7/28/2019 Did Jesus Christ Really Exist - Proving Jesus Without the Bible

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/did-jesus-christ-really-exist-proving-jesus-without-the-bible 1/5

Did Jesus Christ Really Exist?

Proving Jesus Without the Bible

Did Jesus Really Exist? Where is the proof from non-Bible sources that he is real? These questions and others like it are often asked by Bible skeptics and atheists alike. This article will show tha

not only is there historical evidence (from secular sources as well as Christian) that Jesus Christ was real and

xisted, but also that Jesus Christ is the most documented and historically verifiable figure in antiquity.

Historical Evidence of Jesus Christ’s Existence From Sources Outside the Bible

Non Biblical sources There are many secular historians who lived in the century after the death of Jesus Christ who confirmed his

xistence. Here are some of them:

Flavius Josephus 

According to his Wikipedia entry: ―Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish

historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on

he 1st century AD and the First Jewish – Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of Jerusalem and its

emple in 70.‖ 

His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94). The Jewish War 

ecounts the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation (66 – 70). Antiquities of the Jews recounts the history of th

world from a Jewish perspective for an ostensibly Roman audience. These works provide valuable insight into

entury Judaism and the background of Early Christianity.

osephus was a Jew who did not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God or Christianity. In The Antiquities of

Jews, book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3 the famous historian Flavius Josephus writes:

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

ews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Chr ist; and when Pi late, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross , those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he

appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other 

wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.‖

source) 

Later Josephus writes:

But the younger Ananus who, as we said, received the high priesthood, was of a bold disposition and

xceptionally daring; he followed the party of the Sadducees, who are severe in judgment above all the Jews, as

we have already shown. As therefore Ananus was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good

opportunity, as Festus was now dead, and Albinus was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges, an

brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, a

having accused them as law- breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned.‖ (source) 

osephus considered one of the greatest historians of antiquity, independently provides proof and evidence that

esus was a real person who did exist and also confirms the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross under the orders of

Pontius Pilate, thus confirming the Biblical account as well.

Tacitus 

Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman Historian who lived from 55-120AD. In 115 AD, P. Cornelius Tacitus wrote th

following passage that refers to Jesus (called ―Christus,‖ which means ―The Messiah‖) in book 15, chapter 44

of The Annals after a six-day fire burned much of Rome:

7/28/2019 Did Jesus Christ Really Exist - Proving Jesus Without the Bible

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/did-jesus-christ-really-exist-proving-jesus-without-the-bible 2/5

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a clas

hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin,

uffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus

and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first

ource of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find th

entre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their 

nformation, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred again

mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by

dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly

llumination, when daylight had expired.‖ (source) Despite the fact the clearly despised Christianity as a ―mischievous superstition‖, Tacitus no less confirms once

again the existence of Jesus and His crucifixion on the cross, it also states Pontius Pilate as the procurator who

oversaw the crucifixion again giving non-Biblical proof of Jesus’ existence as recorded in the Bible. 

Pliny The Younger  

Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, (61 AD –  ca. 112 AD) : ―better known as Pliny the Younger , was a lawyer,

author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. According to Wikipedia:  “Pliny is known for his hundreds of survivin

etters, which are an invaluable historical source for the time period. Many are addressed to reigning emperors

o notables such as the historian, Tacitus. Pliny himself was a notable figure, serving as an imperial magistrate

under Trajan (reigned AD 98 – 117). Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man, consistent in his pursuof suspected Christian members according to Roman law, and rose through a series of Imperial civil and milita

offices, the cursus honorum.‖ 

n his correspondence with the emperor Trajan (Epistulae X.96) he reported on his actions against the followers

Christ. He asks the Emperor for instructions dealing with Christians and explained that he forced Christians to

urse Christ under painful torturous inquisition:

They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god

and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery

never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up. When this was

over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of a meal –but ordinary and innocent food.‖source) 

So not only was Pliny aware of Jesus Christ, he also provides description of the activities of the early church. In

ater writing he details persecution against Christians:

Even this practice, however, they had abandoned after the publication of my edict, by which, according to you

orders, I had forbidden political associations. I therefore judged it so much more the necessary to extract the rea

ruth, with the assistance of torture, from two female slaves, who were styled deaconesses: but I could discover

nothing more than depraved and excessive superstition.

n the meanwhile, the method I have observed towards those who have denounced to me as Christians is this: I

nterrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, addinghreat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever the nature of 

heir creed might be, I could at least feel not doubt that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisem

There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them

o be transferred to Rome.‖ (source) 

So here we see that not only did Pliny not follow the Christian faith, he was torturing Christians and threatening

death against them. And he even records that under threat of execution (just for believing in Jesus Christ as God

he early church members refused to deny their faith in Jesus. This is remarkable evidence of Jesus’ existence

outside of the Bible.

ulius Africanus and Tallus 

7/28/2019 Did Jesus Christ Really Exist - Proving Jesus Without the Bible

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/did-jesus-christ-really-exist-proving-jesus-without-the-bible 3/5

Sextus Julius Africanus (c.160 – c.240) was a Christian traveller and historian of the late 2nd and early 3rd cent

AD. He is important chiefly because of his influence on Eusebius, on all the later writers of Church history amo

he Fathers, and on the whole Greek school of chroniclers

ulius Africanus quotes the writings of Tallus, who was a first century non-Christian historian. In

hisChronicles, Africanus quoting the historian Tallus, explains the reason for it being so dark during the day tim

on the day of crucifixion of Jesus Christ:

“An eclipse of the sun’unreasonably, as it seems to me (unreasonably of course, because a solar eclipse could n

ake place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died.” Juliu

Africanus, Chronography, 18. 

The importance of this quote is two fold as it shows: 1) non-Christian proof of Jesus’ existence and 2) yet

another confirmation of the Bible’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Bible states in reference to the time Jesus

was put on the cross: ― Now from the sixth hour there wa s darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour”  The

sixth hour‖ is noon and the ninth hour is 3:00PM. Thus we see that the historian Thallus was trying to explain

odd occurrence of the sky being dark at noon during the crucifxion of Jesus as an eclipse. Africanus also quotes

he secular scholar  Phlegon, a Greek Historian who lived in the 2nd century AD and also wrote of an eclipse

occuring on the day Jesus was crucified. This again provides proof from a non-Christian source that confirms th

account of Jesus being a real person who lived as well as confirming the account of His crucifixion straight from

he Bible.

Lucian of Samosate 

Lucian (Born 115 AD) was a well-known Greek satirist and traveling lecturer. More than eighty works bear his

name. He mocked Christians in his writing, but at the same time  provided evidence that Jesus really did exist: 

He was second only to that one whom they still worship today, the man in Palestine who was crucified becaus

he brought this new form of initiation into the world.‖ 

Having convinced themselves that they are immortal and will live forever, the poor wretches despise death and

most willingly give themselves to it. Moreover, that first lawgiver of theirs persuaded them that they are all

brothers the moment they transgress and deny the Greek gods and begin worshiping that crucified sophist and

iving by his laws.‖ 

They scorn all possessions without distinction and treat them as community property. They accept such things

faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of aituation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time.‖ 

So again, even though Lucian does not mention Jesus by name, there is no doubt he is speaking of the Jesus as

onfirms: 1) that he was crucified in ―Palestine‖ (the name of Israel at that time), 2) had followers who believed

ternal life and 3) that they were all equal in Jesus Christ. Lucian even mentions that Christians deny all other g

and believe on ―faith alone.‖ This again is all in accordance with the Bible’s clear statements about the Christia

faith and provides even more evidence from outside of the Bible that Jesus, the ―man in Palestine‖ did really ex

Seutonius 

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 – after 130), was a Roman historian

belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is a set of 

biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum.

The description of his writings states:

The emperor Claudius reigned 41 to 54 AD. Suetonius reports his dealings with the eastern Roman Empire, tha

with Greece and Macedonia, and with the Lycians, Rhodians, and Trojans. He then reports that the emperor 

xpelled the Jews from Rome, since they ―constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Christ‖ (Judaeos 

7/28/2019 Did Jesus Christ Really Exist - Proving Jesus Without the Bible

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/did-jesus-christ-really-exist-proving-jesus-without-the-bible 4/5

mpulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma expulit). The name appears in manuscripts of Suetonius as Chres

a form also used by the Roman historian Tacitus to refer to Chrestiani. (source) 

Skeptics will point to the different spelling to say ―that’s not Jesus he’s talking about!‖ but again, with the total

of  evidence, it’s very obvious that followers of Jesus in the Roman Empire were persecuted by Roman authoriti

So it certainly falls in line with the other historical accounts. And there are a number of sources the support the

history of Christians in the Roman empire who followed Jesus Christ and being punished for it.

The Bible is Historical Proof That Jesus Existed 

The amount of New Testament manuscri pt evidence of Jesus Chri st i s greater than any other f igure in antiqui ty.

There is a great logical fallacy among Bible skeptics, atheists and those who like to challenge Christianity that s

when discussing the historical aspects of the Bible “you can’t use the Bible as proof that Jesus existed. You mus

use non- Bible sources!!” To which this author says, ―why not?‖ The four Gospels of the Bible are bibliographi

accounts of the life of Jesus. The normal objective measure of the reliability of historical documents is: 1) The

number of available copies of ancient manuscripts and 2) the time span between the original version and the dat

of those copies still in existence today. When examined under this standard, the Bible proves to provide a treasurove of proof and evidence that Jesus really existed.

Some of the earliest manuscript fragments of the New Testament are the John Rylands Fragment,Chester Beatt

Papyrus and the Bodmer Papyrus which were written between 50-100AD. Copies of these papyri were reprodu

n 125-200AD, meaning that the time span between the originals and the copies still in existence today is 29 ye

o 130 years, putting all these manuscripts beings written anywhere from 50-100 years after the death of Jesus

Christ. Now some may object and say “Hold on! These manuscripts were written years after Jesus died. There

no way they could be reliable!” But any expert on ancient documents would disagree.

Let’s look at some of the more famous and universally accepted historical documents and see how they match u

with the Bible:

7/28/2019 Did Jesus Christ Really Exist - Proving Jesus Without the Bible

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/did-jesus-christ-really-exist-proving-jesus-without-the-bible 5/5

Plato  — Plato wrote his works from 427-347 BC. The earliest manuscript copy of Plato’s writing in existence

oday was written in 900 AD. That is 1,200 years after Plato’s death! And there are only 2 copies of these

manuscripts in existence. (source) 

Julius Caesar  — One of the most celebrated and trusted historical figures. Caesar lived from 100-44 BC and th

arliest manuscript copy of his writings dates back to 900 AD, putting our best evidence of Caesar ever existing

,000 years after his death. And there are 10 copies of ancient manuscripts of Caesar’s Gallic Wars. (source) S

f you question the Bible based on when it was written, being ―translated so many times‖ (it was not – we still h

he same Greek manuscripts today) and still question whether Jesus existed, then you must also be really sure th

ulius Caesar and Plato were completely fictional characters and never really existed.

Homer  — Homer, who historians are not even sure ever really existed even today, is credited with writing the

liad in ca 900 BC. The earliest manuscript copy of the Iliad dates to 400 BC. Meaning the only proof of Home

he Iliad being accurate is from 500 years after the death of Homer. Additionally there are 643 copies of ancient

manuscripts of the Iliad written over the centuries that when compared against each other by experts have a 95.

onsistency and accuracy, making it one of the most reliable and proven documents of antiquity. (source) 

That is of course, until you compare it to the New Testament. The New Testament manuscripts date to less than

00 years after the death of Christ. Additionally there are over 5,600 ancient manuscript copies of the New

Testament giving it more copies to a degree that dwarfs any other figure of ancient history (to view actual copie

of some of these ancient manuscripts, see here). And they have a 99% accuracy when compared to each other. Tvidence is not even comparable. And it all points to Jesus Christ. The record of the life, ministry, death and

esurrection of Jesus Christ has more evidence and proof  than any other person from antiquity.

The Proof and Evidence is Clear – Jesus Christ Really Existed The most amazing conclusion in all of this is not that Jesus really existed — it is that He still exists. And He sit

Heaven at the right hand of God offering forgiveness to those who will not just believe He was a regular man, b

hat He as the Son of God, gave His life on that same cross that so many historians knew about, to take the

punishment for sins that all of humanity has committed. It just takes faith and trust in that sacrifice to receive h

esus said: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I wil l come

o him, and wil l sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh wil l I grant to sit with me in my throeven as I al so overcame, and am set down wi th my Father in his throne. - Revelation 3:20-21.

esus wants us to  believe in Him so we can be freely forgiven of the sins we have committed in our lives, have

ternal life and reign with Him. So now that it is established that He existed, why not take the time to get to kno

esus Christ and who He said He is from His historically-verifiable perspective? Your eternal life may depend o

t.