Has Science Proof of Jesus' Existence?

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from the Associated Press, October 21, 2002, with a headline:“Artifact said to be linked to Jesus,” dateline, Washington.An inscription on a burial artifact that was recently discovered in Israel appears to provide the oldest archeological evidence of Jesus Christ according to an expert who dates it to three decades after the crucifixion.Writing in Biblical Archeology Review, Andre Lemaire, a specialist in ancient inscriptions in France’s practical school of higher studies, says:‘It is very probable the find is an authentic reference to Jesus of Nazareth.That Jesus existed is not doubted by scholars but what the world knows about him comes almost entirely from the New Testament.No physical artifact from the first century related to Jesus has been discovered and verified.’Lemaire believes that has changed, though questions remain such as where the piece with the inscription has been for more than nineteen centuries.The inscription in the Aramaic language appears on an empty ossuary, or limestone burial box for bones.It reads:James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.Lemaire dates the object to 63AD.Lemaire says the writing style and the fact that Jews practiced ossuary burials only between 20 BC and AD 70, puts the inscription squarely in the time of Jesus and James who led the early church in Jerusalem.All three names were commonplace, but he estimates that only 20 James’s in Jerusalem during that era would have had a father named Joseph, and a brother named Jesus.Moreover, naming the brother as well as the father on an ossuary was very unusual, Lemaire says.There’s only one other known example in Aramaic, thus this particular Jesus must have had some unusual role or fame and Jesus of Nazareth certainly qualified, Lemaire concludes.It’s impossible, however, to prove absolutely that the Jesus named on the box was Jesus of Nazareth.The archeology magazine says two scientists with the Israeli government’s geological survey conducted a detailed microscopic examination of the surface patina and the inscription.They reported last month, that there is no evidence that might from the authenticity.The ossuary’s owner also is requiring Lemaire to shield his identity so the box’s current location was not revealed.James is depicted as Jesus’ brother in the gospels and head of the Jerusalem church in the Book of Acts and Paul’s epistles.The first century Jewish historian Josephus recorded that the brother of Jesus, the so called Christ, James by name, was stoned to death as a Jewish heretic in AD 62.If his bones were placed in an ossuary, that would have occurred the following year dating the inscription around AD 63.The Reverend Joseph Fitzmeyer, a Bible professor at CatholicUniversity who studied photos of the box, agrees with Lemaire that the writing style fits perfectly with other first century examples and admits the joint appearance of these three famous names is striking.‘But the big problem is, you have to show me that Jesus in this text is Jesus of Nazareth and nobody can show that,’ Fitzmeyer says.”

Tom:

Dave, I think this is pretty exciting.We look to archeology for encouragement, for evidence, evidences with regard to many things the Bible says, but how much stock should a believer put in something like this?

Dave:

We don’t need that kind of evidence, we have other more powerful evidence, but I would question whether Josephus ever said that.I have a quotation from Josephus here, he says, “Now there was about this time Jesus a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such man as received the truth with pleasure he drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles.He was the Christ.”This says Josephus calls him a “so-called” Christ?I don’t think so.“And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the primary 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 have foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.”Now it doesn’t quite square with what this says about Josephus, what Josephus said.Now furthermore, we know that all of the apostles died as martyrs.They didn’t die just like a suicide bomber today, you know, out of loyalty to Muhammad or trying to earn a place in Paradise, they died testifying to facts.And, anybody knows that no one is fool enough to die for what he knows is a lie and everyone of them went to his death saying Jesus did rise from the dead, he did raise the dead, he did walk on water, he did feed five thousand with a few loaves and fishes and so forth.He is the Christ and not one of them said, guys, please don’t kill me, I’ll tell you the truth—we stole his body, hid it in Peter’s basement and so forth.No, so we have powerful witness.We furthermore have powerful witness from Paul.Paul didn’t study with any of the apostles under Jesus; in fact, Paul hated the Christians and put them to death as Saul of Tarsus.But suddenly here he comes!He’s not only just a Christian, he is the foremost apostle.He knows everything they knew and more.He rebukes Peter to his face and the apostles have to acknowledge, “Paul you are the chief of the apostles, you know more than we do.”And Paul says, “I learned it from Jesus himself who is alive and who appeared to me.”This is very powerful evidence for the resurrection.So, on the one hand, so what if this is some supposed authentic reference to Jesus and James his half brother, but I don’t need that.If we had five hours I could just talk non stop and give you proof from the Bible that Jesus is who he claimed to be and I can quote leading historians to that effect.

Tom:

So things like the Shroud, which I don’t think I would put that in this category.This seems more legitimate, more the possibility here, but again, our faith isn’t based on this.But Dave, come on, is it an encouragement?What do you think?

Dave:

Well, it’s not an encouragement to me because I already know for certain that Jesus is who he claimed to be, that he lived when the Bible said and the Bible is true.

Tom:

Okay, but it may point some people in the direction that you’re talking about to search the scriptures, check some of these events, that’s what I’m talking about.

Dave:

Well okay, search the scriptures, I have much better evidence than that from the scriptures, but I don’t like what this guy says.I mean, he’s misquoting Josephus.