Extrabiblical Evidence for Jesus

The extrabiblical evidence for Jesus comes in the form of almost a dozen writers outside the New Testament that confirm the existence of Jesus and several other aspects of his ministry.

For the sake of earliness and authenticity, we will only look at sources prior to 200 AD.

Thallus (55 AD)
This fragment of Julius Africanus' Chronography includes a quote from the Greek historian Thallus who wrote a series of history books around 55 AD. Africanus, writing in the 2nd century, records how Thallus tries to explain away the eclipse during the crucifixion. This work is invaluable to us as it gives us, not only an extrabiblical source for Jesus within 20 years of his life, but also provides a historical record of the darkness that took place during the crucifixion.


 * "Thallus, in his third book of histories explains away the three hours of darkness of the sun as an eclipse of the sun - unreasonably as it seems to me. For the Hebrews celebrate the Passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Saviour falls on the day before the Passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse occur when the moon is diametrically opposite the sun?" 

Mara bar Serapion (73 AD)
A seventh century manuscript that details the words of a man named Mara bar Serapion in a letter sent to his son in the mid-late first century. In the letter, Mara, potentially a Syrian stoic philosopher, mentions a "wise king" that was killed because of "new laws he laid down."


 * "What advantage did the Athenians gain by murdering Socrates, for which they were repaid with famine and pestilence? Or the people of Samosby the burning of Pythagoras, because their country was completely covered in sand in just one hour? Or the Jews [by killing] their wise king, because their kingdom was taken away at that very time? God justly repaid the wisdom of these three men: the Athenians died of famine; the Samians were completely overwhelmed by the sea; and the Jews, desolate and driven from their kingdom, are scattered through every nation. Socrates is not dead, because of Plato; neither is Pythagoras because of the statue of Juno; nor is the wise king, because of the new laws he laid down."

Josephus (75-94 AD)
Josephus, a revolutionary-turned-historian, is probably the No.1 source for information on the first century other than the Bible itself. His most well known work, Jewish Antiquities (93-94 AD) mentions Jesus twice:


 * "Around this time lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was a worker of amazing deeds and was a teacher of people who gladly accept the truth. He won over both many Jews and many Greeks. Pilate, when he heard him accused by the leading men amongst us, condemned him to the cross, [but] those who had loved him did not cease [doing so]. To this day the tribe of Christians named after him has not disappeared."


 * "He assembled the sanhedrin of the judges and brought before it the brother of Jesus called Christ whose name was James, and some others. When he had accused them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned."

Both these passages in Antiquities are seen as authentic by scholars, although many have claimed the first paragraph, known as the Testimonium Flavium, was later interpolated by Christian scribes trying to add authenticity to Christianity by faking the words of Josephus. The version I have copied above is the version with the potential Christian interpolations removed. Unfortunately, this removal of the possible interpolations has opened the doors for potentially harmful reconstructions of Josephus' actual words. Some have translated them differently than others, offering both reconstructions that paint Jesus in a positive light and ones that paint him in a negative light. Depending on the personal biases of the translators, it could be either. However, most scholars, like Robert E. Van Voorst decide for a neutral reconstruction of the verse, which is the one I have written up above.

So, if we were to agree that the verse was interpolated, and we removed the possible embellishments from the passage, we would still have a writing that speaks about Jesus as a "wise man" with "many disciples." He was a "worker of amazing deeds" who won over both the Jews and the Gentiles with his teachings. It also confirms Pilate's role in his death and how the "leading men" (obviously the Pharisees) accused Jesus, as well as how his followers did not abandon their faith in him and founded the "Christian tribe."

There were three more passages in Josephus' Jewish War (75-80) that mentioned Jesus, however, despite scholars like Paul A. Maier, F.F Bruce and Robert Eisler supporting them, many scholars have rejected these as being authentic. These passages mention the tearing of the temple curtain, the words written on the cross, and mention of Old Testament prophecies. To give the sceptic argument against Josephus the benefit of the doubt, I have left out these passages. But I firmly believe that, even without these other passages and the interpolations, we can still make a cohesive argument in favour of Josephus.

Some have even gone so far as to claim that Josephus never even existed. However, when his works, compiled together in a tiny font, are four inches thick, I don't think it takes much debate to see that this view is ridiculous.

Pliny the Younger (111-113 AD)
The younger Pliny was a lawyer and magistrate in ancient Rome who personally oversaw the persecution of the early Christians from a legal standpoint. In Pliny's 10th book (a writing to Emperor Trajan), he casually mentions Christians and the one who they venerate several times.


 * "I decided to dismiss any who denied that they are or have ever been Christians when they repeated after me a formula of invoking the gods and made offering of wine and incense to your image, which I had ordered to be brought with images of the gods into court for this reason, and when they reviled Christ. I understand that no one who is really a Christian can be made to do these things."


 * "They all venerated your image and the images of the gods as the others did, and reviled Christ."


 * "They had met regularly before dawn on a determined day and sung antiphonally a hymn to Christ as if to a god."

Tacitus (116 AD)
Perhaps one of the greatest and most well-known historians in the ancient world, Tacitus too mentions both Christians and the one they worship whilst discussing the Great Fire of Rome, and what Nero did to the Christians as a scapegoat.


 * "Therefore, to put down the rumour, Nero submitted as culprits and punished in the most unusual ways those hated for their shameful acts whom the crowds called "Christians." Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea during the reigning of Tiberius Caesar."

The vast majority of scholars agree that this verse is genuine and that "Christus" in this passage is in reference to Jesus.

Lucian of Samosata (175 AD)
Lucian was a satirical poet who specialised in ridiculing religion. His work The Death of Peregrinus explicitly mentions the Christians and their "first lawgiver."


 * "During this period [Peregrinus] associated himself with the preists and scribes of the Christians in Palastine... he was second only to the one whom they still worship today; the man in Palestine who was crucified because he brought a new form of initiation into the world."


 * "That first lawgiver of theirs persuaded them that they are all brothers the moment that they transgress the Greek gods and begin worshipping the crucified sophist and living by his laws."

Celsus (likely 2nd Century)
The primary target of Origen's work Against Celsus, this philosopher wrote this is 175 AD:


 * "First, he fabricated the story of his birth from a virgin' and he reproaches him because he came from a Jewish village and from a poor country woman who made her living by spinning. He says that she was driven out by her husband, who was a carpenter by trade, when she was convicted of adultery."


 * "... after she had been driven out by her husband and while she was wandering disgracefully, she secretly bore Jesus... because (Jesus) was poor he hired himself out as a labourer in Egypt, and there learned certain magical powers which the Egyptians are proud of have. He returned full of pride in these powers, and give himself the title of God."

The attacks of Celsus, with his own presuppositions, provide a warped view of the life of Mary and Jesus. It is likely Celsus had the gospels at his disposal, as well as the work of early Christian apologists. Despite the veracity of Celsus' words, it is merely just another mention of Jesus outside the New Testament.

Celsus is also recorded by Origen to have disputed the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion.

Various Jewish Talmuds (likely 2nd Century)
Several Jewish talmuds have this to say about Yeshua:


 * "On the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover! - Ulla retorted: Do you suppose that he was one for whom a defence could be made? Was he not a "Mesith" [enticer], concerning him Scripture says, "Neither shalt though spare, neither shalt thou conceal him?" With Yeshu however it was different, for he was connected with the government for royalty. Our Rabbis taught: Yeshu had five disciples, Matthai, Nakai, Nezer, Buni, and Todah."


 * "Simeon ben Azzai has said: I found in Jerusalem a book of genealogies; therein was written: That so and so is a bastard son of a married woman."


 * "Yeshu practiced sorcery and corrupted and misled Israel."

Phlegon of Tralles (Mid-Late 2nd Century)
Origen also records the words of a Greek historian named Phlegon who, similar to Thallus, records the darkness of the crucifixion.


 * "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse of the sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the 6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the heavens. An earthquake occurred and overthrew a great part of the city of Nicaea."

Phlegon's works are especially significant as they give us the date of the crucifixion - the 202nd Olympiad went from 29 to 33 AD. If Jesus died during the fourth year, he died sometime in 33 AD.

Galen of Pergamon (176-192 AD)
The famous physician Galen writes this in his medical documents around the late second century:


 * "One might more easily teach the novelties to the followers of Moses and Christ than to the physicians and philosophers who cling fast to their schools."


 * "... in order that one should not at the very beginning, as if one had come to the school of Moses and Christ, hear talk of undemonstrated laws, and that where it is least appropriate."

You can see here that Moses and Christ are lumped together three times and that both men are seen as historical figures who taught doctrine their followers.

Suetonius (120 AD)
In his famous work Lives of the Caesars Suetonius slips this in:


 * "He [Claudius] expelled the Jews from Rome since they were always making disturbances because of the instigator Chrestus."

The overwhelming majority of scholars agree this sentence is authentic. However, the identification of "Chrestus" as Jesus has often been questioned. A Christian interloper would have spelling their Lord's name correctly, so we can rule out a forgery. The term "Chrestian" was used by other writers around the same time, including Justin Martyr in his First Apology. It is likely that "Chrestus" was an unknown agitator in Rome, but it was also likely that Suetonius simply made a spelling mistake in the name of this "agitator" and could be referring to Jesus

Ultimately, whether Suetonius was talking about Christ or someone else, it is inconsequential. His mention does not add to our knowledge of the Jesus according to the secular and pagan world and is therefore simply an interesting mention that remains open to debate.

Marcus Aurelius (167 AD)
The stoic philosopher/Emperor writes this in his famous work Meditations:


 * "From Diognetus, not to busy myself about trifling things, and not to give credit to what was said by miracle-workers and jugglers about incantations and the driving away of demons and such things."


 * "What a soul that is which is ready,if at any moment if must be seperated from the body, and ready either to be extinguished or dispersed or continue to exist; but so that this readiness comes from a man's own judgement, not from mere obstinacy, as with the Christians, but considerately and with dignity and in a way to persuade others, without tragic show."

It is unknown whether Jesus is being referred to in the first passage. However, Aurelius' mention of the Christians lends to it's potentiality. The door remains open on this one.

Conclusions
So, now that we have all the sources, let's put them together and see the overall narrative they create: Remember that we have not used any New Testament document to create these bullet points. All of these sources create a narrative that seems incredibly similar to the one found in the New Testament. Keep in mind that this is excluding Suetonius, Aurelius and the several passages I ignored from Josephus.
 * A man by the name of Jesus/Yeshu
 * Said to have been born of a virgin
 * Had a brother named James
 * Father was a carpenter
 * Spent time in Egypt before returning to Judea
 * Performed amazing deeds during the time of Tiberius
 * Spoke to both Jews and Gentiles
 * Gathered disciples
 * Crucified on the eve of Passover in 33 AD by Pontius Pilate at the behest of the Jewish authorities because of his new teachings and laws
 * Crucifixion saw a period of darkness and an earthquake
 * Said to have been seen risen by his disciples
 * Worshipped as God soon after

This leads us to believe that the narrative found in the New Testament is congruent with secular/pagan and Jewish historians and chroniclers.

It is also important to note that the vast majority of all ancient writings have been lost, so it is easily possible that there are more writings on Jesus by early, non-Christian sources just waiting to be discovered.

Academic Sources


Ancient Sources
