Non-Biblical Writers

Firstly, the New Testament would be totally adequate to prove Jesus was a real person in history. The evidence presented in the New Testament was written by contemporaries of Jesus, four were eyewitnesses, three accompanied Jesus, and all the writings are in remarkable agreement. They stand the tests of genuineness and historicity.

Consider this:
One may present a case for Jesus by presenting just one of the Gospels, let’s say the book written by Luke to Theophilus. Luke states,
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.”
That, in itself, is evidence. Then when adding the other gospels our case becomes stronger because we have ‘corroborating evidence.’

***Corroborating Evidence is evidence that supports, confirms, strengthens or adds to already existing evidence.***

Then, take the NT letters that were written by Paul, Peter, James, & John and you have even more compelling, corroborating evidence. The NT alone is sufficient proof of Jesus’ historical existence.

We all know that Christianity is not the worship of the man Jesus. Our faith is in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If Jesus never existed then it is safe to say, Christianity would cease to exist. Moreover, Christianity is a belief in Jesus, the real person of history, as the SON OF GOD, who died upon a cross and paid the price for our transgressions. Then he was buried and on the third day, was resurrected from the dead. And in that resurrection proved himself to be the son of God. He also validates His promise that He is coming again and will bring the entire world under judgment.

Nasser/DaVinci Code by Dan Brown/Jesus as good moral teacher.

1Corinthians 15:12-26 Without the resurrection our faith is in vain.

12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
This lesson is to examine the works of non-biblical writers to prove the historical Jesus existed. Two Jewish sources: Flavius Josephus and the Talmud

Six Early Pagan (Gentile) Writers
Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the younger, Lucian, Thallus, Mara Bar-Serapion and Suetonius

1. Cornelius Tacitus (b.52/4AD) - Usually rated the greatest historian of Rome, and when reporting on Emperor Nero’s decision to blame the Christians for the fire that destroyed Rome in A.D. 64, the Roman historian Tacitus wrote:

“Consequently to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class (of people) hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus (latin for Christ), from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty (crucifixion) during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of our procurator, Pontius Pilate (confirms the gospel account), and a most mischievous superstition (speculation***the resurrection), thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome.
Tacitus was in a good position to learn of Christianity being Governor of Asia in 112AD

2. Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Younger) - Governor of Bithynia, when writing to the Emperor Tragan in 112 AD, reveals information he extracted from Christians by torture:
“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day (for worship?) before it was light, when they sang an anthem in alternate verses a hymn to Christ (worship directed to Christ), as to a god (subtle reference to a man being worshiped as ‘a god’), and bound themselves by a solemn oath (the high esteem to which they held Christ’s teachings), not to commit any wicked deeds, but never commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food-but food of an ordinary and innocent kind (alludes to the practice of communion).”

3. Lucian (of Samosata) – second century Greek Satirist, wrote in one of his early works:
“The Christians…worship a man to this day-the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account (clearly references Jesus)… it was impressed upon them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage (wise man), and live his laws.”

4. Thallus – Noted historian, Will Durant, stated that in about 52AD, Thallus, in a fragment preserved by Julius Africanus, argued that the abnormal darkness alleged to have accompanied the death of Christ was purely a natural phenomenon and coincidence. Thus in mentioning the argument provides evidence to the existence of Jesus.

5. Mara bar-Serapion – In prison wrote a letter to his son, Serapion, makes mention of Jesus and his death , he writes:
“What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? 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 He had given.”

6. Suetonius – of the Imperial House of Hadrian in about 120 AD wrote in the life of Claudius the following reference:
“As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus (Jesus), he expelled them from Rome.”

Many Jews had become Christians at Rome. Claudius probably equated the Jews with Christians and thus expelled them from Rome by Imperial Decree. Luke also mentions this in Acts 18:1-2.
“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,”

Two Early Jewish Sources
Josephus and The Talmud

1. Flavius Josephus (sometime after 70AD) – Jewish general turned historian. His writings tell us who he was, what he did, and of his own evaluation of history. He writes of many of the same people mentioned in the New Testament: Pilate, Caesars, Herods, Pharisees, Saducees, Caiaphas, Felix and Festus. He also writes of Jesus’ brother James and of the death of John the Baptist.
Two references to Jesus are found in a history of the Jews, Testimonium Flavianum, which is 20 books written in around 93AD. In the 18th and 20th books we find these passages:

Antiquities 18.3.3. "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; and when Pilate, 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 (abandon) him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold (old testament) these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day."

Antiquities 20.9.1. "And now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned:

Talmud – (70AD to 200 AD) Contains clear references to Christ, all of which are hostile to the cause of Christ, but they do establish the existence of Jesus. According to these writings, Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel who practiced magic (miracles), scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray, and said he had not come to destroy the law but add to it.

“on the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged (suspended between heaven and earth, crucified). For forty days before the execution took place, a herald cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy (abandoning the religion Judaism).”
Josephus and Lucian- Jesus was wise
Pliny and Lucian – Jesus was a powerful and revered teacher
Josephus and the Talmud – Jesus performed miraculous feats
Tacitus, Josephus, the Talmud, Thallus, Mara bar-Serapion and Lucian all mention he was crucified.
Tacitus and Josephus – mention he was crucified under Pontius pilate
Talmud – declares the crucifixion happened on the eve of Passover
Tacitus and Josephus – indicate a possible reference to the resurrection of Christ
Josephus – Jesus’ followers believed he was the Christ
Pliny and Lucian – indicate that Christians worshipped Jesus as God

All the evidence when taken together, pagan sources, Jewish sources and the NT itself, we may conclude that the case for a historical Jesus is proven
Moreover the, non biblical, corroborating evidence enhances what we know from the New Testament, which should now be considered Prima Facie.

prima facie (pry-mah fay-shah) adj. Latin for "at first look," “on the first appearance,” or "on its face," A fact presumed to be true unless it is disproved.
Also referring to a lawsuit or criminal prosecution in which the evidence before trial is sufficient to prove the case unless there is substantial contradictory evidence presented at trial.

Next weeks lesson is on the Historical Reliability of the New Testament, where we dig even further into the compelling evidence that exists in the NT.