"There's More Evidence that Jesus Lived than x Person" Statements

[Youssarian]

So here are two statements I have heard:

• "There's more proof that Jesus lived than there is that Abraham Lincoln lived."
• "There's more proof that Jesus lived than there is that Julius Caesar lived."

Support these statements for me please. How is this so? Is it because there are so many copies of the Bible in the world? Somehow that just doesn't seem to be good proof, since these Bibles we have are often made 2000 years after his life. And that also strikes me as a bit of a technicality, a play on words and meaning. Not quite the "Let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no" we're encouraged to have.

[Athanasius]

Is it because there are so many copies of the Bible in the world? Somehow that just doesn't seem to be good proof, since these Bibles we have are often made 2000 years after his life.

No, it's not because there are so many copies of the bible in the world. This particular line of argument refers to all the "evidence" found in antiquity that might make mention of either man (that is, Jesus and Caesar, not Lincoln). From that evidence in antiquity, a certain conclusion is drawn, i.e., that there is more evidence for Jesus than for 'X'.

[Nomad]

Is it because there are so many copies of the Bible in the world? Somehow that just doesn't seem to be good proof, since these Bibles we have are often made 2000 years after his life.

That's not entirely accurate. Our English versions of the New Testament are based on manuscript evidence that goes all the way back to the second century AD.

There are also many ancient non-Christian sources for the life of Jesus. These are: Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Thallus, Pliny the Younger, Emperor Trajan, Emperor Hadrian, The Talmud, Lucian, Mara Bar-Serapion. There are also ancient Christian and Gnostic sources.

I'm sorry that all of these sources are too numerous to quote. I would recommend the following resource: The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence For The Life Of Christ, Gary R. Habermas

http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Jes.../dp/0899007325

[pekoe]

Hello Youssarian.
People will argue over how much "evidence" there is for whether Jesus exists, but when all is said, the only thing that really matters is how trustworty is the testimony of those who wrote the Bible.

It's common for unbelievers to challenge the words of Gods' scribes, but what those people don't realize (and most christians as well) is that the moment any person dies, for people who never met the departed, the only evidence that matters is based on the testimony of others. Think about it.