No two men ever astounded their contemporaries so much that the question they evoked was not "Who is he?" but "What is he?".
They were Jesus and Buddha. The answers these two men gave were exactly opposite.
Buddha said unequivocally that he was mere man, not a god - almost as if he foresaw attempts to worship him. Jesus, on the other hand, claimed in many ways to be divine.
Jesus kept pointing to himself, saying "Come unto me." Buddha said, "Look not to me; look to my 'dharma' (doctrine)."
Buddha also said, "Be ye lamps unto yourselves." Jesus said, "I am the light of the world."
Clearly and shockingly Jesus invited crucifixion (or stoning) by saying: "Very truly I tell you before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58).
If He was not God, no one in history ever said anything more blasphemous than this; by Jewish law, no one ever deserved to be crucified more than Jesus!
Did Jesus claim divinity? Let's look at the NT scriptural data...
(1) The early creedal formula "Jesus is lord
[kyrios]": 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11
(2) The title "Son of God" ("Son
of" implies "of the same nature as."): Mt 11:27;
Mk 12:6; 13:32; 14:61-62; Lk 10:22; 22:70; Jn 10:30; 14:9
(3) The NT calls him "God": Tit 2:13;
1 Jn 5:20; Rom 9:5; Jn 1:1
(4) Absolutely, universally supreme: Col 1:15-20
(5) Eternally preexistent: Jn 1:1; Phil 2:6;
Heb 13:8; Rev 22:13
(6) Omnipresent:
Mt 18:20; 28:20
(7) Omnipotent:
Mt 28:18; Heb 1:3; Rev 1:8
(8) Immutable: Heb 1:11-12; 13:8
(9) Creates (only God can create): Col 1:16-17;
Jn 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:10
(10) Sinless, perfect: Heb 7:26; Jn 8:46; 2
Cor 5:21
(11) Has authority to forgive sins: Mk 2:5-12; Lk 24:45-47; Acts 10:43;
1 Jn 1:5-9
(12) Rightly worshiped: Mt 2:11; 14:33; 28:9;
Jn 20:28; Heb 1:5-9
(13) Speaks the unique, forbidden divine name:
Jn 8:58
(14) Called "King of kings and Lord of lords":
1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14
(15) One with the Father: Jn 10:30; 12:45, 14:8-10
(16) Performs miracles: Jn 10:37-38; and throughout
all 4 gospels.
(17) Sends the Holy Spirit: Jn 14:25-26; 16:7-15
(18) The Father testifies to him: Mt 3:17; 17:5;
Jn 8:18; 1 Jn 5:9
(19) Gives eternal life: Jn 3:16; 5:39-40; 20:30-31
(20) Foreknows the future: Mk 8:31; Lk 9:21-22;
12:49-53; 22:35-37; 24:1-7; Jn 3:11-14; 6:63-64; 13:1-11; 14:27-29;
18:1-4; 19:26-30
(21) Is Lord over the Law: Lk 6:1-5
Also, it is obvious that the NT texts are anchored around the story of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.
Summary: We have seen that the events surrounding the man or myth of Jesus took place at the time the scriptures say they did. The NT (shown to be an historically reliable witness), written within a generation of the alleged events, give detailed accounts surrounding these events. Also in the NT there are claims of Jesus' miracles (being divine and resurrecting from the dead).
So now we need to investigate all the possibilities concerning the validity of these claims.
As a starting point, would you please pick one choice below which you believe to be, or most likely to be, the truth about Jesus:
I. Jesus
claimed divinity
11A. He meant it literally
11111. It is True------------------------------------------He
is Lord
11112. It is False
111111a. He knew it was
false-------------------------He was a Liar
111111b. He didn't know it was false------------------He
was a Lunatic
11B. He meant it non-literally, mystically-------------He
was a Guru
II. Jesus never claimed divinity--------------------------He is a Myth
III.
Jesus died
11A. Jesus rose-------------------------------------------He
is Lord
11B. Jesus didn't rise
11111. The apostles
were deceived--------------------He was an Hallucination
11112. The gospel writers were myth-makers-------He is
a Myth
11113. The apostles were deceivers-------------------He
is a Conspiracy
IV. Jesus didn't die----------------------------------------It was a case of Swoon
Here is a list of the gazillions of OT
prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.
Do you still need more
evidence?
Here is a quick note on "miracles".
Are you still not
sure?
A broad overview of the world's major
religions.
My favorite sites
.
Here's my version of the crucifixion
.
Contact me via e-mail.