Is the story of Jesus just a legend?

Many people take for granted that the stories about Jesus have been passed down from generation to generation and have been hopelessly distorted so that they are now little more than fables. Before you use this idea as an excuse for rejecting Christianity, it is important that you understand that it is this idea that it, in fact, a myth.

The fact that a Jewish teacher called Jesus lived and was crucified in Judah during the governorship of Pontius Pilate and that his followers believed that he had been raised from the dead and worshipped him as God, can be demonstrated from secular historical sources. Even if the New Testament had never been written we would know that this was true, though few people would be interested in it.

The sources that fill in the details are the books and letters of the New Testament, particularly the four "gospels", Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Scholars are agreed that the four gospels are 1st century AD documents. They were written during the lifetimes of contemporaries of Jesus Most scholars think that Mark is the earliest and date it before 70AD. The others were all written well before the end of the 1st century. Mark himself was a contemporary of Jeusus who lived in Jerusalem and who knew both Peter and Paul. A church leader called Papias who wrote early in the 2nd century and who had met the Apostle John, wrote that Mark had written down the information given to him by Peter. This means that Mark comes to us from one who probably knew more about Jesus than anyone - one of the three in the "inner-circle" of Jesus' disciples.

Luke wrote both Luke's gospel and the Book of Acts, which tells the story of the early church up to the arrival of Paul in Rome in the early 60's. He was personally present at many of the incidents he records in Acts. He was a travelling companion of the Apostle Paul and had ample opportunity during his visits to Judah to meet key eyewitnesses. In the introduction to his gospel (Luke 1:1-4) he claims to have consulted those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning. John claims in his first letter (1 John1:1-4) to have personally seen, heard and even touched Jesus Christ.

We must remember also that the New Testament letters were written even before the four gospels. Paul's earliest letters date from the late 40s AD. We can derive the basic facts about Jesus from these letters, which date from only a few years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

It is simply putting one's head in the sand to pretend that there is no historical evidence for Jesus. The writers of these documents lived extremely difficult lives and many died unpleasant deaths for what they believed. There was no reason for them to write what they did if it was not true. They often honestly record very uncomplimentary things about themselves. The character and teaching of the one described in the gospels are immensely powerful. He has fascinated people from all over the world for generations. We suggest that you read the gospels for yourself and see if they do not have the "ring of truth". Ask yourself whether the unique figure they describe could possibly have been a human invention. Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 to 7 and see if you are not stunned by the power of this man's teaching. Read the three parables in Luke chapter 15 and ask yourself who told these stories if Jesus didn't.

It won't be long before you are fascinated and gripped by Jesus of Nazareth.