As cultural theories about the mythical nature of Jesus spread, ‘Killing the Messiah’ offers historical evidence that supports many key facts of the Gospel accounts.
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Christianity is a fundamentally historical religion. The Apostles’ Creed reminds us that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” In the middle of that doctrinal summary, we have witness to a particular Roman official whose existence anchors the Gospels in the timeline of verifiable human history. If the physical resurrection is the theological sine qua non of the Christian faith (1 Cor. 15:3–8), then Jesus’s public trial and execution is its historical keystone.
In Killing the Messiah: The Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael J. Andrade, professor of history at Binghamton University, argues that a man named Jesus was, in fact, tried by Pontius Pilate and crucified for sedition. On the one hand, Andrade’s book pushes against those who argue that Jesus of Nazareth is a mere myth. On the other hand, Andrade rejects many elements of the Gospel accounts, arguing that Pilate believed Jesus was a seditious rebel.
