Accepted Historical Facts

The consensus among ancient historians is that all of the following are historical facts:-

* Jesus of Nazareth, and the rest of the named people below, were real people.

* John the Baptist baptised Jesus of Nazareth.

* Jesus gained a reputation for working amazing miracles.

* Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion at Jerusalem.

* A few days later, Jesus’ followers (including Simon Peter, James the brother of Jesus and John the Apostle) were convinced that Jesus was alive again.

* No-one could find the body of Jesus to debunk this, although many had powerful motivations to do so.

* Jesus’ followers started the message that he was alive in the most hostile place: Jerusalem where he had been killed and entombed.

* They succeeded in spreading that message throughout the known world.

* Paul of Tarsus was initially hostile, but he became convinced that he had encountered Jesus months after Jesus’ death; he was then one of the most enthusiastic in spreading the message.

* Every written reference to Jesus’ death also refers to his resurrection, including those from non-Christian authors.

Many people will deny the reality of some of these people and events because they don't fit their chosen world-view, but there's no need to debate with them. Someone who denies the consensus reached by experts in their own field is basically a conspiracy theorist.

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