Gary Habermas Is Bad At History
Today we are looking at Gary Habermas and his bad evidence for a historical Jesus. In this video, they claim to be giving a good argument to shut down a mythicist. Habermas doesn’t actually give any good evidence against minimal mythicism. Habermas just claims there are 15 independent sources that say that Jesus was crucified and that Paul is an eyewitness to the eyewitnesses. Both of these claims are absurd and I handle both of them.
Are there 15 Independent sources?
Simply put, no there aren’t 15 independent sources for the crucifixion of Jesus. What we do have in evidence is Paul and that is it. Paul is the first to talk about Jesus being crucified or even Jesus at all. Mark derives off of Paul’s work and the other gospels use each other as well as Mark’s work. All extra-biblical evidence is just regurgitating the common Christian beliefs of the second century. That’s it. So we have 1 independent source that attests to a Jesus being crucified but even then Paul is ambiguous as to who crucified Jesus and where this crucifixion actually took place.
There is a solid case to be made that Paul referenced Jesus being crucified by Demons in the lower parts of heaven just above the earth. Satan, being the “ruler of this age,” wouldn’t have crucified him if he knew it would ultimately cause his own destruction. that particular hypothesis fits well with the existing information we get from Paul. The Ascension of Isaiah shows that Jews or Jewish Christians were teaching of a messiah named Jesus doing exactly that. Being crucified by demons in the lower parts of heaven controlled by Satan and his demons.
Was Paul an Eyewitness to Eyewitnesses?
No, Paul does not designate anyone as an eyewitness or a disciple. He identifies people that are apostles but that is just people that recieved revelation of Jesus. Because Paul doesn’t designate anyone as an apostle you can’t say that he is an “eyewitness to eyewitnesses.” What is happening is that you’re taking information only developed later on and claiming that Paul knew that information without any actual evidence that he knew that information.
For Paul, the only way you could know anything about Jesus or his message is to recieve it by revelation. In fact, the entire purpose of Galations 1 is to emphasize that he didn’t get his information from any person on earth and only through revelation of Jesus. To claim that Paul needed eyewitnesses to confirm his account would be detrimental to his entire case in Galatians 1.
Acts 1:1-3
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
[2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
[3] To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
John 20:11-16,19-21,24-29
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
[12] And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
[13] And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
[14] And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
[15] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
[16] Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
[19] Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
[20] And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. [21] Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
[24] But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
[25] The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
[26] And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
[27] Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
[28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
[29] Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Acts 26:14-16
And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
[15] And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
[16] But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
2 Peter 3:1-3,14-16
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
[2] That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
[3] Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
[14] Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
[15] And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
[16] As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Bill,
Quoting the bible to authenticate the bible is a circular argument. It’s no different than Harry Potter being real because the books say he is.
The bible as a whole has massive credibility problems as well. The least of which is that every testable claim the bible makes can and has been demonstrated to be false while most all other claims found within appeared first in much older religions so that they are not original to Christianity, or even Judaism.
Regards,
Scott
Scott,
Can you name one testable claim the bible has been demonstrated to be false. I count over 25,000 archeological digs that have confirmed the bible.
Here’s one that proves Pontius Pilate
https://www.bible-history.com/empires/pilate.html
Guys, this is just an unprecedented case, about which we could discuss more closely. Thank you for your attention to this situation!