--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of my favorite arguments against…" description: "\"“One of my favorite arguments against Jesus was how do we know He really existed? How do we know that accounts of Jesus aren’t some carefully preserved..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/tom-skinner-82964_greek-philosopher_one-of-my-favorite-arguments-against-jes_1325970.jpg" --- # One of my favorite arguments against Jesus was how do we… ![“One of my favorite arguments against Jesus was how do we know He really existed? How do we know that accounts of Jesus aren’t some carefully preserved legend? Then I recalled one of my favorite characters of history. Socrates was a Greek philosopher, but he left no writings behind when he died. In…” quote by Tom Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/tom-skinner-82964_greek-philosopher_one-of-my-favorite-arguments-against-jes_1325970.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/tom-skinner-82964_greek-philosopher_one-of-my-favorite-arguments-against-jes_1325970.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/tom-skinner-82964_greek-philosopher_one-of-my-favorite-arguments-against-jes_1325970.jpg) > ““One of my favorite arguments against Jesus was how do we know He really existed? How do we know that accounts of Jesus aren’t some carefully preserved legend? Then I recalled one of my favorite characters of history. Socrates was a Greek philosopher, but he left no writings behind when he died. In fact, the only proof we have that he ever lived at all is what others have told us about him! Even then, only Plato and one or two others, such as Aristophanes, the dramatist, and Xenophon, his great friend and admirer, tell us anything about him at all. Yet, we accept their story. But more than forty different men sat down and wrote about the greatness, the sovereignty and the power of God. And many men, writing separately, gave similar and non-contradictory accounts of Jesus Christ. Yet, I didn’t believe it.”” Tom Skinner ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that historical evidence for Jesus is comparable to that for Socrates, relying on multiple independent testimonies despite lack of direct records. **In simple terms:** Historical claims often rest on secondary accounts. Key Takeaway Consider the weight of multiple sources. Themes history faith evidence Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - religious study - historical research - personal belief - skepticism Key Concepts historical methodology testimony credibility Questions to Reflect On - How do we evaluate conflicting testimonies? - What standards should we apply to ancient sources? A Different Perspective Reliance on secondary sources can be questioned for bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greek philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Power of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-god/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Being a Christian does not mean that there is one way of living a Christian life, people do it differently in different cultures because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-green/being-a-christian-does-not-mean-that-there-is-one-way-of-living-a/) [Alan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-green/) > [“This classmate told me that Plato drove this idea home in his dialogue Euthydemus , in which Socrates puts down the Sophists, claiming that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-klein/this-classmate-told-me-that-plato-drove-this-idea-home-in-his/) [Daniel Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-klein/) > [Unlike Churchill, I have no plans to shape history. . . . Socrates gave advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/unlike-churchill-i-have-no-plans-to-shape-history-socrates-gave-advice/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [“So far as we know, Jesus did not write anything, nor did anyone who had personal knowledge of him. There is no archaeological evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-michael-white/so-far-as-we-know-jesus-did-not-write-anything-nor-did-anyone-who-had/) L. Michael White > [Presumably what happened to Jesus was what happens to all of us when we die. We decompose. Accounts of Jesus's resurrection and ascension are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/presumably-what-happened-to-jesus-was-what-happens-to-all-of-us-when/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I started asking the big questions that I had asked in college, that my compatriots the Greek philosophers had asked, like 'what is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-started-asking-the-big-questions-that-i-had-asked-in-college-that/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [I have never come across someone who could inspire more respect than the Greek philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-have-never-come-across-someone-who-could-inspire-more-respect-than/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek-philosophers-should-have/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“Once we face our fear, once we treat our anxiety itself as a thing, we can then choose otherwise. Instead of filling the unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-jones/once-we-face-our-fear-once-we-treat-our-anxiety-itself-as-a-thing-we/) [David W. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-jones/) > [ “What would have made \[seeing Göbekli Tepe from Harran\] easier, in antiquity, would have been a tall tower annexed to the temple that once… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/what-would-have-made-seeing-g-bekli-tepe-from-harran-easier-in/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/he-who-has-never-learned-to-obey-cannot-be-a-good-commander/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Greek philosophers considered sport a religious and civic-in a word, moral-undertaking. Sport, they said, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/greek-philosophers-considered-sport-a-religious-and-civic-in-a-word/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-bourgeois-thinkers-of-the-eighteenth-century-thus-turned/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More by Tom Skinner > [“Some say there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon But is that too far for you? Wouldn’t you prefer your glimmers a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skinner/some-say-there-is-a-glimmer-of-hope-on-the-horizon-but-is-that-too/) Tom Skinner > [“I spent a long time trying to come to grips with my doubts, when suddenly I realized I had better come to grips with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skinner/i-spent-a-long-time-trying-to-come-to-grips-with-my-doubts-when-2/) Tom Skinner Explore all 3 Tom Skinner quotes ## More Greek philosopher quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-bourgeois-thinkers-of-the-eighteenth-century-thus-turned/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Greek philosophers considered sport a religious and civic-in a word, moral-undertaking. 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Instead of filling the unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-jones/once-we-face-our-fear-once-we-treat-our-anxiety-itself-as-a-thing-we/) [David W. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-jones/) > [To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek-philosophers-should-have/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [I have never come across someone who could inspire more respect than the Greek philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-have-never-come-across-someone-who-could-inspire-more-respect-than/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I started asking the big questions that I had asked in college, that my compatriots the Greek philosophers had asked, like 'what is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/i-started-asking-the-big-questions-that-i-had-asked-in-college-that/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“If you wish to be a writer; write! Send quote to a friend Epictetus (50-120) Greek philosopher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-wish-to-be-a-writer-write-send-quote-to-a-friend-epictetus-50/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Most people believe they know how they themselves think, how others think too, and even how institutions evolve. But they are wrong. Their understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-believe-they-know-how-they-themselves-think-how-others/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [There is no possession more valuable than a good and faithful friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/there-is-no-possession-more-valuable-than-a-good-and-faithful-friend/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against Nature. When enough sins have accumulated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/illnesses-do-not-come-upon-us-out-of-the-blue-they-are-developed-from/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus taught his students that what happens to them is not as important as what they believe happens to them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-krippner/the-ancient-greek-philosopher-epictetus-taught-his-students-that-what/) [Stanley Krippner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-krippner/) [Browse all 54 Greek philosopher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosopher/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One of my favorite arguments against Jesus was how do we know He really existed? How do we know that accounts of Jesus aren’t some carefully preserved legend? Then I recalled one of my favorite characters of history. 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