The plight of the Ignorant and Superstitious..

The credit due to the testimony of witnesses depends upon, in part, the coincidence of their testimony with collateral circumstances"
In other words, we can judge the accuracy and reliability of claims that Jesus is God, and claims that Jesus rose from the dead, by comparing similar claims of Divinity and Resurrection found in the Bible

In New Testament times people were very ignorant and superstitious.

In reading through my Bible, I have noted that the people of New Testament times, believed that human beings were Gods, and that human beings could return from the dead.

Let me show you what I discovered..........

Acts 12:21-22 (King James Version)
21And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

Acts 14:11-13 (King James Version)
11And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

13Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

Acts 28:3-6 (King James Version)
3And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

4And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

5And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

6Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

See how easy it was for the ignorant and superstitious people of New Testament times to believe that a person was a God on very meager evidence?
It certainly cheapens any claims that the man Jesus was a god.

Matthew 16:13-14 (King James Version)
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
It amazes me how easily they could believe that Jesus could be a man who died long ago and returned from the dead.

Mark 6:14-16 (King James Version)
14And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

15Others said, That it is Elijah. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.

16But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

Even the leader of a country was dumb enough to easily believe that prophets could return from the dead.

My point is that in New Testament times, people were ignorant and superstitious and believed that people were Gods and that people could resurrect from the dead on the basis of very little evidence and lots of faith in the supernatural.

As I was proof reading my post, I realized that people haven't changed much in 2000 years. Even today, some people believe a man is a god, and that people can rise from the dead, on very little evidence.