Why Believe In Jesus? (2 And 3)

Question 1

What are the two fundamental beliefs of Christians?

Answer 1

God became human

He died and resurrected

Question 2

What are the three claims that skeptics make?

Answer 2

Jesus is not an actual person
Jesus is not divine
Jesus did not resurrect from the dead

Question 3

In what time period were Christians persecuted?

Answer 3

1 AD-300 AD

Question 4

What languages was the New Testament translated into?

Answer 4

Latin, Coptic, Syriac, and Arabic from Greek

Question 5

Who is John (in the Sacrad Scriptures)?

Answer 5

Was Jewish, one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles, died of old age (not of martyrdom though he was put into boiling water; yet even in such a situation, he continued to preach about Christ, thereby garnering mass attention; as a result, the Romans decided to exile him as they could not get rid of him), and was exiled to Patmon (an island in Greece)

Question 6

What is listed in John 8:58 that attests to Christ’s claim to divinity?

Answer 6

In this verse, Jesus stated, “Before Abraham was, I am.” “I am” is a sacred phrase/name among the Jews as God told Moses, “I am,” which points to His status as Existence Itself. I means that He is simply is and exists to the most sacred degree. Sometimes, this verse is translated as, “He Who Is” (which means the same thing). In fact, YahWeh means “I am.” This means that Christ is of the same status as God.

Question 7

What is listed in John 20:28 that attests to Christ’s claim to divinity?

Answer 7

In this verse, Jesus appears to the Apostle Thomas and allows him to touch the wounds on his hands and his sides; He did this since Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the other Apostles and was a skeptic to Christ’s resurrection and would only believe it to be true if he could see and feel Christ’s crucifixion wounds. In this scene, Thomas refers to Christ as “My Lord and my God,” and Jesus does not correct him, implying that He accepts the title and sees it fit for Himself.

Question 8

What is entailed within the paralyzed man in the gospel of Mark that attests to Christ’s claim to divinity?

Answer 8

In the scene described, Christ is seen both healing the paralyzed man of his disabilities and forgive him of his sins, deeds only God can accomplish. Because sin and sickness are connected in the sense that sickness is thought to have been a result of sin, Christ performed both of these acts (not just one) to solidify his status as the True God. If He only forgave the man of his sins and he remained in sickness, people would not recognize Christ’s deed for what it is, a sign that He is the True Messiah.

Question 9

Did the early Christians believe that Our Lord Jesus was divine?

Answer 9

Yes, the early Christians believed this. It is seen in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which he states, “For in Him the fullness of diety dwells bodily.” Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, which was written just five years after Christ’s death (54/55 AD), the earliest version of the Christian creed. It states that Christ died, resurrected, and appeared to Peter, James, Paul, and 500 others.

Question 10

List the five minimal facts, historical facts that even skeptics’ can agree on, regarding Christ’s resurrection.

Answer 10

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. Jesus was buried in a tomb.
3. A group of Jesus’ female followers found it empty.
4. Jesus appeared alive again to His Apostles.
5. Skeptics converted upon recognizing Christ’s status as the True Messiah.

Question 11

Jesus died by crucifixion.

Answer 11

Tacitus, Josephus, and the New Testament writers accept this fact. Even if Tacitus and Josephus don’t directly say it, the warrior Romans were extremely brutal and unforgiving regarding matters concerning Rome.

Question 12

Jesus was buried in a tomb. What is hetaphe?

Answer 12

Hetaphe is a Greek word that means buried and entombed, meaning that even if Jesus did live after the crucifixion, He would have died of suffocation.

Question 13

A group of Christ’s female followers found His tomb empty.

Answer 13

Joseph of Arimathea donated the tomb in which Christ was laid in.

Question 14

What is JEWS?

Answer 14

J- Jerusalem
E- Enemy Attestation
W- Testimony of Women
S- Simple

Question 15

Describe the J in JEWS.

Answer 15

The Apostles’ preached about Christ’s resurrection in Jerusalem, which was where Christ’s tomb was located. They did not preach about it in a distant land, meaning that Jewish and Roman authorities could easily debunk their claims by checking the tomb.

Question 16

Describe the E in JEWS.

Answer 16

The enemies of the Church implicitly admit that Jesus’ tomb was empty. In historical writings at the time, Jewish authorities state that Jesus’ body was stolen by the Apostles, implying that there really was not body in His tomb. In fact, the Roman watchers/soldiers who later on discovered that His tomb was empty reported it to higher officials and were directed to tell others that it was the Apostles’ doing when questioned on the matter.

Question 17

Describe the W in JEWS.

Answer 17

In ancient Jerusalem, a woman’s testimony lacked validity as they were regarded as second-class citizens. If the story of Jesus’ empty tomb was fictionalized, male disciples would’ve been written as the first witnesses of Jesus’ empty tomb. Otherwise, it’d be embarrassing for women to have been the founders of Christ’s empty tomb.

Question 18

Describe the S in JEWS.

Answer 18

A legend is an exaggerated, fabricated story. The story of Jesus’ empty tomb, however, is succinct and simple. The women go to the tomb to lay spices that would aid in containing the oder of rotten flesh. They find it to be empty, and then a young man says tht Jesus has gone to Galilee and directs them to meet Him there.

Question 19

Jesus appeared alive again to His Apostles. What are the sources for this?

Answer 19

Refer to 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. Paul can verify this Creed because he knew the Apostles.

Question 20

Didn’t the Apostles just make the Resurrection up?

Answer 20

This is a terribly sourced theory since it’s established that the Apostles were willing to die for their belief in Jesus. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom while James was killed by Jewish leaders. St.Bartholomew also died a martyr for having converted the King of Armenia to Christianity. The Apostles could have known that their belief was a lie by checking Jesus’ empty tomb, which was truly empty.

Question 21

Some say the witnesses hallucinated. Why is this unacceptable?

Answer 21

Thai theory is unacceptable because the Apostles could have checked the empty tomb and because Jesus often appeared to them in groups. Group hallucinations of the same thing are very unlikely occurrences. In addition, this theory does not explain the conversion of James and Paul.

Question 22

Skeptics converted upong realizing that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Who were the skeptics that converted, and how is their conversion an evidence of the Resurrection?

Answer 22

Skeptics like James and Paul who converted could not have grief-based hallucinations. Jesus actually rising from the dead explains why these skeptics converted.

Question 23

Who was the man that Maximillian Kolbe took the place of?

Answer 23

Franciszek. He went on to tell others of Kolbe’s altruistic deed after World War II ended.