Logic and reason you say?
chat gpt, what percentage of historians believe Jesus existed?
ChatGPT said:
The vast majority of historians —
around 99% of academic scholars of antiquity — agree that
Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure.
Key Points:
- This consensus includes both Christian and non-Christian historians, as well as agnostic and atheist scholars.
- While miraculous claims (like the resurrection) are a matter of faith, the existence of Jesus as a person in first-century Judea is generally not disputed among serious scholars.
- Historical sources outside the Bible, such as Tacitus, Josephus, and Pliny the Younger, support the claim that Jesus existed.
Leading Scholars:
- Bart Ehrman (agnostic/atheist New Testament scholar): "Jesus existed, and we can know some things about him."
- E.P. Sanders: "We know more about Jesus than about many historical figures of antiquity."
- Maurice Casey, Paula Fredriksen, John Dominic Crossan, and others also affirm the historicity of Jesus.
Who Disagrees?
- A very small minority of scholars (often referred to as mythicists) argue Jesus didn’t exist, but they are widely rejected in academic circles due to weak evidence and speculative reasoning.
In short: While scholars may debate who Jesus
was (e.g. prophet, messiah, rebel),
almost all professional historians agree he existed.
I'll leave you with a video from Atheist Bart Erhman. It's a long video, logic and reason use research, not shorts, tiktok and strawman arguments.