[Magdalen] did jesus exist

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I am on a discussion forum where a lot of skeptical questions and comments
come up.  One thing which I see from time to time is the simple question:
"Did Jesus exist?"

I've always said that this is for me personally an unimportant question,
because whether or not there was some guy walking around Palestine back in
the day has absolutely no impact on us today.  Similarly, the stories about
walking on water, feeding more than ten thousand people (read the text
carefully), healing or even those rumors about resuscitation actually mean
nothing if we do not have reason to think there is an ongoing presence in
us and in the world today.

However, for a lot of folks, it is being said that there is no evidence
that Jesus ever even existed at all. This, for them, is a gateway to
concluding that there is no basis to any aspect of the Christian point of
view.

So, while it might not be terribly vital to me, evidence that Jesus existed
is nevertheless an important piece of information for me and anyone who
might interact with someone of the skeptical nature.

Those of you (I hope nearly all of you. we live in hope) who subscribe to
Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) probably already know the article I am
thinking of. However, not everyone subscribes to BAR, and both of you need
to take a look at this article from BAR now available online. Since it
probably will not be so for much longer, I suggest you may want to look now.

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/

The author does a good discussion of the sources available and puts each
into good perspective.  In short, this article pretty much demonstrates
that Jesus the person actually existed and was an influential leader of
sorts. In this sense, Tacitus' comments are especially useful, since he is
not likely forged, and his dislike of the "Chrestus" cult (and lack of
information about them) is evident.

BAR is a rich resource of information on what is being pulled out of the
ground, and what may be made of it. Since it absorbed the staff of the now
defunct magazine Biblical Review, it also has regular features on Bible
related themes as well.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente