you have an accurate understanding now that you have been given the facts per John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Authorized King James Bible; AV).
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