The Historical Jesus

The Gnostic sources are even in agreement here. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ We are told that on one occasion Jesus asked his disciples who they believed he was (Gospel of Thomas). Various answers are given in the Gnostic works, all of which agree ⁽⁴¹⁾ that he was both God and man. While he was a real flesh and blood person (Gospel of Truth; Treatise on Resurrection), as indicated (in the context) by the title Son of Man (Gospel of Thomas), he is also called ⁽⁴²⁾ the Son of God (Treatise on Resurrection; Gospel of Truth) and ⁽⁴³⁾ the “All” (Gospel of Thomas).

The Teachings of Jesus

It is recorded ⁽⁴⁴⁾ that Jesus preached to and taught Israel, a people whom he loved (Barnabas). ⁽⁴⁵⁾ He exhorted the Jews to repent, yet they refused to do so even after he rose from the dead (Justin).

⁽⁴⁶⁾ Jesus’ major teaching was the gospel (creed: 1 Cor. 15:1-4), ⁽⁴⁷⁾ which he received from God and later imparted to his apostles (Clement; Barnabas). ⁽⁴⁸⁾ The apostles were fully convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel and they, in turn, preached the Kingdom of God everywhere (Clement).

The tendency among some of the secular sources was ⁽⁴⁹⁾ to view Jesus as a philosopher with some distinct teachings (Lucian; Mara Bar Serapion; cf. Gospel of Thomas). For instance, Lucian refers to Jesus as a “sage.” Lucian and Pliny, in particular, corroborate some of the major teachings of Jesus as mentioned earlier in the Christian sources.

Lucian asserts ⁽⁵⁰⁾ that Jesus introduced new teachings in Palestine. These included ⁽⁵¹⁾ the need for conversion, ⁽⁵²⁾ the denial of the gods, and ⁽⁵³⁾ the brotherhood of all believers. Jesus’ teachings additionally included and encouraged ⁽⁵⁴⁾ worship of himself, ⁽⁵⁵⁾ living according to his teachings, ⁽⁵⁶⁾ the importance of faith, and ⁽⁵⁷⁾ immortality, which led to a contempt for death among believers. Lucian also notes ⁽⁵⁸⁾ that Christians had sacred Scripture which was frequently read.

In addition to the point mentioned earlier, that Jesus was worshiped by early believers as deity, Pliny also reports ⁽⁵⁹⁾ an oath taken by believers not to commit sin, that typifies Jesus’ ethical teachings. Additionally, Pliny tells us ⁽⁶⁰⁾ that true believers could not be enticed or forced to worship the gods, and ⁽⁶¹⁾that they worshiped on a certain day of the week before dawn, both of which also reflect Jesus’ teachings.

Lastly, the Gospel of Truth adds two other items. ⁽⁶²⁾ Jesus taught his listeners about his Father and ⁽⁶³⁾ Jesus realized that his death was the basis for the life of many people.

The Death of Jesus

From the early creed in 1 Corinthians 11:23ff. we learn ⁽⁶⁴⁾ that Jesus attended a dinner ⁽⁶⁵⁾ on the evening on which he was betrayed. At this meal he ⁽⁶⁶⁾ gave thanks for the food, and ⁽⁶⁷⁾ shared both bread and drink, ⁽⁶⁸⁾ which he referred to as the sacrifice of his body and blood for sin.

⁽⁶⁹⁾ The Jewish leaders determined that Jesus was guilty of teaching spiritual heresy and of leading Israel to apostasy (Talmud; cf. Apocryphon of John). ⁽⁷⁰⁾ As a result, the Jews sent out a herald who proclaimed that Jesus would be stoned for his teachings, though anyone who wished was invited to defend him. However, no one came forward to speak for him (Talmud).

Jesus ⁽⁷¹⁾ appeared before Pilate (creeds: Acts 3:13; 13:28) and ⁽⁷²⁾ made a good confession (creed: 1 Tim. 6:13), which may have been an affirmation of his messiahship. ⁽⁷³⁾ After being persecuted (Gospel of Truth) and ⁽⁷⁴⁾ as a result of his teachings (Lucian), ⁽⁷⁵⁾ Jesus was put to death (creeds: 1 Cor. 15:3; Acts 3:13-15; 13:27-29; 1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 4:25; 1 Tim. 2:6; Gospel of Thomas; Treatise on Resurrection). He died ⁽⁷⁶⁾ at the hands of the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate (Talmud; Ignatius), ⁽⁷⁷⁾ during the local rule of Herod (Ignatius). ⁽⁷⁸⁾ More specifically, Jesus was crucified (Josephus; Talmud; Lucian; Gospel of Truth; Acts of Pilate; creeds: Acts 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39; Phil. 2:6f.; Ignatius; Barnabas; Justin), ⁽⁷⁹⁾ by wicked men (creed: Acts 2:23), ⁽⁸⁰⁾ in the city of Jerusalem (creed: Acts 13:27-28; cf. 10:39), ⁽⁸¹⁾ during the reign of Roman Emperor Tiberius (Tacitus; Phlegon).

Even some details of Jesus’ crucifixion are provided by these sources. ⁽⁸²⁾ The event reportedly occurred on Passover Eve (Talmud). ⁽⁸³⁾ Victims of crucifixion were apparently made to carry at least a portion of their crosses to the site, which sometimes resulted in stumbling to the ground (shroud). ⁽⁸⁴⁾ Jesus had his wrists and feet nailed to the cross (cf. Tacitus; Gospel of Truth; Acts of Pilate; Ignatius; Justin; cf. Shroud; Yohanan). ⁽⁸⁵⁾ Crucifixion could also involve the administering of a coup de grace, such as breaking the victim’s legs (cf. Yohanan with ancient historical reports) in order to hasten death by asphyxiation, ⁽⁸⁶⁾ which is the normal cause of death in crucifixion, as revealed by the need for the person to push up and down in order to breathe (cf. shroud; Yohanon with modern medical studies).

As long as the shroud is not a fake, and especially if it is Jesus’ burial garment, it confirms several details of crucifixion involving more-or-less uncommon procedures. These include ⁽⁸⁷⁾ the “crown of thorns,” ⁽⁸⁸⁾ the severity of the beating and whipping, ⁽⁸⁹⁾ the absence of broken ankles, ⁽⁹⁰⁾ the post-mortem chest wound, and ⁽⁹¹⁾ the blood and watery fluid that flowed from the wound.