Auto-generated Transcript:
Hello and welcome to another five good minutes, where I answer your theological questions in five minutes or less. Today’s question is: Are there any historical writings or evidence for the existence of Jesus outside the Bible? Given the tremendous impact Jesus has had on the world, it’s reasonable to expect that non-biblical sources would mention him. Indeed, there are several.
The earliest extra-biblical mention appears in the work of Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in the second half of the first century. In his Jewish Antiquities (written in AD 93), Josephus refers to Jesus as a wise man, a doer of wonderful works, and even notes that he appeared alive again on the third day after being condemned by Pontius Pilate. Roman historians also mention Jesus. Tacitus (AD 115) confirms Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, aligning with the Gospel timeline. Another Roman figure, Pliny the Younger, wrote to Emperor Trajan (around AD 112) describing Christians who worshiped Jesus as if he were God.
Additional ancient references include the historian Thallus, the Babylonian Talmud (which accuses Jesus of practicing sorcery and leading Jews astray), and even the Quran (7th century), which acknowledges Jesus (whom it calls “Isa”) as a Jewish Messiah sent by God—though it denies his crucifixion. In fact, we can almost reconstruct the broad outline of the Gospel from these non-Christian sources alone.
Recognizing the historical Jesus, however, is only the beginning. Salvation comes not merely from acknowledging that Jesus existed, but from embracing him as God incarnate, the one who died on the cross for our sins and rose again. True faith involves repenting of our sins and trusting in the Jesus revealed in Scripture. Historical evidence supports that he lived, died, and profoundly influenced his followers—but faith in his saving work, as attested in the Bible, is what makes someone a Christian.
This has been another five good minutes.