Lineage

[diychristian]

It is obvious that Zeitgeist has an agenda by watching video 3. They quote a couple people from the 17th century, post a anti-religious comic, and play excerpts from a stand up comedian as a prelude to their conclusion that Jesus didn't exist! Did anyone pause the video and read some of the supposed connections with the Bible? They were very loose connections at best. I bet I could be connected with some mythological being myself. Am I a myth?
The commentator asks if Jesus was so important why didn't historians report about Him? Historians of that time only reported on politics and warfare. Besides in a society plagued with mythologies a geniune religious sect would have not been noticed on the national scale for awhile.
The video seems to discredit Josephus entirely. Even with the text in question removed, Josephus still mentions Jesus as a wise man and doer of wonders. He said Jesus had a large following and that Pilate had condemned Jesus to the cross.
Experts in classical history (even secular ones) hold St. Luke's, "Acts of the Apostles" in high regards as a historical document.
Take

 

[diychristian]

Take Josephus and St. Luke out of the discussion you still have other writings.
Tacitus who was born shortly after Jesus' death reported in Annals 15.44: That Christus was put to death by Pontius Pilate. He also reported Nero's persecution of Christians in 64 A.D. Would people willingly die for something they knew was a lie? I don't think so.
Pliny the Younger (which the video list),a lawyer and historian, personlally persecuted and ordered executions of christians. He mentioned how strong their faith was.
For something known as a lie?
In the Sanhedrin 43a it mentions Jesus was hanged on Passover eve for practicing sorcery and leading Israel astray.
Mara bar Serpion (73 AD), a non-christian, in a letter to her son asked, "what advantage did the Jews gain by executnig their wise king?"
There is a tomb in Bethany, believed to be Lazurus', inside are Christian artifacts and inscriptions from early Christians asking for miracles from Jesus.
Secretary to emperor Hadrian (117-138AD), Caius Suetonius Tranquillus, mentions Hadrian having pagan statues placed at the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection to deter Christians.
LOOK at some of the "historians" listed in the video. Livy died in 17AD! That's 13 years before Jesus started his ministry!
Phlegon's works are only known through later historical figures. Origen, an early church father, mentions 2 of his works. In them Phlegon mentions the darkness that occured at the time of Jesus' crucifixion (matt 27:45).
Pliny the Elder spent his life in the western Roman empire, writing about the Iron age, architecture and paitings.
Plutarch was a Greek philosopher and biographer. After growing up in Greece he moved to Rome, where he spent most of his life. He did visit middle east and Egypt for a short while. He wrote a history of Osiris and Isis and blended it with Greek mythology (people actually reference this work when studying Egyptian beliefs). His biographies hold minimal historical clout as he always put a positive spin on any Greek or Roman figures. Most of his biographies were about people who lived 100-300 some years before him.
Seneca was a philosopher and play write. Later he did serve as an advisor to Nero. He committed suicide after fighting several accounts of conspiracy in 65AD. Which was near the beginning of Nero's persecution of Christians.
Philo was a mediator between Jews and Greeks in Egypt.
Justus of Tiberius was critisized for messing up facts and chronologies by Josephus.
Apparently Rome never caught fire in 64AD because Dio Chrysostom, Plutarch, Josephus or Epictetus (who all lived then) never mentioned it.