No. I am making my claims on logic. All the evidence fits together.
The first Christians - who were Jews - witnessed the supernatural acts performed by Jesus - which included controlling matter, controlling nature, healing physical deformities, healing diseases, raising the dead and resurrecting himself from death - worshiped Jesus as God because they witnessed those miracles and began worshipping Jesus as God after he rose from the dead.
Jesus of Nazareth was not the only Jewish Charismatic who could apparently perform miracles. Furthermore performing miracles and a belief in magical practices was commonplace throughout the ancient world, and in both the Graeco-Roman and Jewish spheres. It was part of the contemporary context. The use of exorcism to remove evil spirits, imprecations and invocations involving deities, divination, omens, and protective amulets, all under-laid the fabric of society. It was not therefore surprising that Jesus was regarded as a
goētēs (wonder worker).
Nor of course was there any understanding of what we now term to be psychosomatic or psychological disorders.
- Non-Christian historians recorded that the first Christians worshiped Jesus as God because he performed supernatural feats.
Who are these non Christian historians? Provide some names.
- 24,000 written manuscripts documented the supernatural feats Jesus performed and the first Christians witnessed.
So what? They are all Christian so it is unsurprising they all repeat the same narratives.
- The Babylonian Talmud confirms Jewish religious leaders put Jesus to death for sorcery and for leading Israel into apostasy as described in the gospels.
Again, the Babylonian Talmud was composed centuries after Jesus of Nazareth was dead.
- There are no opposing accounts that document that Jesus did not perform any supernatural acts.
- There are no opposing accounts that argue Jesus wasn't put to death for performing sorcery and inciting Israel to apostasy.
- There are no opposing accounts which document Jesus wasn't resurrected.
- There are no opposing accounts that the first Christians didn't witness Jesus performing supernatural acts.
- There are no opposing accounts that document the first Christians didn't worship Jesus as God.
- There are no accounts that the miracles performed by Jesus were symbolic.
- The empty tomb.
- There are no accounts the tomb wasn't empty.
- There are no accounts of his body being found.
Hardly surprising. This sect was a nonentity. The Roman state viewed it as a cult. As for the lack of a body the corpse was most likely thrown into a communal pit.
- But the most important evidence is the dramatic change in behavior of the apostles who were hiding in fear as their leader was put to death by the superpower of the day. The change in their behavior cannot be overstated. They went from cowering in fear to boldly proclaiming Jesus is Lord despite being persecuted, beaten, imprisoned and ultimately put to death for it.
What persecution? Or is this a reference to the "wicked" Jews in Acts who were allegedly always attacking and/or trying to kill Paul?
- Then there is the physical description of the risen Christ which deviated significantly from the prevailing Jewish belief of the day. If this was a conspiracy why wouldn't they just describe the risen Christ in a way that was generally accepted by Jews?
The gospel narratives are much later texts.
- Then there is Paul's dissertation on the gravity of believing Jesus is Lord which shows he had nothing to gain and everything to lose and he still chose to worship Jesus as Lord.
Lord but not God. And I hardly think Paul's epistles constitute dissertations.
- There is no credible explanation that explains why the Gospels were intentionally written to present the resurrection of Christ as an historical event if indeed they are lies.
Dying and resurrected gods were hardly unknown in the ancient world.
- There is no credible explanation that explains why the apostles began worshipping Jesus as God if indeed the gospels are lies.
- There is no credible evidence that the apostles weren't the first Christians to worship Jesus as God and were the founders of Christianity.
- There is no credible evidence that Christianity didn't begin immediately after Jesus rose from the dead.
- There is no credible evidence that the resurrection of Christ wasn't the catalyst for the start of Christianity.
Why is it that so many Christians automatically assume that challenges to their faith suggests that their texts were all lies?
These texts were written to preach and teach a Pauline idea that Jesus died as a sacrifice to atone for humankind's sin and the only way to achieve salvation was to believe that and be initiated into the cult by baptism.
