Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

Q for AI: “Do most scholars say Jesus never existed?”

art of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee
JESUS BY THE SEA. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake.
I wasn’t able to convince the fireman that Jesus lived. So, I asked ChatGPT for an objective report on this question. Below is my question and the AI’s answer.

STEVE:

Among scholars who specialize in Bible, Jewish, and Roman history of the first century, what’s the prevailing view about Jesus? Do they acknowledge that he existed as a person in history, as Bible writers claimed?

ChatGPT:

Yes, the prevailing view among scholars who specialize in Bible studies, Jewish history, and Roman history is that Jesus of Nazareth was a historical person.
While scholars debate the details of his life and teachings, the vast majority—including those who are secular, Jewish, and Christian—agree that Jesus existed as a real figure in first-century Judea.

Why Scholars Accept Jesus as Historical

1. Multiple Independent Sources
  • Jesus is mentioned in several early sources, including the New Testament Gospels, which—despite being religious texts—are considered by historians to contain historical core material.
  • He is referenced by non-Christian sources like Josephus (a first-century Jewish historian) and Tacitus (a Roman historian), both of whom were not followers of Jesus.
2. Criterion of Embarrassment
  • Some details in the Gospels, such as Jesus being baptized by John (which could imply John’s superiority) or his crucifixion (a humiliating Roman execution), are considered unlikely to be fabrications because they would have been embarrassing to early Christians.
3. Crucifixion by the Romans
  • Most historians agree that Jesus was executed by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, as this is a well-documented and consistent claim across multiple sources.

Scholarly Debate

While scholars generally agree on Jesus’ existence, they disagree on his identity and mission:
    • Secular historians often describe him as a Jewish apocalyptic preacher.
    • Christian scholars tend to affirm the resurrection and divine claims.
    • Jewish scholars might recognize him as a teacher but not as the Messiah.

The “mythicist” position (that Jesus never existed) is considered a fringe view and is not taken seriously by most credentialed historians. Figures like Bart Ehrman (agnostic New Testament scholar) and John Dominic Crossan (historian of early Christianity) argue that the evidence for Jesus’ existence is much stronger than that for most figures of antiquity.

Steve’s other crucifixion videos

What Romans Said About Crucifixion

  • 2.6 million views

Crucifixion Q: Did the Body of Jesus Rot on the Cross

  • 89,700 views

 

Peace to you

Well, there you go. Have a great day out there, folks, as best you can.

I know there’s a lot of insanity going on. If you want to read what ChatGPT says about that, check out this incredibly engaging blog post. If you start reading it, you’ll finish it. The thing is that surprising.

Interview with AI about USA

PS about Mom

Hey, here’s one very personal piece of info. It’s in a video I just released about my visit with Mom who has dementia and is blind from a stroke. I struggled for months before the visit to find a way to connect with her. But I found it.

A song for Mom

Peace to you.

—Steve

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