The Proof of Christ
By J.H. Yoneyama
When we read a book, we usually don’t consider the validity of the story. Yet when we speak of Christ, there is always someone who questions the truth about our Lord.
The great historian Herodotus wrote 488-428 b.c. Copy made 1,300e 1,300
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years later. There are 8 copies.
Another historian Tacitus written 100 a.d. copy made 1000 years later. There are 20 copies.
Caesars Gallic War written 58-50 b.c. copy made 950 years later. There are 9-10 copies.
Livy’s Roman History written 59b.c.-17a.d. copy made 900 years later. There are 20 copies.
The New Testament written 40-100a.d. copy made 300 years later there are 5000+Greek, 10,000 Latin, 9,300 others.
Testimony of Tacius states that The Procurator Pontius Pilate under the reign of Tiberius had put the Founder of the Christian Religion to death and had also diverted the suspicion of the burning of Rome by charging the Christian with the crime. He also described some of the horrible torment to which Nero subjected the Christians.
Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan in which he consults his majesty as to how deal with Christian living under his jurisdiction, On one hand their lives were confessedly innocent no crime could be provided against them except for their Christian belief which could not be shaken in their allegiance to Christ whom they celebrated as their God in their morning meeting.
Logos Alethes of celsus testifies that at the time the fact related to the gospel were generally accepted as historically true. However scanty the source of the life of Christ may be. They bear at least testimony to His existence to His miracle, His parables, His claim to divine worship, His death on the cross.
Josephus Flavious - Josephus born a.d.37 confirms two facts of the inspired Christian record. He reports the murder of John called Baptist by Herod, describing also John’s character and work. He also disapproved of the sentence pronounced by the high priest Ananus against James brother who was called Jesus.
Josephus stated ( About this time appeared Jesus a wise man if indeed it is right to call him man for he was a worker of astonishing deed, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with joy and he drew to himself many Jews, many of Greek. This was the Christ, and when Pilate at the denunciation of those that are foremost among us had condemned him to the cross. those who had first loved him did not abandon him for he appeared to them alive again on the third day the holy prophet having foretold this and countless other marvels about him the tribe of Christians named after him did not cease to this day.
The Roman, Galatians and First and Second Corinthian 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 gospel, At least most of the gospels. It is the more valuable because it is incidental and undersigned it is the testimony of highly intellectual and cultured writer who had been at one time the greatest enemy of Jesus. Paul who writes with in 25 years of the event 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 descent, His poverty, His messiah ship, His moral teaching, His preaching of the Kingdom of God, His calling of the apostles, His miraculous power, His claim to be God, His betrayal, His institution of the Eucharist, His passion, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, His repeated appearance (Rom 1:3-4Rom 1:3-4
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3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: declared: Gr. determined
5:11 8:2-3 8:39 9:5 15:8 Galatians 2:17Galatians 2:17
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17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
3:13 4:4 5:21 1corinthians 6:9 13:4 ect However important the four epistles may be The gospels are still more so. Not that anyone of them offers a complete biography of Jesus, but they account for the origin of Christianity by the life of its founder.
Philo who died after 40 a.d. is mainly important for the light he throws on certain modes of thought and phraseology found again in some of the apostles, also that he met St Peter in Rome during his mission to the emperor Caius. He also describes the life of the Christian church in Alexandria in his work on the contemplative life.
Lucian Samosata (second century Greek writer)
The Christians you know worship a man to this day-The distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on the account you see these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all times. 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 converted, and deny the god of Greece and worship the crucified sage and live after his law. All this they take quite on faith with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as a common property.
Lucians Satire shows
Christian worshiped a crucified Christ
Christ introduced new teaching for which He was crucified.
Christians follow Christ’s law and are willing to die for it
Julius Africanus who refers to a lost historical work of Thallus writes
On the whole there pressed a most fearful darkness and the rocks were rent by an earthquake and many places in Judea and other district were thrown down. This darkness Thallus in the third book of his History calls as appears to me without reason an eclipse of the sun- phlegon records that in the time of Tiberius Caesar at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the six hour to the ninth- manifestly that one of which we speak
Apparently in 52 a.d. Thallus tried to explain a mysterious darkness the one mentioned in (mat 27:45mat 27:45
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45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
) as an eclipse of the sun. Julius Africanus argues that in the middle of the lunar month ( the 14th of nisan the Passover) a solar eclipse is not possible. Additionally he refers to a writing of Phelegon, also lost That record the eclipse.
| WORK | WHEN WRITTEN | EARLIEST COPY | TIME SPAN | NUMBER OF COPIES |
| Herodotus | 488-428 b.c. | 900 a.d. | 1300 yrs | 8 |
| Thucydides | 460-400 b.c. | 900 a.d. | 1300 yrs | 8 |
| Tacius | 100 a.d. | 1100 a.d. | 1000 yrs | 20 |
| Caesars gallic war | 55-50 b.c. | 900 a.d. | 950 yrs | 9-10 |
| Livys Rom. History | 59b.c.-17a.d. | 900 a.d. | 900 yrs | 20 |
| New Testament | 40-100 a.d. | 130a.d. | 300 yrs | greek 5000( Full Manuscript latin 10000 350a.d. others 9300) |
There are more than 200 Prophecies about our Lord Jesus Christ written in the Old Testament and they were all filled. Here are just a few of them…
Gen 3:15Gen 3:15
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15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As the seed of a woman Ga 4:4Ga 4:4
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4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Ps 132:11Ps 132:11
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11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. body: Heb. belly
Jer 23:5Jer 23:5
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5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
As the seed of David Act 13:23Act 13:23
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23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
Rom 1:3Rom 1:3
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3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Isa 7:14Isa 7:14
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14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. shall call: or, thou, O virgin, shalt call
His being called Immanuel Mt 1:22-23Mt 1:22-23
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22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. they...: or, his name shall be called
Mic 5:2Mic 5:2
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2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity
Hi being born in Bethlehem of Judea Mt 2:1Mt 2:1
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2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Lu 2:4-6Lu 2:4-6
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4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. taxed: or, inrolled
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
Ps 72:10Ps 72:10
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10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Great person coming to adore Him Mt 2:1Mt 2:1
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2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
-11
Zec 9:9Zec 9:9
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9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. having...: or, saving himself
, Isa 62:11Isa 62:11
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11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. work: or, recompense
Triumphant entry in Jerusalem on a donkey Jn 12:15Jn 12:15
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15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
Mk 11:7Mk 11:7
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7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
Mt 21:5Mt 21:5
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5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Eze 44: 1-2 Entry Through The Golden Gate Mk 11:7Mk 11:7
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7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
-8 Luk 19:37-38Luk 19:37-38
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37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Zec 11:12Zec 11:12
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12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. If ye...: Heb. If it be good in your eyes
Ps 41:9Ps 41:9
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9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. mine...: Heb. the man of my peace lifted...: Heb. magnified
Betrayed by a friend for 30 silver Mk 14:10Mk 14:10
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10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
Mt 27:3-10Mt 27:3-10
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3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; whom...: or, whom they bought of the children of Israel
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
Zec 11:13Zec 11:13
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13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
Money to be returned for a potter’s field Mt 27:3-5,8-10Mt 27:3-5,8-10
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3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; whom...: or, whom they bought of the children of Israel
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
In conclusion I leave it up to you to believe or not to believe
On science of probability to fill Eight of the prophecies, Such odds are One in 100,000,000,000,000,000. This is like covering whole of Texas with a silver dollar and trying to find One specially marked coin How Many Prophecies did Christ Fulfill?
Amen
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