The Best Evidence for Jesus...

[Steven Snyder]

Now I could be wrong but...

Wasn't it written in the Bible that the Roman soldier who split the side of Jesus with a spear was cursed to walk the earth forever?
If so where is that written because I can't seem to find it...

Now that sparks a question...
If this is the case then the Bible has put forth the claim that not only did the Jesus exist, but there is a person walking around today that is an eye-witness. Verifying this man's credentials cannot be difficult, I don't know of any other humans who simply cannot die.

So why are all these people who are looking for evidence of Jesus looking into old ruins and digging up ossuaries? They should be searching for the man who saw it all and is still alive today. He shouldn't be that hard to find, he has had 2000 years to contribute to his 401k, and must have an immense bank account by now.

You would think that he would at least be on TV preaching about the reality of god and trying to tell young people that it is a really, really bad idea to mess with him. He would be suing Stephen King over the rights to The Green Mile, technically it was stolen from him.

So where is this guy?

[beyond hope]

I don't think you'll find that in the Bible anywhere.

[Yogi]

Matthew 16:28
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

[Steven Snyder]

It might just be a legend...

Though there is something in Revalation about it... 1:7 I think

[Joe]

IIRC, the Roman centurion, Longinus, who pierced the side of Jesus was not made to walk the Earth forever, but his spear was made holy. I think you're thinking of the Wandering Jew, a Jew who supposedly spit on Jesus as he hung from the cross and was thus doomed to forever walk the Earth. TO my knowledge this story is nothing more than anti-Semitic propaganda.

[Steven Snyder]

I think your right about that...A series of book were written by someone named Sandler about it.

Damn, I guess I just have to fall back on logic again.

[Durandal]

So where is this guy?

He's long dead, where do you think he is? Humans don't live for 2000 years. The story of Jesus' crucifixion was largely ripped off of the Mithra legend in order to convert more people to Christianity so the Roman Empire would become officially Christian.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

Was your first post a joke or something?

[Admiral Valdemar]

Besides, the Longinus spear was used to defeat angels attacking our planet.

[Wicked Pilot]

So where is this guy?

He's on that magical island with Elvis, 2Pac, and JFK.

[weemadando]

Actually where is the evidence that Jesus was even crucified?

And how do we know that the Romans did it? Not the Jews as a punishment?

Pontius Pilate is only a name in historical evidence due to a SINGLE inscription found bearing his name...

That is the only piece of evidence that relates to the events of the New Testament. Excluding the obvious geographical locations.

Though they have found Sodom and Gamorrah they think. Victims of an earthquake that triggered two events: 1) A landslip that sent them both into the Dead Sea, 2) ignition of subsurface oil and gas deposits. To your average 2000BCE bumpkin that would look a lot like the wrath of god.

[Exonerate]

Besides, the Longinus spear was used to defeat angels attacking our planet.

But it came back

[Joe]

Actually where is the evidence that Jesus was even crucified?

And how do we know that the Romans did it? Not the Jews as a punishment?

Pontius Pilate is only a name in historical evidence due to a SINGLE inscription found bearing his name...

That is the only piece of evidence that relates to the events of the New Testament. Excluding the obvious geographical locations.

Though they have found Sodom and Gamorrah they think. Victims of an earthquake that triggered two events: 1) A landslip that sent them both into the Dead Sea, 2) ignition of subsurface oil and gas deposits. To your average 2000BCE bumpkin that would look a lot like the wrath of god.

Indeed, where is the evidence that Jesus was crucified? Reminds me of an argument I had with a Christian friend a while back; he did nothing but demand that I provide evidence that Jesus was not crucified, while basing his argument solely on what the wildly unreliable Bible had to say.

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Pontius Pilate is only a name in historical evidence due to a SINGLE inscription found bearing his name...

No, Pontius Pilate is a real person who was written about in seveal sources, including at least one Roman history books. He was the govern of the area for 10 years and was eventually removed for being corrupt and cruel, but mostly cruel.

[Darth Wong]

Though they have found Sodom and Gamorrah they think. Victims of an earthquake that triggered two events: 1) A landslip that sent them both into the Dead Sea, 2) ignition of subsurface oil and gas deposits. To your average 2000BCE bumpkin that would look a lot like the wrath of god.

I once saw a video dramatization of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on TV. The funny thing was that they used an A-bomb mushroom-cloud as the visual effect. In other words, they visualized the wrath of God as something that we figured out how to duplicate 57 years ago

[Durandal]

Though they have found Sodom and Gamorrah they think. Victims of an earthquake that triggered two events: 1) A landslip that sent them both into the Dead Sea, 2) ignition of subsurface oil and gas deposits. To your average 2000BCE bumpkin that would look a lot like the wrath of god.

I once saw a video dramatization of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on TV. The funny thing was that they used an A-bomb mushroom-cloud as the visual effect. In other words, they visualized the wrath of God as something that we figured out how to duplicate 57 years ago

Perhaps God is a fission control rod?

[Darth Wong]

Perhaps God is a fission control rod?

Or a trigger-happy B-17 pilot

[Vympel]

See 'Gods of the New Millenium'- written by one of those 'ancient astronaut' crazies for more ramblings about aliens nuking Sodom and Gomorrah

[weemadando]

Pontius Pilate is only a name in historical evidence due to a SINGLE inscription found bearing his name...

No, Pontius Pilate is a real person who was written about in seveal sources, including at least one Roman history books. He was the govern of the area for 10 years and was eventually removed for being corrupt and cruel, but mostly cruel.

WRONG!

The only historical evidence we have of him is a single inscription found in the area of Jerusalem that bears the name Pontius Pilate. Thats all.

The literary sources that you refer to are likely from the 3rd and 4th century in Rome when the Christian religion had been legalised. As such one must be careful as to how one interprets them and it may be questioned whether they were even written by genuine historians.

[MKSheppard]

Perhaps God is a fission control rod?

Or a trigger-happy B-17 pilot

God.

B-29 Pilot not B-17

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Pontius Pilate is only a name in historical evidence due to a SINGLE inscription found bearing his name...

No, Pontius Pilate is a real person who was written about in seveal sources, including at least one Roman history books. He was the govern of the area for 10 years and was eventually removed for being corrupt and cruel, but mostly cruel.

WRONG!

The only historical evidence we have of him is a single inscription found in the area of Jerusalem that bears the name Pontius Pilate. Thats all.

The literary sources that you refer to are likely from the 3rd and 4th century in Rome when the Christian religion had been legalised. As such one must be careful as to how one interprets them and it may be questioned whether they were even written by genuine historians.

I don't know where you got your evidence from, I got mine from, 'The Straight Dope.'

[Vympel]

I don't know where you got your evidence from, I got mine from, 'The Straight Dope.'

The Straight Dope isn't very reliable- their research is often superficial- see their was Hitler a Christian tract, where IIRC they use utterly discredited sources.

I don't see what reason there is to *doubt* that Pontius Pilate existed. It's probable. It's also probable (maybe) that the man we now know as Jesus existed to. Doesn't mean he was raised from the dead however.

[weemadando]

I don't know where you got your evidence from, I got mine from, 'The Straight Dope.'

I take evidence from academic sources. Namely university websites, GENUINE archaeological finds and the many classics journals that exist.

Here's the academic evidence that supports the NT in terms of Pilate...

http://religion.rutgers.edu/iho/pilate_2.html

Note, that even that is from a religious site within a university. But most of it is accurate, you can even ready Pliny and Tacitus on the web if in doubt.

But in future don't make vague references from a website. Find yourself an academic source. A good start is this I use it all the time and its very popular with the academic community.

[SAMAS]

IIRC, the Roman centurion, Longinus, who pierced the side of Jesus was not made to walk the Earth forever, but his spear was made holy. I think you're thinking of the Wandering Jew, a Jew who supposedly spit on Jesus as he hung from the cross and was thus doomed to forever walk the Earth. TO my knowledge this story is nothing more than anti-Semitic propaganda.

I've heard of both cases, although I remember another story that said Longinus was later Martyred.

BTW, who here has read JMS' Midnight Nation, where one of the characters is Lazuraus. Apparently, when Jesus said to get up, he said nothing about dying again.

[Slartibartfast]

Ah, if the apostles were alive today, I'm sure they'd be giggling about how their little prank worked.