Normally legends are consistent with the basic convictions of a culture. Why would people believe something that contradicts everything they were previously convinced is true? The followers of Jesus can give us some insight into the answer to that question. In the writings of his earliest disciples, they say that even though it violated their basic Jewish convictions, they worshiped Jesus as the son of God because of his life, miracles and resurrection from the dead. (Peter in Acts 2:22, 24, 32) This rationale is found throughout the writings of the New Testament and many of them gave their lives for that belief. Of course dying for a belief is not proof it is true, but we are left with the problem that conditions and beliefs in Palestine in the first century don't support the idea that they created the story of Jesus as a legend. So if miracles are possible, as we discussed in chapter one, then perhaps the followers of Jesus were writing about events based on real historical events.
Next time, we will start on chapter three and look at what Paul, one of the earliest writers of the New Testament, can teach us about whether Jesus was Lord or a legend.
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