Is there any historical evidence that Jesus existed?

Question

Just curious, please be as detailed as possible.

Answer 1

The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious "Christians " ("named after Christus" which is Latin for Christ), who suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man named Chrestus (or Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44 ).

Flavius Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian. In his Antiquities he refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” There is a controversial verse (18:3) that says, "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats. . . . He was [the] Christ . . . he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him." One version reads, "At this time there was a wise man named Jesus. His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who became his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders."

Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness which followed the crucifixion of Christ (Extant Writings, 18).

Pliny the Younger, in Letters 10:96, recorded early Christian worship practices including the fact that Christians worshiped Jesus as God and were very ethical, and includes a reference to the love feast and Lord’s Supper.

The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus' crucifixion on the eve of Passover, and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.

Lucian of Samosata was a second-century Greek writer who admits that Jesus was worshiped by Christians, introduced new teachings, and was crucified for them. He said that Jesus' teachings included the brotherhood of believers, the importance of conversion, and the importance of denying other gods. Christians lived according to Jesus’ laws, believed themselves immortal, and were characterized by contempt for death, voluntary self-devotion, and renunciation of material goods.

Mara Bar-Serapion confirms that Jesus was thought to be a wise and virtuous man, was considered by many to be the king of Israel, was put to death by the Jews, and lived on in the teachings of his followers.

Then we have all the Gnostic writings (The Gospel of Truth, The Apocryphon of John, The Gospel of Thomas, The Treatise on Resurrection, etc.) that all mention Jesus.

In fact, we can almost reconstruct the gospel just from early non-Christian sources: Jesus was called the Christ (Josephus), did “magic,” led Israel into new teachings, and was hanged on Passover for them (Babylonian Talmud) in Judea (Tacitus), but claimed to be God and would return (Eliezar), which his followers believed - worshipping Him as God (Pliny the Younger).

In conclusion, there is overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and Biblical history. Perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus did exist is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century A.D., including the 12 apostles, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ. People will die for what they believe to be true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie.

Recommended Resource: Case for Faith / Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.

Answer 2

Flavius Josephus was a Jew born some time around 30 AD (near the date of Jesus' death according to the Gospels). He was a Jewish military leader who later became a historian for the Romans. He might be considered a Jewish apologist. In any case, Josephus wrote extensively, and is probably the best source we have for historical events in 1st-century Palestine. The bias of his reporting is debated, but what is of interest here is the two references in Josephus to Jesus. The main citation is from Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews 18:3.3, popularly called the Testimonium Flavium. It says in part: "Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works--a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; Pilate...condemned him to the cross...and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." We know that after Christians took over the Roman empire through the conversion of Emperor Constantine, various forgeries and alterations (sometimes called "interpolations") were made in documents. The Testimonium Flavium is widely thought to have been one of those interpolations.

Answer 3

The Bible isn't a historic checklist, yet a non secular text fabric confirmed with the aid of no cutting-edge sources. apparently, the letters of Paul are somewhat the 1st conventional references to Jesus, no longer the Gospels, and Paul by no skill mentions something different than the "resurrection". The Gospels have been so a procedures after the meant events they describe that they are no longer seen regular OR secondary historic sources. There are Roman information aplenty from the time of the meant events, yet no longer something suggested of this Jesus. there is likewise the shown fact that writings of the term of the Gospels, fairly religious writings, have been written as allegory. as quickly as extra, there are writers of the comparable term by using fact the Gospels who insist that the meant events passed off decrease than the reign of Herod the 1st, or whilst much as a hundred YEARS in the previous. The earliest sources are many years after the fact, and would't agree on a term. So, supposedly- Jesus lived, died, and replaced into resurrected. Then, for no less than thirty-5 years, all of us forgot. Then Paul gets a "ingenious and prescient" and writes a code of habit for individuals, preserving not one of the better factors in any of the Gospels? No historic corroboration.

Answer 4

He is actually one of the best documented person of antiquity. It should be noted that they didn't have the media like we do now. Historians of the day, the few that could write, would write on historic subjects long before their time, putting oral history finally down on paper. An example Alexander the Great wasn't first written about until centuries after his death. There are written documents of Jesus that archaeologist have dated to possible as close to 30 years after his death. We can also look at the fact that the early Christians only had death to gain for perpetuating the story. You could argue that they wanted to be martyrs but Christianity doesn't have that as a strong tradition unlike some of its brothers. They certainly didn't have any power to gain, that was Christianity of the Fourth Century. Finally the Roman historian of Judea did make a mention of Jesus during the time, of course what is a pinnacle moment to today's world was just another mystery religions leader being killed by the state then, so he doesn't make too big of a deal about it.

Answer 5

Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME??? Atheists, agnostics, geologists, archaelogists, historians, and everyday people ALL study the Bible as a great work. NO ONE denies the existence of a MAN named Jesus who claimed to be the son of God. The existence of Jesus is soooooooooo compelling that every major religion has to deal with him. MANY sort of try to side step the matter by calling him a ... prophet or a great man of God. Of course, C.S. Lewis pointed out that there are ONLY three choices for Jesus. EITHER Jesus was

1. A liar
2. A lunatic
3. The son of God

Simple as that. NOTE that Lewis doesn't give you a fourth choice, that Jesus was made up. EVEN historians of the day, historians who had NOTHING to do with religion acknowledged that a man called Jesus of Nazereth, a man claiming to be the son of God was walking the earth during that time.

The Bible documents over 400 prophecies to Christ's existence! The miracle of Jesus is easily the most documented phenomenon ever! I mean, even the Jews who deny Jesus as the Messiah, acknowledge the man! EVERYONE says Jesus performed great miracles. It's just that some cannot believe that He is the son of God.

Frankly it astounds me that in the face of such overwhelming evidence that proves it that some ignore the facts.

Answer 6

There's plenty of evidence, but too much to even begin. There are books galore. I recommend you do a google search on Jesus

Here's are a couple of quotes from http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/Historical-Jesus.htm:

"For instance, we know from sources outside the Bible that the Apostle Paul died during Nero’s persecution in 64 A.D. We also know that Paul was still alive at the close of Acts, so Acts must have been written sometime before 64 A.D. Since Acts was a continuation of Luke's Gospel, we know that Gospel must have been written even earlier still. Any scholar, including those in the “Historical Jesus” movement, will tell you that the Gospel of Mark predates the Gospel of Luke. This supports the writing of Mark in the 50s A.D., only about two decades after the crucifixion of Jesus. Outside the Gospels, no legitimate scholar will dispute that Paul wrote Romans in the mid-50s. Why is this important? Because Paul declares that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God in the opening lines of that New Testament letter. Galatians is another undisputed letter of Paul written in the mid-50s. Why is this important? Because Paul discusses his interaction with Peter and James, two of Jesus’ primary disciples, at least 14 years earlier in Galatians 1:18 and 2:1. Finally, in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul proclaims the earliest record of the Christian creed, in which Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead three days later. Why is this early creed so important? Because scholars, using the historical records of Paul and his early travels to Damascus and Jerusalem, place the above creed at about 35 A.D., just 3 to 5 years after the death of Jesus Christ. "


"The “Historical Jesus” movement holds that the Gospels were fabricated or seriously distorted as the stories of Jesus evolved into the late 1st or early 2nd century. However, this theory is not supported by the evidence. Time and again the New Testament writers claim to be eyewitnesses to the facts, giving detailed geographic, political and cultural details to bolster the record. All of the manuscript evidence presented above is dramatic, because it establishes that basic Christian doctrine developed far too quickly for a myth to intervene and distort the historical record, especially when so many witnesses were still alive to contradict the alleged errors or myths. "


A quote from ttp://www.infidels.org/library/modern/james_still/jesus_search.html: "Most scholars believe that a real, flesh and blood Jewish peasant whom we call Jesus lived and taught in first-century Galilee. What they disagree on is what this man was like. After his crucifixion this Jewish rabbi and teacher is spoken of by his followers as "Lord" and as someone who has transcended the grave to become a spiritual figure. This transcendence or resurrection is called the Easter event. The quest for the historical Jesus involves an attempt to separate the pre-Easter historical figure of Jesus from the post-Easter Christ of faith. "

The question has never been whether or not Jesus actually existed, but whether or not he was who Christians claim him to be, the Messiah of God.

These are just two examples, but there are so many more, and this is getting rather long.

And, yes, you will find web sites that deny the historicity of Jesus as a real person, but the evidence FOR His existence in history precludes the anti-evidence.

Answer 7

Yes, there are several things.

First, a religion started that centered around him very shortly after he is said by that religion to have existed, and it began in the city where it is said by that religion that he underwent a public crucifixion during a major pilgrimage festival.

Second, we have letters from a guy named Paul who was personally acquainted with Jesus' brother, James, as well as some people who knew Jesus personally.

Third, given the absurdity (especially from a Jewish point of view) that the Messiah was a guy who had been crucified by the Romans, it's highly unlikely that the crucifixion was made up, and if it wasn't made up, then Jesus must've existed.

Fourth, there's just no reason to doubt Jesus' existence. A person may be justified in doubting many of the stories we have about Jesus, but I don't see how anybody could justify the claim that Jesus never existed at all.

Answer 8

The Josephus mention was already proven to be false and Tacitus mentions Christians and the word Christ, but it turns out other religions also used that word for their god-man savior. The Gnostic's seem to believe the character was an allegory anyway.
The coincidences and the motivation for the first disciples to risk their lives gives me pause to say there was no historical Jesus but I read the list of historians that existed at the time and it amazed me how many do not mention one at all.

Answer 9

Jesus, or someone so similar to Jesus that it probably was Jesus, is mentioned in at least 39 sources outside the bible. That is more documentation for his existence than exists for some historical figures that everyone believes in.

(I'm not on my own computer and don't have the info at my fingertips, but I will post it for you later -sorry!)

Answer 10

There are no contemporaneous documents that chronicle the existence of Jesus. Only decades after the alleged resurrection did writings appear.

I find this odd since romans are known to keep detailed records of very mundane things such as laundry lists. Perhaps the alleged miracles that were performed were not worthy of mention....or could it be that they simply did not happen?

Answer 11

Hard to be detailed. Jesus was a very common name so many artifacts have been found bearing the name (keep in mind it was spelled differently/pronounced differently (it's another language)) so they haven't been able to find anything naming him specifically. However, if you believe some stories of The Bible or Apocrypha are historical documents then that would be you evidence right there.