“Did Jesus Really Exist?” Pt. 1

2 Jn 1:7-8 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”

Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100)

1) 1st-century Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry.

2) Recorded key events of Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70.

He did not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God or Christianity. In The

Antiquities of the Jews, book 18, chapter Flavius Josephus writes:

“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 him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day,

as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful

things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not

extinct at this day.”

Later Josephus writes:

“But the younger Ananus who, as we said, Received the high priesthood, was of a

bold disposition and exceptionally daring; he followed the party of the Sadducees,

who are severe in judgment above all the Jews, as we have already shown.

As therefore Ananus was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good

opportunity, as Festus was now dead, and Albinus was still on the road; so,

he assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the

so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having

accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned.”

Josephus, widely considered one of the greatest historians of antiquity,

independently provides proof and evidence…

1) That Jesus was a real person.

2) Jesus was crucified on the cross under the orders of Pontius Pilate.

Unintentionally confirming the Biblical account!

Tacitus (AD 55-120)

1) A Roman Historian.

In 115 AD, wrote the following regarding a six-day fire burned much of Rome:

“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most

exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians 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 mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out

not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things

hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become

popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon

their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime

of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts,

they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed

to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had

expired.” (The Annals, Book 15, chapter 44.)

Pliny the Younger (AD 61-112)

1) A lawyer, author, and magistrate of ancient Rome.

2) Served as an imperial magistrate under Roman emperor, Trajan (AD 98–117).

3) Considered an honest and moderate man, consistent in his pursuit of suspected

Christian members according to Roman law.

Correspondence with Trajan on dealing with Christians (Epistulae X.96):

“They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a

hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked

deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not

to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up.

When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of

a meal–but ordinary and innocent food. Even this practice, however, they had

abandoned after the publication of my edict, by which, according to your orders, I had

forbidden political associations. I therefore judged it so much more the necessary to

extract the real truth, with the assistance of torture, from two female slaves, who were

styled deaconesses: but I could discover nothing more than depraved and excessive

superstition. In the meanwhile, the method I have observed towards those who have

denounced to me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were

Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of

capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them to be executed. For whatever

the nature of their creed might be, I could at least feel not doubt that contumacy and

inflexible obstinacy deserved chastisement.

There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens,

I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.”

Julius Africanus & Tallus (AD 160-240)

1) A Christian traveler and historian of the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD.

2) He is important chiefly because of his influence on Eusebius, on all the later writers

of Church history among the Fathers, and on the whole Greek school of chroniclers.

Julius quotes the writings of Tallus, (1st century non-Christian historian) explaining the darkness at Jesus’ crucifixion:

“…An eclipse of the sun unreasonably, as it seems to me (unreasonably of course,

because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it

was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died.)”

-Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.

Lucian of Samosata (AD 115-125?)

1) A well-known Greek satirist and traveling lecturer. More than eighty works bear

his name.

2) He mocked Christians in his writing, but at the same time provided evidence that

Jesus really did exist.

“He was second only to that one whom they still worship today, the man in Palestine

who was crucified because he brought this new form of initiation into the world. Having

convinced themselves that they are immortal and will live forever, the poor wretches

despise death and most willingly give themselves to it. Moreover, that first lawgiver of

theirs persuaded them that they are all brothers the moment they transgress and deny

the Greek gods and begin worshiping that crucified sophist and living by his laws.

They scorn all possessions without distinction and treat them as community property.

They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So, if a fraudulent and

cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them;

he can make himself rich in a short time.”

Suetonius (AD 69/75 – after 150)

1) Was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era.

2) His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman

rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum.

In his writings, Suetonius:

1) States emperor Claudius reigned AD 41 to 54.

2) He reports that the emperor expelled the Jews from Rome, since they “constantly made

disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus” (Christ). (Acts 18:1-2)