The Jesus Papers is a 2006 book written by Michael Baigent, which argued that hidden documents revealed that Jesus did not die on the cross but lived for years after in marriage with Mary Magdalene in the South of France. The novel is based on unfounded conspiracy theories, not legitimate historical accounts.
The Bible provides valid historical accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and none of those accounts affirm the claims made in Michael Baigent’s The Jesus Papers. Though Baigent claims Jesus and Pilate conspired for Jesus to escape, Scripture shows that Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26). Additionally, the Bible indicates that the Roman soldiers—professionals who frequently determined whether the crucified were living or dead—verified Jesus’ death (John 19:33-34). The Jewish chief priests knew He had died; if they had not, they would not have asked for His body to be guarded (Matthew 27:64-65) nor later have bribed guards to say that His body was stolen (Matthew 28:11-15). Additionally, the many people who later saw the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:6) would have considered it a hoax if He had appeared to them in the marred state He would have had to be in if He had not died (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:33). Christianity flourished without coercion despite the persecution experienced by those of the early church (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Baigent’s novel is fiction claiming to be fact. The truth can be found in the historically reliable Bible.
Fact is stranger than fiction—at least that’s what people say. But sometimes fiction claims to be fact. This is the case with Michael Baigent’s The Jesus Papers. The book alleges that Jesus and Pilate made a secret deal that Jesus would just appear to have died on the cross. According to the book, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down from the cross when He was still alive. At night, Joseph helped Jesus and his wife Mary Magdalene to escape into hiding. Then, the book claims, the couple moved to Southern France and raised a family. The problem? There is absolutely no biblical or historical support for any of these claims.
The author's supposed source of information are two Aramaic papers he claimed to have seen in Jerusalem in the 1960s that “proved” Jesus was still alive in AD 45. A supposed conspiracy involving the pope and Israel has since allegedly caused these documents to disappear. Critics have been quick to point out Baigent's lack of Aramaic training and the absence of documents and eyewitnesses (both archaeologists cited are no longer living).
Not only does Scripture refute Baigent’s claims, but so does common sense: The rapid growth of the early Christian church despite intense persecution reveals that something special had taken place. Though completely voluntary, Christianity flourished across the known world within a short period of time. The evidence much more favors the traditional biblical account than the sensationalistic, unsupported conspiracy theory of an author two thousand years removed from the events.