Are the Gospels History or Fiction?

According to John Dickson, “Christianity is unlike other religions in that it gambles its plausibility on supposed historical events. Christians,” he writes, “don’t merely say otherworldly things like ‘Heaven is open to all,’ but they also say things like, ‘Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate,’ and statements of this kind aren’t immune from historical scrutiny.” So, what are the considerations involved in assessing the historical value of the Gospels? How can we be sure these ancient texts really are what they claim to be? On this episode, Shane talks with Undeceptions host, John Dickson, who received a PhD in the field of ancient history, and who is the author of Is Jesus History?

• The clip in which John Dickson mentioned his openness to an earlier date for the Fourth Gospel appeared on Episode 126 of his Undeceptions podcast.

• The quote from Princeton scholar, James Charlesworth was taken from his book, Jesus As Mirrored in John. You can find additional quotes by Charlesworth and other advocates of an earlier date for John here.

• To read Shane’s recent article mentioned at the end of this episode featuring an archaeological discovery related to Joanna & Theophilus, click here.

SHOW NOTES

Related BooksIs Jesus History? John DicksonA Doubters Guide to Jesus, John DicksonA Doubters Guide to the Bible, John DicksonCan We Trust The Gospels? Peter J. WilliamsRedating the New Testament, John A.T. RobinsonRethinking the Dates of the New Testament, Jonathan BernierJesus & The Eyewitnesses, Richard BauckhamTestimonies to the Truth, Lydia McGrewThe Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt

Related ArticlesJoanna: An Obscure Disciple, or Luke’s Key Witness? Shane RosenthalJohn 5:2 “There is in Jerusalem…”, Shane Rosenthal & othersThe Authenticity & Genuineness of the Fourth Gospel, J.B. LightfootIs Luke a Trustworthy Historian, Sir William RamsayAuthenticating The Fourth Gospel, Shane RosenthalOutside The Gospels, What Can We Know About Jesus? Shane RosenthalWater Into Wine? Shane RosenthalOn Faith & History, Shane RosenthalScribes of the New Covenant, Shane RosenthalThe Identity of the Beloved Disciple, Shane RosenthalCan We Trust Luke’s History of the Early Jesus Movement? Shane RosenthalSimon of Cyrene: An Intriguing Archaeological Discovery, Shane RosenthalThe Mormonization of American Christianity, Shane Rosenthal

Other Related ResourcesIs John’s Gospel Late & Unreliable? Humble Skeptic #51The Jesus of History, Humble Skeptic #12The Gospel Creed, Humble Skeptic # 9The Gospels As Eyewitness Testimony, Humble Skeptic #48Questioning The Fourth Gospel, Humble Skeptic #49Faith Founded on Facts (1), Humble Skeptic #15Faith Founded on Facts (2), Humble Skeptic. #16Authenticating The Book of Acts, Humble Skeptic #24New Evidence for the Gospels, Peter J. Williams (video)

UPCOMING EVENTS Milan, ItalyOn Sunday, Oct. 13th, Shane will be speaking at Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia on the northwest side of Milan. For more info or directions, click here.

St. Louis, MissouriOn Friday, Oct. 18th, Shane will be the keynote speaker at the ReThink315 fundraising dinner, which will take place at the Missouri Athletic Club in Des Peres. To purchase tickets for this event or for more info, click here.

Troy, IllinoisOn Sunday, Nov. 3rd, Shane will be speaking at a youth event from 3:30 to 7:00 pm at Providence Presbyterian Church. Shane will be addressing the topics: Is Faith Blind?, and Are There Contradictions in the Gospels? For more information about this youth event, send a text to 619-820-4908.

Houston, TexasOn Friday & Saturday, Nov. 8-9, Shane will be participating in a panel discussion on the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection, featuring Gary Habermas and others. This event will take place at the Lanier Theological Library.

For more information, or to invite Shane Rosenthal to speak at your next event, send an email to: INFO at HUMBLESKEPTIC dot COM. 

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NOTE: Some clips from this interview with John Dickson were previously featured on episodes 2, 15 & 16 of The Humble Skeptic podcast.

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