MERGED: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Part 1) & (Part 2)

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To me it's a matter of history, what is probable, and what is reasonable.

All that can be reasonably said with a good degree of certainty about Jesus of Nazareth is the following.

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by Pontius Pilate.

Aside from a few teachings of his in the gospels, you can take everything else with a grain of salt.

Awesome!

Now, this raises a few tiny questions:
- Who was "Jesus of Nazareth"? (in your view)
- Why would Pontius Pilate have him crucified?
- What evidence gives you such certainty about this event?

From a historical perspective- which includes my opinion- Jesus of Nazareth was a Nazarene. The Nazarene were a sub-sect of the Essene, as the teachings of Jesus in the gospels demonstrate significant similarities with the description of the Essene given by Josephus.

The town of Nazareth got its name from those who inhabited that locale; the Nazarene. They came first, and then the town was so named after them.

Jesus was a Nazarene Rabbi, who's views on the Torah were completely unorthodox. He demonstrated a great dislike of the Pharisee, Sadducee, and any leaders in Jerusalem. His teachings were geared to empower the people, as opposed to the people empowering the Sanhedrin.

He gained considerable fame in his locale in and around Jerusalem. This fame, however, was his own undoing. Many of his followers began to consider him the Messiah. However, being considered a Messiah means far more than just some kind of savior, because it also denotes a kingship.

The fame of Jesus grew, not because of any ridiculous miracles, but rather because of his popularity with the common people. This fame greatly concerned the Sanhedrin, because since so many of the people regarded him to be a Messiah- which makes him a king- the Sanhedrin feared a war with Rome would break out, since the Jews could not have a rival king in Caesar's kingdom.

The Sanhedrin concocted a plan to take Jesus and arrest him. They had to do it in secret, at night, so his many followers would not defend him as they would be asleep. They trumped up some charges against the man to warrant his arrest, had a "mock" trial, but they could not stone him because it was the Passover.

They had to get rid of Jesus before the Passover went into full swing, so they brought him to Pilate. Pilate, who hated the Jews, initially didn't want to crucify Jesus for one reason only; to piss off the Sanhedrin.

However, the Jewish priests in Pilates court said something to the effect of, "He claims to be a king, and if you let a king go in Caesars kingdom, we will make sure Caesar knows what you did."

Now blackmailed, Pilate crucified Jesus, and placed upon the cross, "Jesus, King of the Jews," not so much as because Jesus was a king, but rather to piss off the Sanhedrin once again by demonstrating how the powerful Romans killed their king.

After that, the life of Jesus was embellished by his followers into what we see today in the gospels.

The evidence is the consistency of the crucifixion and trial, and why Jesus was crucified.