When billions of people call Him "Lord" over 2000 years, you can say it's a pretty safe bet.
Jesus is in the realm of religion. Religion is pretty much synonimous with faith. Faith does not require historical evidence.
Is there historical evidence of the :Big Bang?"
Well, let's see....
1. Nobody. Not Pontius Pilate, Not The Sanhedrin, Not The Roman Legionnaires, Not The Scribes, Not The Pharisees, Not The man on the street, NOBODY doubted the tomb was empty.
2. The Sabbath changed from last day of the week to the first day of the week. A stiff-necked people did not change their minds on a deep spiritual matter just for giggles or something to do on a slow day.
3. Very important. VERY IMPORTANT!
One disciple and only one did not die a martyr's death. Those 11 disciples who died, at one time were hiding as cowards in an upper room afraid of their own shadows or any knock on the door. After they had seen the Lord, put their hands in His wounds and watched his ascension, they would not shut up or be silenced except by death.
1. James the brother of John was killed by Herod's sword.
2. James the Less was killed by a mob in Jerusalem.
3. Matthew was slain on a sword in Ethiopia.
4. Philip was hanged in Phrygia.
5. Bartholomew was flayed alived (skinned) in Armenia.
6. Andrew was crucified in Achaia.
7. Thomas was run through with a lance in East India.
8. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.
9. Simon the Zealot was crucified in Persia.
10. Peter was crucified upside down (he did not feel worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Christ) in Rome.
11. Matthias was beheaded.
12. John was the only one to die of natural causes.
These 11 men left steeples to the sky and a church for Christ in every corner of the then known earth. Not bad for a bunch of reformed cowards.
And people wonder why my family is not embarassed to say Grace together in a public restaurant.
It always amazes me when people argue over this. Well, they say hell will be a heavily populated place, and I'm seeing evidence every day to point in this direction...
Wow great debate. I'd say the judges all scored it 10-8 with Ehrman winning a unanimous decision.
First hand eye witnesses who were willing to die for what they saw is good enough for me. How else can anyone explain how one person and 12 uneducated disciples would be able to convert so many to believe in Him by just using their own preaching, not radio, TV, internet, or documents?
As LDS when we read things like this that questions the evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is so nice to have received a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is also another Testament of Jesus Christ!
The debate over His existence is a matter for historians, this new debate has nothing to do with history, but instead is just a ruse to discredit Christianity and promote their own atheism.
Josephus was a very respected first century, Jewish historian. In a number of places in his works he refers to to the early Christian movement and its followers. I have listed a few. Please bear in mind that Josephus is still considered today a Jew....not a Christian. His history, of course, would not be considered tainted, or in the slightest pro Christian.
Antiquities XVIII Chapter III, Paragraph 3. Josephus says that Jesus was the Christ, says he was crucified by Pilate, appeared alive the third day and all had been foretold by prophecy.
Antiquities XVIII Chapter V, Paragraph 2. Josephus speaks of John the Baptist and his death by Herod. It gives other reasons for his death but we still know from scripture why John was placed in this position.
Antiquities XX Chapter XI, Paragraph 1. Josephus speaks of Albinus, Procurator of Judea delivering up James, the brother of Jesus, and others for stoning because of lawbreaking.
Josephus is not considered scripture....but a very reliable first century historical source.
The people that try to tear down your faith have none of their own. They are lonely, empty vessels of hate and bitterness with no where to go for strength. They hate and resent our inner strength from our faith. They hate it because they want it, but they can't handle it because it comes with rules, very definite rules, and they don't like rules. Why, I don't know. If they would accept it, they would be better for it, but they have a different way to go about life.
These people go through life hating everything that is good, and decent. They want to pervert everything that is decent. If I have no one, I have my God, and Jesus, a man that gave His life for me. They have nothing. In a way I can feel sorry for them, but they brought that upon themselves.
They deny God, and they disdain Jesus, they spit on the Holy Bible. They blaspheme the name of God. They live for themselves and justify it in the name of some false concept of, whatever. Rules to them are archaic, and nonsensical.
Live your life that way and you will find the end of that life will be unfulfilled and empty. It will be nobody's fault but your own. Find Christ, find God and you will be forgiven.
A quote from the Son of God: He who beliefit in Me shall not parish, but shall live forever in the Kingdom of God.
I'd say that that's pretty good deal, better that all the rest.
The Bible is not 'absolute proof' of anything, in and of itself, was his main point. For a wide variety of reasons.
Reliable 'historical' evidence is first-hand accounts written by eye-witnesses close to when it happened.
And even then, in history, you will get untruths and exaggerations.
So considering the Bible as absolute proof is, historically, a losing debate point.
The answer of course is yes there is excellent historical evidence for the Resurrection.
Ehrman seems to reject it because of emoition rather than reason. His argument seems to be from my scanning that historians can't consider the existence of God so they can't consider the occurrance of miracles so the they can't accept the Resurrection. This, of course, is silly.
If you factor in God, the Resurrection becomes a near certainty based on the historical evidence.
Pretty solid proof, if you askme...
What, the Turin shroud ain't enough for you? ;)
There have been many resurrection stories over the centuries.