Hey everyone, I'm diving in to what I have personally found to be the most convincing arguments for the historical accuracy of the gospel accounts of Jesus's life. First, here are my sources I used to create this video. It's not everything I've read or watched on the topic, just stuff I consulted to make this video: Books (no particular order): Timothy Keller, The Reason for God Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses Craig Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the Gospels Metzger and Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 4th ed. Bart Ehrman, Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings Darrell Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus Robert Stein, Studying the Synoptic Gospels Videos (no particular order): Obviously in my video watching, I focused heavily on Ehrman's arguments for the New Testament's lack of trustworthiness. He's by far the biggest name in the field, and its biggest popular "critic," so I wanted to get a very good idea of the types of things he was saying in his debates. Ehrman vs. Wallace Debate: https://youtu.be/WRHjZCKRIu4?si=TGnaMMOKuOeeyymv Ehrman and Peter Williams Debate: https://youtu.be/foLI3KGbMnk?si=nWjXCIpqr9jmaeK_ Ehrman and Robert Price Debate: https://youtu.be/GzjYmpwbHEA?si=JhFEK85CTq4rHEDI Ehrman and Licona Debate: https://youtu.be/bTw8sGfuMOs?si=RQDkTjNH9apS_kbQ Ehrman solo presentation: https://youtu.be/AymnA526j9U?si=OE6AztK4JVf-4xiG So the question is, are the Gospels historically reliable? In this video, my goal isn’t to prove Christianity conclusively but to show that the gospels are "true enough" for you to decide for yourself who Jesus is. We’ll explore: - The historical trustworthiness of the gospel authors. - External evidence, like archaeology and corroborating documents. - Internal evidence, including “embarrassing” details and cultural context. - Why contradictions in the gospels might actually strengthen their reliability. - Early written sources and the reliability of oral tradition. I also discuss key questions like: - How do we determine trustworthiness in ancient texts? - Do contradictions disprove Christianity? - Can we trust the gospels to tell us about Jesus’ life and claims? Ultimately, this video is about showing you that you have the ability to decide. With a reasonable understanding of the evidence, you can decide for yourself what to make of Jesus. #Christianity #FaithAndReason #HistoricityoftheGospels00:00 Intro 01:40 The Importance of Trustworthiness 04:00 External Evidence for Historicity 05:55 Internal Evidence | Criterion of Embarrassment 10:08 Internal Evidence | 1st Century Theological Debates 11:39 Contradictions and Trustworthiness 13:45 Does a Single Contradiction Disprove Christianity? 14:45 The Reasonableness of Inerrancy 17:20 The Beauty and Usefulness of a Contradiction 22:26 An Analogy for Gospel Contradictions 24:23 Dates of Composition for the Gospels and Q 26:54 Reasons the Disciples Had Hand-Written Notes 31:51 Oral Tradition and the Telephone Game 36:22 Evidence for Oral Tradition in the NT | Philippians 2:5-11 38:13 Outro

Is Jesus a man or a myth? We'll discuss that in this video! Subscribe and hit the bell icon to get notified when the second part of this two part series on "Can We Know the Real Jesus?" comes out! Here are the bibliographic references for every historian I mention in the video in order: 1.Tacitus, Annals, Book 15 chapter 44. 2. Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars, chapter 25. 3. Pliny the Young, Letter 96 4. I got the quote of Thallus and Africanus from “The Extant Fragments of the Five Books of the Chronography of Julius Africanus” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers Book 6, pages 136–137. 5. First Josephus quote: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20.200-203 6. Second Josephus quote: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.63-64 Is Jesus just a myth? Or was he a real person who walked the earth and changed history? In this video, we tackle a hotly debated questions: the historical existence of Jesus. Using sources completely outside of the Bible—Roman historians, Jewish writers, and others—we uncover the evidence that proves Jesus was not only a real man but also someone whose teachings, death, and claims left an undeniable mark on history. From Tacitus and Suetonius to Josephus and beyond, these sources validate key events in Jesus’ life, from his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate to the early Christians' worship of him as God. What’s even more incredible? Jesus, a poor man from a small town in the Roman Empire, is better documented in ancient history than most Roman officials! By the end of this video, you’ll see why saying “Jesus is just a myth” is no longer an intellectually honest position. Whether you believe he’s the Son of God or not, the historical evidence leaves no room to deny that Jesus existed and profoundly influenced the world. Next Steps: Can we trust the writings about Jesus? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive into the historical accuracy of the Gospels. #Jesus #History #Christianity #HistoricalJesus #Skepticism #Faith

O'Connor's Video: https://youtu.be/Wu2hvtR5-5M?si=jFLk4HFhy74dvkRQ Religious Diversity Chart: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/religious-diversity-4-png/ Alex O'Connor ( @CosmicSkeptic ) is a sharp thinker, an articulate speaker, and someone who deeply engages with religious ideas. As a Christian, I find his arguments against the existence of God both challenging and worth exploring. In this video, I’ll respond to three main points from one of his opening statements: 1. The Hiddenness of God – Why isn’t God more obvious to those who genuinely seek Him? 2. The Geographical Spread of Religion – Does the global distribution of faith suggest religion is a cultural phenomenon rather than divine truth? 3. The Problem of Grotesque Suffering – How can a loving God allow the extent of suffering we see, including among animals? While Alex believes atheism better accounts for these realities, I aim to show why Christianity not only addresses these challenges but provides deeper answers that resonate with both the mind and the heart. If you're curious about Alex’s full arguments, I’ve linked his video below for context. Let’s dive into these questions with intellectual honesty and a commitment to understanding. #Christianity #Atheism #CosmicSkeptic #HiddennessOfGod #Philosophy #Apologetics