Information about the historical existence and life of Christ have, in addition to the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) who wrote as witnesses of the events described, especially by the Jewish historians Josephus and Philo, the Roman historians Tacitus and Souetonio , the Roman governor Pliny, but also from Jewish Sources (Jewish Talmud) referred to the action of Christ and his disciples in Palestine. The very holy life that Jesus lived, the countless miracles (resurrected dead, healed the sick, heavy, non-blind pupil, paralyzed since birth, calmed stormy seas, etc.), the only words he ever said ( the Triune God, holiness of life, to love their enemies, equality for all, etc.), the life-giving death on the cross (by whom and in more pain forgive the cross, saying to his father that they do not know) stunning resurrection and ascension fan in front of his students, leading to the fact that it was a simple man like us, but the only God-man of history, the Son of God, the Scriptures, and many exovivlikes prophecies had foretold.
Occurring but the events described in the New Testament really and truly? Course! After the students also died for Christ and suffered humiliation first, imprisonment, persecution, lashes and exile. Nobody sacrificed for a lie. But for scientific reasons is absolutely guaranteed the truth of the Bible: First of all, we now have over 600,000 copies of the Greek Bible (Old and New Testament together) and more than 500,000 Greek manuscripts that contain larger or smaller parts of the New Testament . In addition, scientists critical of the text have been reminded of not only around 10,000 copies of the Latin Voulgatas, but some manuscripts and 9,000 on ancient translations of the Bible in Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Slavonic, etc., and 36,000 Early reports of ecclesiastical writers and the Fathers of the Church in the New Testament texts (duck Ierapoleos, Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Athanasius, Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine, etc.). The number of so and so many manuscripts, and have few differences between them, argue about the truth of the Bible. Moreover, while the works of Thucydides, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, etc. preserved in copies are about 1300 years from the time they were written, the New Testament survives in codes that are only 200 years from the time the gospels written, (And we know that the written 75-100 AD). Finally, they discovered far more than 100 scrolls, some of which date back close to the events of the Passion of Christ (eg verses of John's gospel by just 120 AD). Therefore, both in terms of length of service New Testament is the most reliable book in the world.
Some argue that disproved the truth of the Bible because of the many wonders it contains. The famous, Nobel Prize, Austrian physicist Victor Hess, responded to a question as follows: "I said, to understand why the almighty God who created everything, would not be able, if he wanted to change the physical course of events.
Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, many prophecies were recorded in the Bible (but there are many exovivlika texts) about the major events of his life. All of these prophecies can not be explained otherwise than by the existence of a divine plan. But the original texts and the prophecies of the Old Testament (OT)? Absolutely! Whole PD translated as we know the 4th century BC from the original Hebrew into Greek. It's called "Septuagint." So the PD that we possess today are genuine, if made by Jews for Jews, not Christians. Moreover, the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 in the caves of Qumran (Qumran), of Palestine, we see whole texts (eg the book of Isaiah) is the same as those available in the Church today for the PD . Only even the Qumran papyri dating from at least 150 BC cc Moreover, the mathematical probability "random coincidence" only 48 prophecies in the person of Jesus Christ, according to the great mathematician Peter Stoner, 1 in 10 157 (the number 10 followed by 157 zeros), ie extremely unlikely event of not discussing any physical for the corresponding mathematical relationship that would exist in the case of about 300 Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Outline a few of the prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter and on the sufferings of the Lord:
- - It betrays the Messiah for thirty pieces of silver (Zach. 11,12), as was the life of Christ by Judas. Indeed, he continues the prophecy (500 years BC), they would buy with a field of a brick, which was verified to the letter.
- The Messiah would just hurt for our iniquities and by his wounds will heal us. As Isaiah says (8OO years ago), so he did. But the oral Jeremiah say about the Messiah that "harmless as a lamb led to the sacrifice" (11.19). And the prophet Isaiah adds: "That carries over to our sins and suffered for us" (53.4).
- You will die with a cross death, writes Psalm 22 (16) bored in the hands and feet.
- I gave him vinegar to drink instead of water (Pslm. 69.21), which was on the cross.
- The clothes will put a lot again says the psalm (22.18). This was done by soldiers under the cross.
- Bones of the will not break (Pslm. 34.20) indicates again the prophetic text. Indeed, while the two villains soldiers broke the legs, Jesus did not suffer such a thing, because it had already expired.
- Isaiah also tells us something very important. That "was the grave of the villains. But his death was the rich (53.9) actually died between two thieves. But after his death was buried in the tomb was for Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and secret follower of Jesus.
- Unique is the prophecy of his resurrection. The poet and prophet King David exclaims: "We will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let the saint to know your physical decay (corruption) 'Indeed David died and his body melted into the soil, but the prediction was for Son of God, three days remained a man in hell and was resurrected on the third, even without seeing corruption body, ie decomposition. (Pslm. 16.10).
- Recall the fulfillment of prophecy in the tragedy of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. " There the god Hermes keep the Prometheus tied to Caucasus will not receive end its suffering, only when God himself come down to trisvatha of hell, taking over his passions (stich. 1026-9). This has brought salvation to His sacrifice for all mankind and all generations of human sin, the Lord.
A few words below the most important historical event, the resurrection of Christ, which Jesus himself foretold many times, eg "Tear down this temple (His body meant) and I will rebuild it in three days" (see Luke 18:31). The resurrection is approached mainly with loyalty, operational and prosefchitika, but there for her and unshakeable proof reasonable:
- The tomb in which he had placed the dead body of Jesus was empty! As the soldier from a fortified lance in hand, and the many beatings he had previously held, the great loss of blood and martyrdom of the cross, Jesus had actually died. The empty tomb is not explained only by the resurrection. Besides, the entrance closed with heavy boulders and guarded by armed anystachtous and Roman soldiers. Jews do not even interest to lose the body of Jesus from the grave as this would spread the resurrection, and the disciples had already refused from fear and hid before even crucified.
- The resurrected Jesus appeared many times to His disciples. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared 10 times to his disciples and the apostle Paul (who was known empirically before Christ fierce opponent of the Christians) even asserts that occurred some 500 people. The resurrection of Christ, those views (for 40 days, morning, noon, afternoon and evening at different locations) were absolutely true, after they spoke, taught them, they move together, ate together, leaning in, etc.
- The resurrection is the reason the Church exists and will exist for ever. The Church is a divine body and the body of Christ in eternity. The center of his preaching is based on the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:14-36). Only then would cease to exist and act in the Church in history, transforming the world into the kingdom of God, if the enemies of the cross of Christ had publicly his dead body. They did, either then or now, because the Lord has truly risen to the body.
- The resurrection of the Lord caused a spiritual and existential change in the lives of students and the Apostles, but also the emergence of millions of martyrs, saints and Church Fathers. As rescue the evangelists, the students who initially did not believe that it will rise from the dead. They were particularly disappointed and returned to their old jobs [This certifies that even had hallucinations and then spreading his resurrection, since they waited agonizing, according to modern psychology, such an event]. After his resurrection, however, and the Holy Spirit, preached vigorously and publicly and not feared imprisonment and spanking, nor him to death. And the 10 apostles of Christ (Judas had apanchonisthei and John died in deep old age) died in martyrdom, in various ways: a cross death, knife, fire by bow or torture. This proves the truth of what the. After all, millions of Christian witness years gave their lives for their beloved and God, Jesus, and Jesus changed psychosomatic changes, dynamic and daily lives of countless believers, indifferent, unhappy, discouraged, desperate people.
Major also philosophers, thinkers and writers (such as the holy Augustine, a prominent mathematician Pascal, the multitalented thinker CS Lewis and the great novelist Dostoevsky), included after-life religious odyssey Christ in their lives and resurrected heart, spiritual and true.
This is because Christianity is not just a philosophy of life, does not mean blind obedience to impersonal moralistic rules. It is ideology and abstract teachings, but relies on a vibrant and personal relationship with the risen and living Savior, Jesus Christ, performed the daily prayer, repentance, humility of the man standing on Holy Communion and the works of love.