By Scott Shifferd, Jr
Christians of like mind find Jesus compellingly sincere and beyond the invention of mankind's imagination. Jesus was witnessed by sincere men and women, who admit initial doubt and skepticism in whom they first thought was a mere man. Yet, these found Jesus to be more. We are astounded by the life, love, and miraculous works of Jesus. Christians believe the ancient witnesses of Jesus' first followers, His Apostles. We believe in the Apostles and their associate prophets, and therefore, we conclude Jesus to be infallible upon their testimonies. By the definition of apostle meaning “sent out”, Jesus' Apostles took His message to the world give sincere accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are the faithful, who oversaw the collection of Christian scriptures in the middle to late 1st century (1 John 1:1-4, 2 Pet. 1:16-21, 3:15-16).
As Christians dig deeper for ancient references to Christ, we find other early Christian writers, who are witnesses, friends, and disciples of the Apostles of Christ. Such men include Clement, Mathetes, Polycarp, and Ignatius, who wrote in the middle to late 1st century and early 2nd century. As strata in history, these Christian writers were witnesses of the original witnesses, the Apostles and prophetic writers of the New Testament scriptures. Upon this layer, there were the associates of the 1st generation of Christians, who followed the Apostles. These Christians include Justin, Melito, Hippolytus, and Irenaeus in the middle to late 2nd century. Upon Jesus as the cornerstone, there was formed a foundation of Apostles and prophets, and then by God's providence in history, we have stone upon stone laid upon the Apostolic scriptures (Eph. 2:20-22). Even the early opponents of Christianity recognized the reality of Jesus' life while questioning the Apostolic writers. These opponents include Celsus, Trypho, Lucian of Samosata, Porphyry of Tyre, Hierocles of the Bithynian Proconsul, Julian the Apostate, and Peregrinus Proteus.
These are real people. There is no scheme that can invent so many layers of early writers and enemies of Christianity. No contemporary of Jesus' time doubted that Jesus lived and died. The New Testament scriptures are left for the sincere cross-examination of the apparent motives of the Apostolic writers. Those, who seek purpose in their life, the Source of moral virtue, and the Creator of all of nature's beauty and order, do no have to look far for the most compelling Teacher to have walked the earth.
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