Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this lesson on the anthropology of Jesus.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain the evidence for the existence of Jesus from both Christian and non-Christian perspectives, and the significance of these sources.

Now, lots of this learning today might be new to you, but please don't worry because I'll be guiding you through each step of this lesson, and I'm confident that by the end you will have achieved this outcome.

So let's get started by taking a look at the keywords for this lesson.

We have anthropology and anthropological, figure, historian, and theologian.

Now, the words anthropology or anthropological refer to the study of humankind, a figure is a person who is important or distinctive in some way, a historian is a person who studies and writes about events from the past, and a theologian is a person who studies religion, religious texts, and religious beliefs.

Now, our lesson today will have three parts, we'll start by looking at the existence of Jesus, we'll then move on to look at early Christian writings about Jesus, and then finally we'll look at non-Christian writings about Jesus.

So let's get started and take a look at the existence of Jesus.

Now on the screen you can see an image, and I'd like you to have a look at this image and answer the following questions.

Who is this, what's happening, and who might this image be important to? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So as part of your discussion or thinking time, you've hopefully identified that this is an image of Jesus on the cross.

And this image would be particularly important to Christians because most Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross so that the sins of humanity could be forgiven.

Now, many people who belong to other religions or no religion, they actually reject the Christian belief that Jesus is the son of God, but they don't necessarily reject that Jesus existed.

Now, our lesson today is on the anthropology of Jesus and the anthropology of Jesus refers to his existence as a human.

And actually the existence of Jesus as a human and a historical figure is actually widely accepted.

Asher and Diane are discussing the similarities and differences in their beliefs about Jesus.

Asher is a Christian and Diane is a humanist.

Asher says that, "As a Christian, I believe that Jesus existed as a real person who was the son of God.

Jesus died and was resurrected to save humanity from sin." Diane says that, "As a humanist, I do not believe in any supernatural being such as God or Jesus as the son of God, but I do accept that Jesus may have existed as a historical figure." So what we can see here is an example of somebody who is not Christian, but still believes that Jesus may have existed as a real person.

So let's check your understanding, true or false, all non-religious people reject the existence of Jesus? Fantastic, that statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because many non-religious people actually agree that Jesus existed as a historical figure, but wouldn't believe that Jesus is the son of God.

And we saw Diane, who is a humanist as an example of someone who is not Christian, but still accepts that Jesus may have existed as a real person.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

Now, many historians and theologians agree that Jesus did exist as a historical figure, and this means that it's likely that he existed as a real person who had influence during the time he lived.

So someone who had a big impact during the time that he was alive.

So let's check your understanding again.

Finish the sentence, many historians agree that Jesus existed as, A, a historical figure, B, the Son of God, or C, a historical myth.

Fantastic, the correct answer is A.

Many historians agree that Jesus existed as a historical figure.

Well done.

Now, historians and theologians have been able to identify some really key pieces of information about who Jesus was, and they've established that Jesus was a Jewish man who was born in Bethlehem, likely between the years of four and six, BCE.

And it's been possible to establish Jesus' ethnicity by looking at his family lineage.

So looking at his ancestors and his relatives who came before him.

And one key piece of information that's been established through looking at Jesus' family lineage is that his mother was Jewish, and this is how historians and theologians have been able to identify Jesus as a Jewish man.

Now, Jesus' birth year has also been estimated through the study of the New Testament, and theologians and historians have looked at some key pieces of information to help them establish this.

And these pieces of information are King Herod's reign, Jesus' age when he began his ministry, which is around 30 years old, and the Roman empress who are named as being in charge during Jesus' lifetime.

So let's check your understanding.

What information has helped historians and theologians estimate the year of Jesus' birth? A, king Herod's reign, Jesus' age when he began ministry, and the Roman emperor's named in the gospels, B, King Herod's reign, Mary's age when Jesus was born and the Roman emperors named in the gospels, or C, King Henry's reign, Jesus' age when he began his ministry and the Roman emperors named in the gospels.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is A.

The information that's helped historians and theologians establish the estimated year of Jesus' birth is King Herod's reign, Jesus' age when he began his ministry and the Roman emperors that are named in the gospels.

Well done.

So as well as the New Testament being used to establish an estimated year for Jesus' birth, it's also been used to estimate the year of Jesus' death.

And historians and theologians think that Jesus died somewhere between 30 and 33 CE.

They've referred to the governorship of Pontius Pilate in order to support this estimated date.

And that's because in the gospels, Pontius Pilate is named as the Roman governor who ordered Jesus' death.

So if historians and theologians can establish when Pontius Pilate was governor, they're able to gain a better understanding of when Jesus' death took place.

So let's check your understanding, fill in the blanks.

The gospel accounts have been used to estimate the year of Jesus' blank and blank.

Fantastic.

The missing words are birth and death.

So the gospel accounts have been used to estimate the years of Jesus' birth and death.

Well done.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

So Alex asks you to explain how historians and theologians have used the New Testament as evidence for the existence of Jesus.

I would like you to explain this to Alex and refer to the estimated years of Jesus' birth and death in your answer.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So Alex had asked you to explain to him, how historians and theologians have used the New Testament as evidence of Jesus' existence.

And you will also asked to refer to the estimated years of Jesus' birth and death in your answer.

Now, your response might look similar to this, historians and theologians have used the New Testament to establish the existence of Jesus.

They've estimated that Jesus was born between four and six BCE using information about King Herod's reign, Jesus' age when he began his ministry, and the Roman emperors that are named as being in charge during Jesus' lifetime.

It's estimated that Jesus died between 30 and 33 CE and this has been established by looking into the governorship of Pontius Pilate who is named in the New Testament as being the governor who ordered Jesus' death.

So again, a well done for your work during that task.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at early Christian writings about Jesus.

Now, the most significant evidence for the existence of Jesus are the historical writings.

Now we've established that Jesus' birth is estimated to have taken place between four and six BCE, and that his death is estimated to have occurred between 30 and 33 CE.

Now it was after Jesus' death that writings about him began to emerge.

The first of these writings come from St.

Paul and are known as the epistles of St.

Paul, and these were written between 48 and 67 CE.

They were then followed by writings of Flavius Josephus, which occurred between 93 and 94 CE.

Then writings of Pliny the Younger, which occurred in 112 CE.

And finally writings of Tacitus, which occurred in 115 CE.

Now we're going to be focusing on the writings from St.

Paul.

And the writings from St.

Paul are the earliest surviving writings about Jesus.

And today, these are actually found in the New Testament in the Bible.

Now, St.

Paul's writings are a series of letters that were addressed to various different Christian audiences.

And these letters give insight into early Christianity and into the existence of Jesus.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false, Flavius Josephus provided the earliest Christian writings about Jesus? Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it was actually St.

Paul who provided the earliest Christian writings about Jesus.

Flavius Josephus wrote about Jesus after St.

Paul.

So well done for identifying that this statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

Now, although St.

Paul was writing from a Christian perspective, we still learn important anthropological information about the existence of Jesus.

For example, through the book of Romans, which is in the New Testament in the Bible, we can find out about Jesus' ancestry.

And Romans 1:3 says this, "Regarding his son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David." Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, who did St.

Paul mean when he said the phrase, "His son?" Off you go.

So when St.

Paul uses the phrase, "His son," he's referring to Jesus and he's referring to Jesus as God's son.

Now I'd like you to pause the video again, and this time I'd like you to discuss with a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, who does St.

Paul say that Jesus is a descendant of? Off you go.

So in this passage from Romans, St.

Paul is saying that Jesus is a descendant of David.

So Jesus is a descendant of King David, who is a key Jewish figure.

Now through St Paul's writings, historians and theologians have been able to establish that Jesus was a Jewish man.

And this has been possible because St.

Paul provides us with information about Jesus' ancestry, so the relatives of Jesus who came before him.

Now we also learn about Jesus' immediate family from St.

Paul.

And this is in the book of Galatians which says, "I saw none of the other apostles, only James, the Lord's brother." Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, which relative of Jesus is mentioned here, and who is St.

Paul saying that they are? Off you go.

So the relative of Jesus that's mentioned in this passage is Jesus' brother, James.

Now, this isn't the only time that St.

Paul mentions Jesus' brother, and in 1 Corinthians St.

Paul actually writes about Jesus' family and suggests that Jesus had multiple brothers.

So let's check your understanding.

Which statement best describes the importance of St.

Paul's writings when studying the anthropology of Jesus? A, St.

Paul's writings tell us important information about Jesus' existence as a human, such as his ancestry and family, or B, St.

Paul's writings tell us important information about Jesus' existence as a human, such as his miracles and resurrection? Fantastic.

The correct answer is A.

St.

Paul's writings tell us important information about Jesus' existence as a human, such as his ancestry and family.

Well done.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Sofia and Jun are discussing what can be known about Jesus from Christian writings.

Sofia says, "Christian writings tell us that Jesus was a descendant of important figures from the Old Testament." And Jun says that, "Christian writings tell us about Jesus' family specifically that he had brothers." Now for each statement, I'd like you to give a piece of evidence from St.

Paul to support that statement.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to give a piece of evidence from St.

Paul to support Sofia and Jun's statements.

Now, Sofia had said that, "Christian writings tell us that Jesus was a descendant of important figures from the Old Testament." And you might have used evidence like this, in Romans, St.

Paul said that, "Jesus was a descendant of David." John had said that, "Christian writings tell us about Jesus' family specifically that he had brothers." And you may have used evidence such as this, in Galatians, St.

Paul mentioned James as Jesus' brother.

And in 1 Corinthians, St.

Paul suggested that Jesus had more than one brother.

So well done for your work during that task.

We're now moving on to the final part of our lesson, which is to look at the non-Christian writings about Jesus.

So we've seen that historians and theologians have estimated Jesus' birth to have taken place somewhere between four and six, BCE, and they've also estimated that Jesus' death took place somewhere between 30 and 33 CE.

We've also seen that the earliest surviving writings about Jesus come from the early Christian St.

Paul.

Now from around 93 CE non-Christian writings about Jesus began to emerge.

So writings that are attributed to authors who were not Christian, and these writings come from Flavius Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and Tacitus.

Flavius Josephus was a Roman Jewish historian and is regarded as the first non-Christian to write about Jesus.

In his book, "Antiquities of The Jews," he wrote that Jesus existed as a teacher and a wise man who did wonderful things.

He also wrote that Jesus died on the cross and that he fulfilled ancient prophecies.

Flavius Josephus also discusses other historical figures from Jesus' life such as King Herod, Jesus' brother, James, and John the Baptist.

Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what is significant about what Josephus wrote? Off you go.

So the writings from Josephus are significant because even though Josephus was Jewish, he described Jesus in a way that is consistent with some Christian belief.

So let's check your understanding.

Flavius Josephus was a blank historian.

Is the missing word, A, Christian, B, Jewish, or C, Islamic? Fantastic.

The missing word is B, Jewish.

Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian.

Well done.

Now Pliny the Younger was a Roman governor and writer, and he wrote letters to the Roman emperor at the time asking for guidance on how to deal with early Christians who had been accused of committing crimes.

And in a letter written in 112 CE, he described early Christians as gathering together and worshipping Jesus as a God.

Now, this was controversial because the practises of the early Christians weren't in line with the religious practises of Rome at the time.

Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what did the writings from Pliny the Younger tell us about Jesus? Off you go.

So the writings from Pliny the Younger show that Jesus was very influential.

And this is because Pliny the Younger describes an early Christian community that are worshipping Jesus even after his death.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false, writings from Pliny the Younger describe early Christians gathering together for worship? Fantastic.

That statement is true.

Well done.

Tacitus is another non-Christian who wrote about Jesus.

And Tacitus was a Roman historian and politician who wrote about the Roman Empire from the reign of Tiberius to Nero between the years of 14 and 68 CE.

Now in 115 CE, Tacitus wrote about Jesus being sentenced to death, and his writings actually make reference to Jesus through the name Christus.

And they describe Jesus as suffering an extreme punishment that was ordered by Pontius Pilate.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself about the following question, what is Tacitus' description of Jesus' death similar to and why? Off you go.

So Tacitus' description of Jesus' death is actually similar to the New Testament description of Jesus' death.

And this is because both accounts mention Pontius Pilate and crucifixion.

So let's check your understanding.

Who wrote about Jesus being sentenced to death and the involvement of Pontius Pilate? Was it A, Flavius Josephus, B, Pliny the Younger, or C, Tacitus? Fantastic.

The correct answer is C.

The person who wrote about Jesus being sentenced to death and the involvement of Pontius Pilate was C, Tacitus.

Well done.

So I'd now like us to consider why the non-Christian writings about Jesus are important.

So I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself about these questions, why are the non-Christian writings about Jesus important, and what do they show? Off you go.

So as part of your discussion or your thinking time, you might have considered that the non-Christian writings about Jesus are important because they are evidence that Jesus existed as a human being, and that these writings show that Jesus must have been historically influential as well as religiously.

And this is because even non-Christians were writing about Jesus.

Finally, you may have also considered that the non-Christian writings might be considered as more reliable than Christian writings.

And this is because even though they've been written from a non-Christian perspective, they still confirm Jesus' existence.

So let's check your understanding again, true or false, non-Christian writings about Jesus show that Jesus was not influential? Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because the non-Christian writings about Jesus actually show that he must have been very influential.

And this is because even the people who did not follow him were still writing about him even after he died.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

So I would like you to complete the table by explaining what each non-Christian writer said about Jesus and why what they said is important.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to complete the table by explaining what each non-Christian writer said about Jesus and why what they said is important.

So Flavius Josephus described Jesus as a wise man who did wonderful things.

And this is important because Josephus was Jewish but still describes Jesus in a way that is consistent with Christian belief.

Pliny the Younger described the early Christian community as gathering together for worship, and this shows that people continued to worship Jesus even after he died.

And finally, Tacitus said that, "Jesus suffered an extreme punishment at the hands of Pontius Pilate." And this is important because this description is consistent with the New Testament account of Jesus' crucifixion, which was ordered by Pontius Pilate.

So well done for your work during that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson on the anthropology of Jesus.

But before we finish up, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that many non-Christians accept the existence of Jesus as a historical figure, and that the New Testament has been used by both historians and theologians to establish that Jesus was a Jewish man born in Bethlehem.

We've also seen how the New Testament has been used to estimate the years of Jesus' birth and death, and how the earliest Christian writings come from St.

Paul and they contain important anthropological information.

And finally, we looked at how non-Christian writings about Jesus highlight the influence that Jesus had and might be considered as more reliable.

So again, a huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.