If you are a Christian, yes, I agree that this is unquestionable dogma. You are absolutely correct. But I'm not a Christian. I'm a Jew.
As I said, I normally don't bring it up. But Quick was being very persistent in trying to convert me by appealing to the resurrection. He needed to know why it wasn't going to work.
I would like to start by bringing forward some irrefutable historiographical evidence. These are not "theological opinions," but historical data coming directly from the Roman Empire—an authority that, at the time, was actively trying to suppress and erase Christianity.
1. Publius Cornelius Tacitus – Annales (XV, 44), 116 A.D.
"Auctor nominis eius Christus Tiberio imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat; repressaque in praesens exitiabilis superstitio rursum erumpebat..."
"The author of this name, Christ, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; but that pernicious superstition, repressed for the moment, broke out again..."
Tacitus has no interest in lying; he actually loathes the movement, calling it a "pernicious superstition" (exitiabilis superstitio). However, by stating that the movement was momentarily suppressed by Christ's death but then "broke out again" (rursum erumpebat), Tacitus is historically documenting the birth of a movement founded on the Resurrection. It is proof that the faith in that event was powerful enough to shake the Empire only a few years after the facts.
2. Pliny the Younger – (Epistulae X, 96), 112 A.D.
"...quod essent soliti stato die ante lucem convenire, carmenque Christo quasi deo dicere secum invicem seque sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere, sed ne furta ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent..."
This demonstrates that the cult of Christ's divinity is not a medieval invention but was standard practice under Emperor Trajan (112 A.D.). A Roman magistrate certifies that these men did not worship a "dead teacher," but a living God (quasi deo).
Sacramento: Note the use of this term. The Christians bound themselves with an oath (sacramentum) to never commit crimes. A "mass psychosis" does not produce such a rigorous and stable ethical system.
3. Flavius Josephus – Testimonium Flavianum (Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII, 63-64)
"At this time there was a wise man named Jesus... He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles... And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him... and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."
Josephus was a Jew who went over to the Romans—a man who understood both worlds perfectly.
"Condemned to the cross" (Cruci damnatum): This is legal certification. The cross was the penalty for rebels against the State. It confirms Jesus was a real man who challenged the most powerful power structure in the world.
"Did not forsake him" (Non desierunt): This is the core of the Resurrection. In the original context, it indicates a continuous action—an obsession that death did not interrupt. Why didn't they stop? Because, as documented, they had seen Him alive.
"Tribe of Christians" (Genos Christianon): Josephus uses a term that indicates a "lineage" or a "new race." Not an opinion, but a people born from an event.
4. Mara Bar Serapion (Letter to his son, circa 73 A.D.)
"What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished... But the wise King did not die; he lived on in the laws he had given."
This letter directly links the death of Christ to the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. It confirms that the "King" continues to live through his influence. It proves that as early as 73 A.D., the link between Christ and the geopolitical disaster of Jerusalem was clear to all lucid observers.
"Wise King": He recognizes Christ's legal and moral authority. In a Roman context, "King" was a title that stood in direct defiance of Caesar.
"Just after" (Confestim): This term establishes a historical cause-and-effect link. The fall of the Temple is seen as the immediate consequence of the injustice committed against the Man of the Logos.
5. The Acts of the Martyrs (Roman Legal Records)
These are not fairy tales; they are court transcripts. When a Roman proconsul asked a Christian, "Why do you not offer incense to the Emperor?" and they replied, "Because my King is risen," the notary recorded everything.
No one allows themselves to be torn apart by wild beasts for a "grief-driven hallucination." Roman historiography documents a phenomenon of mass resistance with no equal. The Resurrection is the only logical explanation for a behavior so "irrational" in the eyes of the Romans.
These are historiographical proofs. I am not trying to "convince" anyone; I am simply presenting data
-Giammarco
