Can the Divinity of Christ be proven Historically?

by Todd Tillinghast

Not only does the Bible claim that Jesus is the son of God but that He is God Himself.  He says this about Himself in scripture as do many others who make the same claim through out the New Testament.  Even His enemies verify that He is who He says He is.  Additionally extra biblical historical sources such as those written by Josephus cited that “the man Jesus of Nazareth performed miracles and must have been God.”     

            This would be and is more than enough proof for us to accept it as truth. Think about it.  How do we know that Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States?  How doe we know that he grew up in a log cabin?  I have never met him have you?  In fact, I’ve never met anyone who knew him.  So how can I know for sure that he was all of these things?  I know these facts because they have been handed down to us via historical record from those who did know him.  We would never doubt what we read about a man like Abraham Lincoln yet we doubt the historical records, especially the Bible, which is historically much more accurate than any other historical document ever written when it comes to the divinity of Christ. 

    Furthermore, why would Jesus say this about Himself if He didn’t believe it?  If He was just a man then He put his own life on the line.  He also put the lives of His followers on the line. 

It has often been said that History is written by the winners.  While ultimately Christ and His kingdom have triumphed its history was not recorded by winners.  It was recorded by people who were running for their lives, fugitives, criminals and martyrs.  Yet this document has stood the test of time.  It was not preserved and guarded by kings and emperors representing the victors.  In fact, it was preserved by bands and groups of humble believers who were in constant danger of losing their lives for even having such documents in their possession.  Yet it still survived and has been passed down to us today.  The Bible is truly a book that has defied all the usual necessities for preservation.  One gets the feeling that something beyond man was involved here. 

There are those who say that Historical evidence is not as strong as scientific empirical evidence especially when it comes to determining the existence of God.  This idea however, does not gel with reality. The Bible Makes its case of the divinity of Christ based on historical record and eyewitness account.  These are the very things that we base our entire justice system upon today as well as our educational system.  Most of all the information that you know and act upon with the strong assumption that it is correct on a daily basis comes from these two elements.  Every news story that you read and believe is based primarily on Eyewitness accounts.  Everything we know about historical figures is based on the historical record.  Jesus was a real person who walked the earth.  We don’t need to put Him in a test tube to determine if he really existed or not. 

His life, death, miracles and resurrection not only attest that He existed but that He is God.  These facts were recorded in a historical document that has stood the test of time and historicity for thousands of years.  According to our standards of verifying truth as it pertains to all other historical figures this would be more than enough.  For me, I believe in Jesus because He changed my life.  I know He is real.  But for the skeptic He can also be proven to be who He says He is in every other way.