Christ = Caesar?

Originally posted on October 31, 2007 – by Andre Piet

broadcast

A visitor of goedbericht.nl pointed me to a Dutch TV broadcast last night of the program “De Wereld Draait Door.” (The World Keeps Turning) In it, director Jan van Friesland was a guest to promote his documentary, which will be aired this Friday by VARA. This documentary (“The Gospel of Caesar”) is based on a book by the Italian linguist Francesco Carotta. This author claims that the Gospels in the Bible are nothing more than a retelling of the biography of Emperor Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.).

similarities

Carotta points to the many similarities he has found between the Roman emperor and Jesus Christ. Indeed, both share the same initials. But it doesn’t stop there. Both were of noble descent. Both came from a northern neighboring region (Gaul and Galilee). Jesus had a nighttime encounter with Nicodemus, Caesar had nighttime encounters with Nicomedes. Both clashed with the ruling class and were popular among the people. From both is the saying known: “love your enemies.” Both were triumphantly welcomed into the capital, where both were also betrayed and murdered. In both cases, someone is said to have washed his hands in innocence. Both were accused of elevating themselves to kingship, and both wore a red royal robe. Both were pierced in their side — and that on a similar date: the 15th of Aviv (according to Carotta) and the 15th of March. After their deaths, both were venerated with divine honors. And so on, and so on.

urban legend…

An impressive list of similarities. Julius Caesar almost seems like a type of Jesus Christ… as we know so many of in the Bible. But that is absolutely not what Carotta (and his apostle Jan van Friesland) wants us to believe. No, Carotta boldly claims that Jesus never existed. The story of Jesus, he says, is nothing more than a Jewish distortion of the life of Julius Caesar.

That claim will undoubtedly go down easily for many. But the fact remains that — despite the anti-Christian sentiment among many scholars — hardly any of them attach much value to Carotta’s denial of Jesus’ existence. The evidence against this claim is overwhelming. Just take the fact that in the early centuries there were many intellectual opponents of the Christian faith. Learned as they were, not one of them ever suggested that Jesus was in fact Caesar.

And what about the Roman historian Tacitus, who already around the year 115 wrote about what he considered the pernicious influence of the Christians? Their name, Tacitus explains, “is derived from Christus, who, during the reign of Tiberius, was executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate.”

And then there’s the idea that tens of thousands of Jews — before the destruction of Jerusalem — would have become enthusiastic followers of a figure constructed from a leader of the Romans, whom they so deeply hated…

the New Testament – direct eyewitness account

Regular visitors of goedbericht.nl will surely recognize that Carotta’s claim is a classic urban legend. The New Testament is, in fact, an impressive collection of documents written down by direct eyewitnesses (see 1 Cor. 15; Luke 1; 1 John 1). That is precisely what makes the New Testament so completely different from any other religious text. It is not merely a collection of opinions… it is history.

In the mentioned broadcast (which I rewatched via ‘Uitzending Gemist’), Jan van Friesland claimed — without batting an eye — that there is no historical evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ… Well, whoever closes their eyes sees nothing.

One comfort: the moment will come when Jan van Friesland (like everyone else) will no longer have to rely on historical documents, but will come face to face with the Truth — live and direct.

It’s just a matter of time…

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