Is Jesus Real? (Term Paper Sample)

Name Professor Course Date Argumentative Essay: Is Jesus Real Jesus Christ's existence as a central figure in Christianity has remained an intense debate among theologians, scholars, and historians for decades. The question, 'Was Jesus Christ real?' remains a historical inquiry rather than a theological one. While some sources especially religious contexts such as the New Testament reveal information about a real Jesus Christ, some of these documents have been subjected to criticism owing to lack of historical accuracy and bias. This argumentative paper will explore whether Jesus was real from different perspectives including supporting evidence and counterarguments to gain deep insights about the topic. Supporting Evidence The New Testament Gospels confirm Jesus' real existence. The Holy Book of John states, "And Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The statement captures Jesus Christ saying that He is the only way to God and how Christians should live their life in truth. The accounts of the New Testament were written after the death of Jesus Christ. However, some people believe they were written about 100-200 years ago (Scofield 1243). Thus, the New Testaments cannot be used as evidence since they were composed much later as folk tales rather than historical reality. However, the argument that the New Testament are folk tale becomes problematic since the book of Acts was written after Luke. Luke was also responsible for writing Acts. In this case, the New Testament and their accounts of Jesus Christ as a real historical character can be rendered to be true. In the Bible, Paul also writes about Jesus dying on the cross for the sake of people's sins. As such, Paul’s historical evidence affirms the real existence of Jesus Christ (Moore 58). Paul knew other apostles who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul was also connected to the Christian teaching that originated from Jesus Christ. Many scholars, theologians, and historians support Paul's teaching about the existence of Jesus Christ owing to the accurate historical accounts about him. The history of Jesus allows us to learn about actual events. One primary source about Jesus' History comes from the Bible. Therefore, Christians should not trust the Bible if they do not support the real existence of Jesus Christ. History and theology show that Jesus lives and supports our salvation. The Bible was written by an author inspired by God. The Old Testament foreshadows about the coming of Jesus Christ while the New Testament fulfills it. The Bible claims “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In this case, God fulfilled His promise by sending Jesus on earth to die on the cross for the sake of our sins. Therefore, if Jesus is not real, then the Bible is fallible and God does not have integrity. However, the Bible is the book of life that speaks the truth for all Christians who believe that Jesus was sent by His Father to die on the cross to save them from sins. Subsequently, evidence about Jesus being a real historical character transcends beyond the Bible. A famous Jewish Historian, Flavius Josephus tracked down the life of Jesus Christ and recorded it in his manuscripts. The Jewish historian wrote about Jesus Christ's brother James and his antiquities. The historian claimed that there existed a man called Jesus (the Messiah) whose conduct was good and claimed to be virtuous (Allen 124). The historian further claimed that many Jews and other nations followed the man (Jesus) and became His disciples. Therefore, counterarguments that Jesus is unreal since the Bible is incorrect are wrong because the Bible and Jewish historians support the existence of Jesus Christ. The historian uses quotes from the Bible to show Jesus is real. Counterargument However, there exist counterarguments that Jesus is not real. Skeptics and critics claim that there is a lack of contemporary records about the existence of Jesus. One main viewpoint is that the New Testament Gospels contradict each other (Blomberg n.p). Critics claim that Mark is the earliest document that describes Jesus Christ while Mathew and Luke are different corrections added to create a Gospel. The arguments are inaccurate since the four gospels are written to portray Christ's life and teachings based on how they happened. Some arguments also claim that the four Gospels were not composed by Mark, Mathew, Luke, and John. Critics argue that the book could not be written by the mentioned authors since the books were composed in the second century since it was improbable that Jesus' disciples were alive to scribe the life of Jesus Christ. However, Paul refutes the claims asserting that some of his teachings emanated from eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and Jesus himself. Secondly, counterarguments claim that historical accounts from writers such as Josephus are prone to bias and may have been influenced by Ch...