Imagine investigating a murder in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. How would you identify a person of interest in such a case?
Designed to be used alongside Person of Interest and the Person of Interest Video Study, this study guide will teach you the same investigative strategies used by detective J. Warner Wallace to examine the claims of history.
Dateline featured cold-case detective and bestselling author, J. Warner Wallace, has investigated a number of these "no body missing person" cases and has successfully identified and convicted the killers, even without the victim's body or evidence from the crime scene.
Can the historicity of Jesus be investigated in the same way? Can the truth about Jesus be uncovered even without a body or a crime scene? In Person of Interest, Wallace describes his own personal investigative journey from atheism to Christianity, as he employs a unique investigative strategy to confirm the historicity and deity of Jesus--without relying on the New Testament manuscripts.
Imagine a scenario in which every New Testament document has been destroyed, Wallace carefully sifts through the evidence from historyalone to reconstruct the identity of Jesus as the world's most important person of interest.
Person of Interest will:
Invite readers into the life of a cold-case detective as he uncovers the truth about Jesus, using the same approach he also employs to solve a real murder case
Teach readers how to become good detectives, using an innovative and unique "'fuse' and 'fallout'" investigative strategy they can also use to examine other claims of history
Help readers to explore common objections to Christianity
Concrete, compelling, and unique in its approach, Person of Interest will strengthen the faith of believers, while engaging those who are skeptical and distrusting of the New Testament.
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Truth will come to sight; murder cannot be hid long.
āWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
CASE BRIEFING
Do you know anyone who is skeptical of the New Testament? Have you ever doubted the accuracy of the Gospels? In this opening investigation, weāll examine a detective technique you can use to examine the historicity and deity of Jesus from an unusual perspective: without any evidence from the New Testament.
You read that correctly.
When I investigated the existence and deity of Jesus, I quickly realized the Bible wasnāt the only available source of information. I didnāt need the evidence provided by the New Testament gospels to know the truth about Jesus. In fact, if some evil regime had destroyed every existing Christian Bible before I was bornāif there hadnāt been a single biblical New Testament manuscript to testify about the life or deity of JesusāI would still have been able to determine the truth about him.
How? By investigating the case for Jesus like a āno-body homicideā cold case.
In this opening session, Iāll describe the simple investigative strategy Iāve used to solve no-body homicide cases, which we can also apply to the case for Jesus. If youāre someone who rejects the New Testament, as I did, you may be shocked at how much you can still learn about Jesus, even without relying on the Bible for information.
When your investigation is complete, youāll determine if Jesus matters. Youāll discover if he was a work of fiction, just another ancient sage, or historyās uniquely divine person of interest.
When detectives gather to ābriefā before a long investigation, they usually have the advantage of being familiar with one another. That may not be the case for your group. Take a few minutes to introduce yourselves. Then, to start off the investigation on the right foot, briefly engage one of the following topics:
ā¢ Share one hope or expectation you have for this examination of Jesus as a person of interest.
āorā
ā¢ Share why you think some people are skeptical about the existence or deity of Jesus.
OPENING CLUES
Before watching the video, invite someone to read aloud the following passage from the gospel of Mark. Listen carefully to the way Jesus is described:
Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, āThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.ā
As He was going along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, āFollow Me, and I will have you become fishers of people.ā Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and went away to follow Him.
They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:14ā22)
Now ask someone to read this passage from Paulās letter to the Colossians:
I want you to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of Godās mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1ā3)
STATEMENT ANALYSIS
Spend a few minutes reflecting on the verses you just read, then discuss these questions with your group:
From what you read in Markās gospel, what is different about the teaching of Jesus? What separated him from others teaching at the time? What do you think he said that impressed his listeners?
From Paulās letter to the Colossians, why is the teaching of Jesus unique? How would you rate the intelligence of Jesus compared with that of others, and on what are you basing your rating?
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
Play the video for session 1. As you watch, use the following section of your investigatorās guide to record any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you.
Notes related to Tammy Hayesās no-body homicide case:
[Your Response Here]
Notes related to J. Warnerās experience in church:
[Your Response Here]
NO-BODY HOMICIDES
No-body homicide cases are incredibly difficult to investigate and prosecute. Few of these cases are ever filed with the district attorney because prosecutors must (1) prove the victim was murdered (and isnāt simply missing) and (2) prove that the defendant committed the crime. These types of murders require a special approach to solve and communicate to a jury. This unique approach can also be used to investigate the case for Jesus.
