Atheists and Jesus' History

"History is necessary and it’s necessary for two reasons. First, it’s necessary because Christianity depends on historical events. In one sense, at least, Christianity is nothing more than an (the) interpretation of historical events. Here it may help us to remember that many of Jesus’ Jewish peers didn’t deny the historicity of his works; rather, they simply gave them alternative explanations (see, e.g., Mark 3:20–27; Matt 9:27–34; 12:22–29; Luke 11:14–22; John 8:48–59; 10:1–21) Christianity, to say it again, is an explanation of historical data, which is, in fact, one of the things that sets it apart from nearly every other religion. Christianity depends on history in a way, e.g., that Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Islam do not. Take away Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, take away history, and Christianity, with its interpretation of that event (e.g., Rom 4:25), becomes not only wrong, but meaningless. The interpretation, the faith, requires the event."

James Compton

The take away line for me is that none of Jesus' enemies deny the events attached to the life of Jesus: not the empty tomb, not the healing of the crippled or the blind, not the calming of the storm, not raising Lazarus from the dead. What His enemies do, is say that the cause of these historical events was some sort of trickery or slight of hand.

Like many if not most modern atheists, Jesus' enemies of the time were deeply into conspiracy theories to rid themselves of having to deal with Jesus message to them.

And of course modern atheists say, "People don't naturally rise from the dead, and the supernatural does not exist, therefore Jesus did not rise from the dead." 

So, like those who deny the Jewish Holocaust, atheists ignore historical events regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Unless a document written over four hundred years after His death says He was married. Then by golly there might be something to it. Yeesh these people!