WHY I'M CATHOLIC - Ch. 6
THE EVIDENCE
As mentioned, there is little extra-biblical documentation for the historical existence of Jesus. And of what there is, much has largely been discredited as the fabrication of later Christian copyists. So, for the skeptic, the atheist, how best to prove Jesus?
The best record is not found in ink, but blood, lots of it. For nearly three centuries, thousands of Christians voluntarily chose the most unimaginable tortures rather than change their story.
There are three things to consider in the matter of the Roman persecution of Christians: its brutality, its length, and its uniqueness.
Brutality: The Romans made a science of torture. They perfected it to the point of art and placed it at the service of government control as well as entertainment and spectacle. Few cultures have devised crueler ways to kill a man ― crucifixion being the ultimate installment in humanity’s inhumanity.
Length: The Roman persecution stretched through six full generations. Using Nero (64 AD) as a starting point and the Edict of Milan (313 AD) as the end, consider that the Christians under Rome were subjected to brutal persecution ― albeit intermittently ― for a period longer than the United States has been a nation.
Uniqueness: Martyrdom is not unique to the early Christians, but their willingness to be killed in the most cruel ways is. Compare this to the “martyrdom” of Islam, where one dies (often quickly) while killing others. Closer to our own time, compare the so-called martyrdom of the Guyana cult where in the 1970‘s 800 people committed suicide. Instead of swallowing cyanide as their preferred means of death, imagine the cult members lining up to be boiled in oil, gnawed by wild beasts, pulled apart on a rack, roasted on a spit, or left to die over days nailed to a cross … probably not a lot of volunteers.
No, the martyrdom of the early Christians is unique not just because of their willingness to suffer the most unimaginable torments, but because many of them could have avoided it altogether by making some nominal gesture to a Roman deity. Thus, there is simply nothing like the persecution of the early Christians, and it forces us to examine what and who they died for.