Where is jesus mentioned outside of the bible? historical documents and such?

Answer 1

The Jewish historian Josephius, who lived at the same time as Jesus, writes not only about Jesus, but about John the Baptist living in the desert, baptizing people, and being beheaded by Herod. He also writes about James, "the brother of Jesus, the so-called Christ", and tells about his leaders of the early church and his death by stoning on the temple steps.

There is what he wrote about Jesus: 'And there arose about this time Jesus, a wise man, if indeed we should call him a man; for he was a doer of marvelous deeds, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure. He led away many Jews, and also many of the Greeks. This man was the Christ. And when Pilate had condemned him to the cross on his impeachment by the chief men among us, those who had loved him at first did not cease; for he appeared to them on the third day alive again, the divine prophets having spoken these and thousands of other wonderful things about him: and even now the tribe of Christians, so named after him, has not yet died out.'

The Mishnah is a collection of Jewish teachings and traditions that was compiled after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD. It mentions Jesus several times, referring to him as Ha-Taluy ('The Hanged One') and Ben-Pantera ('Son of Pantera'). Pantera is the Hebrew spelling of the Greek word "virgin" - Jesus the son of a virgin. It also says that Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel, who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray, and said he had lot come to destroy the law but to add to it. He was hanged on a cross on Passover Eve for heresy and misleading the people. His disciples, of whom five are named, healed he sick in his name. This is what you would expect to see recorded by his enemies.

The early Christian writing were referred to as the Euangelion (or "good news"). By 100AD the Jews were mocking these writings, calling them the Awongillayon (sounds the same, but spelled different) which means "Sins in writing". So the records of Jesus lives, the gospels were already well known documents by this time, 60 years after his resurrection.

The Greek historian Thallus, in a book written in 52 AD (12 years after the crucifixion of Christ), is reported to have written details about the darkness that cover the land at the time of Christ's crucifixion. Thallus is mentioned in Josephius, and also by Julius Africanus, another historian. He says: Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun-unreasonably, as it seems to me' (unreasonably, of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died).' Unfortunately, no copies of this work by Thallus survive, so we do not have the original working, only what to contemporaries record that he wrote.

The British museum as a letter written by Mara BarSerapion to his son Serapion in 73 AD. He encourages his son by writing: 'What advantage did the Athenian, gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos, gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that that their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea; the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in complete dispersion. But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the teaching of Plato. Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise King die for good; He lived on in the teaching which He had given.'

Several historians, including Justin and Tertullian, write of having seen the report that Pilate sent to Rome that included the crucifixion of Jesus as one of his actions. Justin Martyr in 150 AD quotes the document as telling about how they pierced Jesus hands and feet and how the soliders gambled for his garment.

The greatest Roman historian in the days of the Empire was Cornelius Tacitus, who was born between AD 52 and 54. He writes about the fire that burned Rome in 67 AD. He says that Nero plamed the fire on a group known as the Christians, about who he wrote: "Therefore, to scotch the rumour, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinement of cruelty, a class of men, loathes for their vice', whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, from whom they got their name, had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate when Tiberius was emperor; and the pernicious superstition was checked for a short time, only to break out afresh, not only in Judaea, the home of the plague, but in Rome itself, where all the horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home."

Another historican, Tonings, who wrote a biography of the first 12 Caesars around 120AD, also mentions the Christian being blamed for the burning of Rome: 'Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men addicted to a novel and mischievous superstition.'

He also mentions the Christians during the time of the life of Claudius (who ruled before Nero) saying that the Jewish were put up such a protest against the teachings about the man called Christ (latin Chrestus) that Claudia had to expel them from Rome. The exiling of Jews is known to have happen in 58 AD. Tonings wrote: 'As the Jews were making constant disturbance at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.'

Another historican, Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Younger), wrote in 112 AD wrote a letter to the Emperor Trajan, asking his advice on how to deal with the troublesome sect of Christians, who were embarrassingly numerous in his province. He wrote: "'they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang an anthem to Christ as God, and bound themselves by a solemn oath (sacramentum) not to commit any wicked deed, but to abstain from all, fraud, theft and adultery, never to break their word, or deny a trust when called upon to honour it; after which it was their custom to separate, and then meet again to partake of food, but food of an ordinary and innocent kind."

When the evidence is looked at, with 18 years of the time Jesus was resurrected, his fame had spread to where Emporer's were writing decrees about him. Historians were recording his existence, enemies were mocking him, and multitudes were following him. If there was no actual and historical person that started the whole thing, what triggered it all?

The gospels claim that Jesus held over 100 teaching/preaching rallys during a three years period, Attendance at this meetings numbered in the thousands. They occurred around Judah and Galilee (the two major divisions of Israel), including all around the largest city of the time, Jerusalem. According to Josephius and the Mishnah, written within 40 years of those rallys, the number of Jewish Christian had grown to where they were being arrested and executed. Their leader James was stoned. They were being mocked by the Jewish priest. All this in the same city were Jesus taught. If there had never been a Jesus, if there have been not rallys, if he did not walk, talk and preach, if he was a fictional character, a "myth", won't those people who lived there when he did not teach, did not have rallys, was not crucified, etc. - won't they know that he was fake? Why would they believe? Where are the documents that say "there was no Jesus"? The documents we have mock Jesus and his power and teachings, but never question his existence. All the Jewish leader had to do to kill Christianity in the first year, before it ever left Jerusalem, was to remind the people that Jesus never lived.

When you look at the historical records and social changes that occurred after the resurrection of Jesus, it is unreasonable to question his existence.

Answer 2

The King James, Douay, and other versions, mention unicorns. But that is not so with modern versions that accurately render the Hebrew.—Psalm 22:21; 29:6; 92:10 (21:22; 28:6; 91:11, Douay). Over the centuries many myths have developed about an animal with the body and head of a horse but having the legs of a deer and the tail of a lion. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this legendary creature is the single twisted horn on its forehead. “People once believed that the unicorn’s horn contained an antidote for poison, and during the Middle Ages, powders supposedly made from such horns sold for extremely high prices. Most scholars believe the image of the unicorn was derived from hearsay European accounts of the rhinoceros.” (The World Book Encyclopedia) Certain Assyrian and Babylonian monuments showed one-horned animals. These are now recognized as stags, ibex, cows, and bulls depicted from the side, a view that did not show both horns. This is of some interest to Bible students because nine times the Scriptures refer to an animal by the Hebrew term reʼem′. (Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deuteronomy 33:17; Job 39:9, 10; Psalm 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isaiah 34:7) Translators were long uncertain as to what animal was meant. The Greek Septuagint rendered reʼem′ with the sense ‘of one horn,’ or unicorn. The Latin Vulgate often translates it as “rhinoceros.” Other versions use ‘wild ox,’ ‘wild beasts,’ or ‘buffalo.’ Robert Young simply transliterates the Hebrew into English as “Reem,” basically leaving the reader in the dark. Modern scholars, though, have eliminated much confusion over the reʼem′. Lexicographers Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner show that it means “wild oxen,” with the scientific identification Bos primigenius. This is a “subfamily of the large horned ungulate family.” The New Encyclopædia Britannica explains: “Certain poetical passages of the Old Testament refer to a strong and splendid horned animal called reʼem′. This word is translated ‘unicorn’ or ‘rhinoceros’ in many versions, but many modern translations prefer ‘wild ox’ (aurochs), which is the correct meaning of the Hebrew reʼem′.” Since in current English “ox” has the sense of a castrated male, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures consistently and correctly renders reʼem′ “wild bull.” The aurochs (wild ox, or bull) seems to have become extinct by the 17th century, but scientists have deduced that it was quite different from the unicorn of legend. The ancient aurochs had a body height of about six feet [1.8 m], and a length of some ten feet [3 m]. It might weigh 2,000 pounds [900 kg], and each of its two horns could be over 30 inches [75 cm] long. This certainly accords with the Biblical mention of the reʼem′, or wild bull. It was noted for its strength and intractable disposition (Job 39:10, 11) as well as its swiftness. (Numbers 23:22; 24:8) Evidently it had two horns, not one horn like the legendary unicorn. Moses referred to its horns when illustrating the two powerful tribes that would spring from Joseph’s two sons.—Deuteronomy 33:17. So the Bible does not support the idea of unicorns as renowned in legend. It does draw an accurate, though limited, picture of the massive and fear-inspiring aurochs, or wild bull, that existed in Biblical times and down into the not-too-distant past.

Answer 3

If you will look for the name Jesus outside the Bible, chances are you might not be successful.

The name Jesus is a latin'ized' corruption of his real name from his spoken language, which was Aramaic. In his Aramaic language his name is Esau.

In Greek, the letters 'J' and 'S' were added in the beginning and end respectively, and the the letter 'A' was looped off from the original.

If you look for Esau or the closest sounding, chances are - you will find historical documents and such of Jesus.

The Arabs call him Essa or Esa sometimes Issa or Isa

Answer 4

this fictitional character known as Jesus Christ is also mentioned in the gnostic gospels and letters
He is also mentioned in a book written by Josepheus, a Jewish historian born around 37ad, and in that one paragraph dedicated to Jesus, this Jewish historian calls him the messiah that performed miracles. Clearly a latter church addition, seeing as how the paragraph is not used by christian apologetic writers untill 700 years after Josepheu's life
Check this website for a good source on the extra biblical christian cult books
http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Christianity/Other_Books/Nag_Hammadi/nag_hammadi_library.htm

Answer 5

The only place that I have found is in the meticulous records that were kept in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas.

They tell of his living there for a number of years before he returned to Palestine in his late twenty's.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 6

Two writers mention Jesus briefly in their works. Neither of which refer to him as anything but a political activist. Josephus, and Tacitus. Check them out.

Answer 7

I believe Jesus is mentioned in all the Holy books

Answer 8

In the so-called Lost Books of the Bible, namely: the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of James, Nicodemus, Infancy, the Gospel of Judah, etc etc...., in the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the Gnostic Gospels , and...in the Quran, of course! Ah..by the way, in the Lost Books of the Bible he's called God's Son, thing that in the Bible does not exist;)

Answer 9

Sinyckel got there before me. Jesus is also referred to, sometimes as "the teacher" (there are other reasons for believing this is Christ) in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Answer 10

there are a couple that I can think of..

1. the ARCHKO volume... collection of documents written by roman and jewish authorities at the time of Jesus.. maybe hard to find but you can get a bookstore to order it

2. the writings of Josephus , a jewish historian.

Answer 11

On the job when some one does something stupid