Historical Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible: 4 Non-Biblical Sources
Historical Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible: 4 Non-Biblical Sources Skeptics often claim Jesus of Nazareth was a mythological figure invented by early church leaders. However, mainstream secular historians—including agnostic and atheist scholars—agree that Jesus was a real historical person who lived in first-century Judea. Even if every copy of the New Testament disappeared, non-Christian historical sources from the first and second centuries independently corroborate the core outline of Jesus’s life, execution under Pontius Pilate, and the rapid spread of His followers. 1. Tacitus (c. 56–120 AD) — The Roman Historian Cornelius Tacitus is considered one of Rome's greatest historians. Writing in his work Annals (c. 116 AD), Tacitus documented Emperor Nero’s attempt to blame Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. "Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius..." — Tacitus, Annals 1...