The Case For Christ

following Jesus ever since 1952, the year I was born. I was
especially curious to see whether his long-term commitment to
Christ would color his assessment of the historical evidence. In
other words, would he scrupulously stick to the facts or be
tempted to draw conclusions that went beyond where the evidence
warranted?
I found Yamauchi to have a gentle and unassuming demeanor.
Although generally soft-spoken, he's intensely focused. He
provides thorough and detailed answers to questions, often
pausing to supplement his verbal response by offering
photocopies of scholarly articles he has written on the topic. A
good scholar knows you can never have too much data.
Inside his book-cluttered office, in the heart of a heavily
wooded campus ablaze in autumn colors, we sat down to talk about
the topic that still brings a glint to his eyes, even after so
many years of research and teaching.
AFFIRMING THE GOSPELS
Because of my interview with Blomberg, I didn't want to suggest
that we needed to go beyond the gospels in order to find reliable
evidence concerning Jesus. So I started by asking Yamauchi this
question: "As a historian, could you give me your assessment of
the historical reliability of the gospels themselves?"
"On the whole, the gospels are excellent sources," he replied.
"As a matter of fact, they're the most trustworthy, complete, and
reliable sources for Jesus. The incidental sources really don't
add much detailed information; however, they are valuable as
corroborative evidence." "OK, that's what I want to discuss-the
corroborative evidence," I said. "Let's be honest: some people
scoff at how much there really is. For example, in 1979 Charles
Templeton wrote a novel called Act of God, in which a fictional
archaeologist made a statement that reflects the beliefs of a lot
of people."
I pulled out the book and read the relevant paragraph.
The [Christian] church bases its claims mostly on the teachings
of an obscure young Jew with messianic pretentions who,
let's face it, didn't make much of an impression in his lifetime.
There isn't a single word about him in secular history. Not a
word. No mention of him by the Romans. Not so much as a reference
by Josephus.