Where has Jesus been mentioned other than in the Bible?

Question

And I don't mean in modern day books, but in books of/from his supposed era, where was he mentioned or discussed in any detail OTHER than the bible?

BlitzPup: The purpose for my question is this. I was the 700 Club to keep an eye on the Christian's agenda. Someone wrote in and asked that very same question. And to my DISMAY, SHOCK and AWE, Pat Robertson said no, he is not mentioned in any books of that time other than the Bible.
As you may have figured, I'm no christian, I like facts more than fairy tales. HOWEVER, I have an OPEN MIND unlike many who follow that faith and I'm willing to ask questions and hear answers.
Thanks for your input.

Answer 1

There is no historical evidence that Jesus existed. The Quran originated between 610 and 632 AD (1), and therefore must be excluded.

Josephus does not mention Jesus at all. He writes of the three false Messiahs, Yehuda of Galilee, Theudas and Benjamin the Egyptian, none of which can be regarded as the historical Jesus. Yehuda of Galilee is mentioned in Acts 5:37 as a false messiah with no connection to Jesus. Theudas is mentioned in Acts 5:36 (2). As to other so-called references to Jesus in the works of Josephus, these have been shown to be later additions which are not found in the original _Jewish Antiquities_ which was preserved by the Jews.

Lastly, a work by Tacitus (3) is often cited as a reference to Jesus. While it is true that Tacitus speaks of a man named "Christus" as a real person, he also speaks of various other pagan gods as if they really exist, thus we must also conclude that these gods exist, which Christians deny although they are clearly mentioned by Tacitus. Tacitus writes that "Christus" was executed by Pilate during the reign of Tiberias, a statement based purely on the claims of Christians themselves made in the gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, which were already widely circulated by the time the _Annals_ of Tacitus were published (after 115 AD).

Also note that others who mention "many other authors" and "various writings" fail to produce said writings and can not show where they exist.

Answer 2

Quran, Talmud, Josephus, Tacitus, letters of Christians not included in the Bible, manuscripts of heretical cults (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, etc). There are more documents to prove the existence of Jesus as a historical person than Julius Caesar. Jesus (or should I say Yeshua ben Yoseph) was a real historical person. There is no way to get around that.

Answer 3

Thousands, yes thousands of texts still exist that mention Jesus, Hebrew, Greek, Chaldean, Egyptian, huge number of Roman writings, pagan, and others to many to list. Is there a purpose for your question?

Edit: send me an email and I will gladly send you additional references of such texts. Pat Robertson, bless his heart, is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree by a long shot. If you like, just go to any site dealing with Roman history and you will see that they recorded EVERYTHING...

Answer 4

Cornelius Tacitus (c. 55 - 120 AD) was considered a great historian of ancient Rome. His masterpiece, Annals, is represented by a two-volume set (chapters 1-6, with one surviving manuscript; and chapters 11-16, known as Historiae, with 32 surviving manuscripts).

Flavius Josephus (37 - 100 AD), a Jewish general and member of the priestly aristocracy of the Jews, turned to the side of the Roman Empire in the great Jewish revolt of 66-70 AD.

Pliny the Younger (c. 62 - c.113 AD) was the Roman Governor of Bithynia (present-day northwestern Turkey). Around 111 or 112 AD, he wrote the following letter to Emperor Trajan of Rome asking for advice on how to deal with Christians.

Suetonius was a secretary and historian to Hadrian, Emperor of Rome from 117 to 138 AD. Regarding Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) and the Riot of Rome in 49 AD,

Mara Bar-Serapion, a stoic philosopher from Syria

Lucian of Samosata was a 2nd century Greek philosopher

In addition to the nine New Testament authors who wrote about Jesus in separate accounts, there are at least twenty additional early Christian authors, four heretical writings, and seven non-Christian sources that make explicit mention of Jesus in their writings within 150 years of his life. This amounts to a minimum of 40 authors, all of whom explicitly mention Jesus and the expansion of a spiritual movement in his name. More authors mention Jesus Christ within 150 years of his life than mention the Roman Emperor who reigned during His lifetime. Scholars are only aware of ten sources that mention Emperor Tiberius within 150 years of his life, including Luke, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Paterculus. Thus, within this short time frame, the number of ancient writers who mention Jesus outnumber those who mention the leader of the entire Roman Empire (effectively, the ancient world of the time) by a ratio of 4:1

Answer 5

The Heretics' Dictionary

Answer 6

The piece about Jesus in Josephus seems to have been added by the medieval monks copying the book out. The references to Jesus as what the Jesus cult worshipped in roman writings are later, and are only telling what the jewish Jesus cult believes.
There are no contemporary records.
Jim R says he was enumerated in the Roman census. Which census, and when was that? There was no Roman census in Herods time.

Pat Robertson was right on this one and I am impressed he had the courage to answer the question. (AS much as I dislike his religion and his program)

Answer 7

There are dozens of books about Jesus that were written in his day but did not make it to the Bible. He is the most written about, researched man in the history of the world.

Answer 8

Yeah Jesus has been mentioned several times in the Holy Quran and there is a whole chapter in the name of Prophet Isa (jesus) mother - Mary (Mariam)

Answer 9

He was enumerated in the Roman Census. His death was recorded in Pilates diary. Discussed in detail? No, he was a minor figure, in a minor town, in a minor provence. Not to say he was nothing, but at the time of his life and death, he had little or no influence. His apostles, through him, are what made the difference.

Answer 10

There was a historian from that time named Josephus who mentions Jesus numerous times.