User:RobertCliftonRobinson/Bible prophecy
The study of Bible Prophecy is an attempt at authenticating certain predictions made in the Old Testament scriptures of the Bible. The validity of these prophecies may be determined by an examination of the record of history in determining whether these predictions were fulfilled or failed.
We discover that in searching for valid proof of the fulfillment of the many prophecies of the Old Testament, we have in our possession today, many secular and extra-biblical sources, as well as the record of the New Testament that can be used.
One such example with verifiable proof is The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ:
Professor Peter Schäfer, in his book: “Jesus in the Talmud”, records that Talmud Sanhedrin 43a contains the following text regarding Jesus of Nazareth:.[1]
On (Sabbath eve and) the eve of Passover, Jesus the Nazarene was hanged and a herald went forth before him forty days heralding, "Jesus the Nazarene is going forth to be stoned because he practiced sorcery and instigated and seduced Israel to idolatry. Whoever knows anything in defense may come and state it." But since they did not find anything in his defense they hanged him on (Sabbath eve and) the eve of Passover. Ulla said: ‘Do you suppose that Jesus the Nazarene was one for whom a defense could be made? He was a mesit (someone who instigated Israel to idolatry), concerning whom the Merciful [God] says: Show him no compassion and do not shield him (Deut. 13:9). With Jesus the Nazarene it was different. For he was close to the government.[2]
Today, the world’s leading scholars agree that the crucifixion of Jesus is a fact of history that is certain and indisputable.[3] In truth, the events of the scourging and crucifixion are described as ranking so high in certainty that they are considered by experts to be impossible to deny and the very basis for a foundation that Jesus of Nazareth lived, died, and rose from the dead, as the New Testament records.[4] The reason that these facts are certain is that we have the corroboration of not only the Bible, but secular history. The orders of Pontius Pilate to have Jesus scourged and crucified is documented by one of the greatest Roman historians ever to write on this period, Tacitus.[5]
As early as the second century Tacitus writes in his “Annals” of the Roman Empire, 116 A.D, (Annals 15,44) that under Caesar Nero, Pilate ordered the execution of Jesus of Nazareth by crucifixion.[6]
Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”'
This record of Jesus execution by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, written by Tacitus, is of immense value for the historicity of Jesus Christ. Being an independent source from both the Roman government and the Biblical text, Tacitus authenticates the narrative of the four gospels that Jesus was scourged and crucified exactly as the Gospels describe.[7] Tacitus further describes the fact that the Christians of this time believed that by drinking the blood and eating the body of Jesus of Nazareth, who was described as the “Christ”, those who believed could live forever.[8]
Scholars today confirm that the crucifixion of Jesus is a matter of historical fact, equal to any other event of antiquity.[9] Even those who are regarded as scholars who do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, regard that scourging, and crucifixion as actual events that can be proven from extra-biblical sources.[10]
There are 50 such prophecies for the death of the Messiah, that are verifiably fulfilled in the record of history and the New Testament. When we examine all of the prophecies of the Old Testament we find that there is substantial proof for their validity.
 [1] Peter Schäfer, Jesus in the Talmud, Princeton University Press, 2007. p 64-65 Bernhard Pick, The Talmud: What It Is and What It Knows of Jesus and His Followers, 1887 (reprint Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2007. p 115) Talmud Sanhedrin 43a [2] Talmud Sanhedrin 43a [3] Jesus Remembered by James D. G. Dunn 2003 ISBN 0-8028-3931-2 page 339 Jesus of Nazareth by Paul Verhoeven (Apr 6, 2010) ISBN 1583229051 page 39 [4] Jesus Remembered by James D. G. Dunn 2003 ISBN 0-8028-3931-2 page 339 [5] Van Voorst, Robert E (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence Eerdmans Publishing ISBN 0-8028-4368-9 pages 39-42 Backgrounds of early Christianity by Everett Ferguson 2003 ISBN 0-8028-2221-5 page 116 A Brief Introduction to the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman 2008 ISBN 0-19-536934-3 page 136 [6] Theissen 1998, pp. 81-83 Green, Joel B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke : new international commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.. p. 168. ISBN 0-8028-2315-7 [7] Jesus as a figure in history: how modern historians view the man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell 1998 ISBN 0-664-25703-8 page 33 Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies by Craig A. Evans 2001 ISBN 0-391-04118-5 page 42 Ancient Rome by William E. Dunstan 2010 ISBN 0-7425-6833-4 page 293 Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation by Helen K. Bond 2004 ISBN 0-521-61620-4 page xi Van Voorst, Robert E (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence Eerdmans Publishing ISBN 0-8028-4368-9 pages 39-42 Eddy, Paul; Boyd, Gregory (2007). The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition Baker Academic, ISBN 0-8010-3114-1 page 127 [8] Tacitus' characterization of "Christian abominations" may have been based on the rumors in Rome that during the Eucharist rituals Christians ate the body and drank the blood of their God, interpreting the symbolic ritual as cannibalism by Christians. References: Ancient Rome by William E. Dunstan 2010 ISBN 0-7425-6833-4 page 293 and An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity by Delbert Royce Burkett 2002 ISBN 0-521-00720-8 page 485 [9] Crossan, John Dominic (1995). Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. HarperOne. p. 145. ISBN 0-06-061662-8. "That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be, since both Josephus and Tacitus...agree with the Christian accounts on at least that basic fact." [10] Eddy, Paul; Boyd, Gregory (2007). The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition Baker Academic, ISBN 0-8010-3114-1 page 127