Creedal Passages

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not the earliest sources documenting the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The scholarly consensus dates these Gospels about 35-65 years after the death of Christ.

Instead, the earliest sources are actually derived from what most bible scholars call the 'creedal passages'. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and the long list from Acts, for example, are passages whose material is believed to go back all the way to the 30s AD.  Even most critical (i.e. skeptical) scholars concede as much regarding these specific New Testament passages.

In these 'creedal passages', the divinity of Christ, His sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and post-resurrection appearances are clearly believed and taught by the earliest Christian community (specifically a mere 2-9 years after the death of Christ).

While these extremely early sources do not prove a divine Jesus, they do demonstrate that belief in a divine Jesus was not a product of myth and legendary development over the course of decades and centuries. It was there from the very beginning.

Holy Week Begins

All four New Testament Gospels record the following Holy Week events:

- Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday)
- Jesus and his apostles have the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday)
- Jesus is betrayed and arrested
- Peter denies knowing Jesus
- Jesus stands trial before Pontius Pilate
- Jesus is crucified (Good Friday)
- Jesus is buried by himself, in a tomb, by Joseph of Arimathea
- Jesus rises from the dead (Easter Sunday)

According to most modern bible scholars, these events were recorded about 35-65 years after Christ died. For the sake of comparison, based on some online research, here are the time frames for the earliest written references regarding other major religious figures:

- Abraham, about 1500 years after his death
- Moses, anywhere from 400-900 years after his death
- Buddha, about 300-400 years after his death
- Muhammad, 100-150 years after his death

Technically, the earliest written references to Christ date to only about 16-27 years after his death (New Testament epistles such as James, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, and Galatians, and probably the Roman historian Thallus in his Eastern Mediterranean history), but they are not considered biographical in nature, like the Gospels.

Anyway, I'd like to wish everyone a fun and contemplative holy week. Approximately 2.2 billion people, or about 30% of the world's population, will be commemorating these events over the coming week.