During the period in Europe known as the Enlightenment (17th and 18th centuries), rationalism dominated the intellectual scene. The idea was that something was only true if it could be explained logically. It would be considered false if it could not be explained rationally. Therefore, the supernatural events and miracles in the Bible were viewed with skeptical eyes and disbelief. The Bible began to be studied as if it were any other historical document. During this time, many words were written on the Life of Jesus that were motivated to explain away the supernatural elements of the Gospels.
Herman Reimarus wrote a controversial article that was not published until after his death (by Gotthold Lessing). The article challenged the traditional understanding of Jesus and His mission. It claimed that Jesus was not here on earth to establish a new religion but to free the Jewish people from the political powers and create a kingdom on earth. When Jesus was arrested and murdered, the disciples created the Christian religion by stealing Jesus’ body, claiming He had been resurrected from the grave.
Most biblical scholars rejected Reimarus’ claim, but the damage was already done, and there was an influx of rationalistic research on the historical Jesus. Most people begin to try to explain Jesus in nonsupernatural terms. There were claims that most of Jesus’ miracles could be explained as unrecognized causes or mistaken observations. Some of the miracles under question were: the feeding of the 5k, Jesus walking on water, and the raising of Lazarus. They even were guilty of proposing that Jesus was not actually killed and that He only appeared to be dead and was revived by the spices and cool temperatures in the tomb. This is called the “swoon theory,” which has a ridiculous name and is a ridiculous conclusion.
The common thought during this time was that Jesus was a mere common man who was an ethical teacher proclaiming the love of God and the brotherhood of all human beings. This goes against everything the Gospels speak about Jesus, and we would be wise to steer clear of that kind of thinking. When you read the Gospels, read with an understanding that Jesus is who He says He is and stop trying to explain what He did with ration and logic. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16).
Matthew 16:13-18 – Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.