For all the evidence pointing to Jesus as a historical figure, there is a vocal minority of both scholars and laypeople who claim that Jesus the man never existed. No doubt, for Christianity to be true, and for Jesus to have sacrificed Himself, His personhood is essential. Otherwise, the Gospel accounts of His birth, life, death, and resurrection are little more than just one more of a dozen ancient myths of dying and rising gods. For example, historian and atheist Richard Carrier claims, “There probably was no historical Jesus at all. The Jesus we know is an amalgam of myth, legend, and fabrication.” Carrier is not alone in his criticism. Theologian Robert Price argues, “There is no sound reasontosupposethatJesusexisted as a historical figure at all.”
Meanwhile,authorEarlDoherty suggests, “The Jesus of Nazareth portrayed in the Gospels did not exist. He is a literary creation, based on earlier mythic and philosophical traditions.” Of course, we could multiply examples; however, that is not necessary to show the attitude some critics embrace. While many skeptics are critical of the Gospel accounts, they are not the only sources of evidence for the life and death of Jesus. In fact, aside from the Gospels, there are about eight Christian and seven non-Christian sources that provide independent testimony confirming His existence, all written within 100 years of His life.
In addition to the works of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the apostle Paul’s writings predate the Gospel accounts by 15–20 years (40s-50s AD). Of these accounts the most significant concerning what happened to Jesus is found in his letter to the Corinthians where he writes: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures“ (1 Cor 15:3-4). What makes this writing particularly significant is that it is an adaptation of an oral creed that dates back to the immediate aftermath of the events it describes. The passage not only provides an eyewitness account of Jesus as a real person but also stands as the oldest known testimony.
In addition to Paul’s writings, other Christian sources include the letter of James (60 AD), the work of the Hebrew author (~65 AD), and the writing of Jude (~70 AD), the brother of Jesus. Each of these writings provides valuable testimony to the existence and life of Jesus. Further are the independentChristianauthorswho mention Jesus in the Didache (90100 AD), which quotes sayings of Jesus independent of the Gospels; 1 Clement (95 AD), which refers to Jesus’ suffering and resurrection; and Ignatius (110 AD), who affirms that Pontius Pilate crucified Jesus. All of these sources stand as independent testimonials written within 60–80 years of Jesus’s life that, at the very least, attest to Him being a real historical person.
Among the seven non-Christian sources, the most widely known is the writing of Flavius Josephus (37 AD-?), who wrote in the Antiquities of the Jews (93 AD): “At this time therewasawisemanwhowascalled Jesus. And 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. And those who had become 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 concerningwhomtheprophetshave recounted wonders.” Elsewhere Josephus also writes, “Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so, he assembled the Sanhedrin 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.” But there is still more.
Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus wrote of Jesus in the Annals (~115 AD): “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Chrestians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most pernicious superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome.”
The Roman governor Phliny the Younger writes in a letter to Emperor Trajan describing Christians as worshiping Jesus “as to a god.” In (120 AD), Roman historian Suetonius mentions that theChristiansfollowamantheycall “Chrestus.” In addition, historian Thallus (50s AD), the Syriac writer Mar bar-Seropian (~ 80 AD), and Lucian of Samosata (165 AD) round out the list of independent testimonies. In total, eighteen independent ancient sources attest to Jesus’ existence. But, above all, they testify that Jesus was indeed a real person who lived in 1st-century Palestine.
Ironically, all told, it is the atheist New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman who speaks of the foolhardiness of the claim that Jesus never existed, writing, “The idea that Jesus did not exist is so fringethatitwouldneverevenoccur to anyone trained in the field.” Join us again next time. Until then, ask yourself a bold question: Is God dead?
Gloria in excelsis Deo! Ty B. Kerley, DMin., is an ordained minister who teaches Christian apologetics, and relief preaches in Southern Oklahoma. Dr. Kerley and his wife Vicki are members of the Waurika church of Christ, and live in Ardmore. You can contact him at: dr.kerley@isGoddead.com.