I am an orthodox Christian, ask me a question!

[Jon Paul]

[quote='Jon Paul' pid='26775' dateline='1250551114']

I have already pointed to the evidence for his historical existence and the dual special pleading involved in denying his hostorical existence. Let me point out that it's unnecessary to deny the existence of Jesus, to reject his teachings or reject Christianity.

Can you provide contemporary evidence?

I can provide evidence whose source is contemporary, yes. Can I provide a document which is carbon-14 dated from 10 A.D. attesting to Jesus existence? No. Can I provide a document from 10 B.C. attesting to many other historical personages from the same time? No. It's irrelevant and special pleading to use that as an excuse to deny Jesus existence in specific, while not denying historical validty of many other ancient evidences generally taken to be valid by historians and scholars. Per historical method, we can know the existence of many historical persona without having, if there was contemporary record, the original contemporary document or souce material that exists itself, but by having sources which are a) containing earlier sources information which is either contemporary or close to, b) generally speaking by the source material written by persons who lived contemporarily with the person in question.