12/28/2025
The vast majority of historians and scholars of antiquity—including non-Christian and agnostic experts like Bart Ehrman—agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical person who lived in 1st-century Judea, was baptized by John the Baptist, gathered followers, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate around 30–33 CE. This consensus holds even when setting aside the New Testament as potentially biased religious material.
The idea that Jesus was entirely mythical (the "Christ myth theory") is rejected by virtually all serious scholars as lacking positive evidence and relying on arguments from silence or outdated comparisons.
Here are the top 3 finds (strongest pieces of independent, non-biblical evidence) that most clearly support his existence as a real person:
Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian, ca. 93–94 CE)
In his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus mentions Jesus twice in passages widely accepted by scholars as containing authentic core material (despite some likely later Christian interpolations in one).
The key reference is to "James, the brother of Jesus who was called Christ" (Book 20), executed in 62 CE. This brief but independent Jewish source confirms Jesus as a historical figure with a sibling named James, aligning with early Christian claims without any motive to invent him. Josephus, a non-Christian writing for a Roman audience, treats Jesus as a real person from recent history.
Tacitus (Roman historian and senator, ca. 116 CE)
In Annals (Book 15), Tacitus describes Emperor Nero blaming Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE. He explains that the group derived its name from "Christus," who "suffered the extreme penalty" (crucifixion) during Pontius Pilate's governorship in Judea under Tiberius. Tacitus, hostile to Christians and writing as a Roman elite with access to official records and senatorial knowledge, treats Christus as an executed historical figure—not a myth or god—and links him to the origins of the movement Nero persecuted. Scholars widely regard this as authentic and valuable independent Roman confirmation.
Pliny the Younger (Roman governor, ca. 112 CE)
In a letter to Emperor Trajan (Epistles 10.96), Pliny describes interrogating Christians in Bithynia who worshiped "Christ as to a god," sang hymns to him, and refused to curse him.
While not detailing Jesus' life, it shows that by the early 2nd century, a distinct group existed revering a figure named Christ(us) as a real person (not an abstract deity or legend) who had lived recently enough for their practices to be investigated officially. Combined with Tacitus (and their known correspondence), this reflects Roman awareness of Jesus as the movement's historical founder.
These three non-Christian sources—Jewish (Josephus) and Roman (Tacitus, Pliny)—are independent of each other and of the New Testament. They converge on Jesus as a real man executed in Judea who inspired a following that spread rapidly and attracted official attention (and hostility) within decades. No ancient writer—pagan, Jewish, or otherwise—ever denied his existence, even those opposing Christianity.
For context, this level of attestation (multiple independent mentions within ~60–80 years of his death) is strong for a non-elite figure from a marginal province. Comparable ancient figures (e.g., many 1st-century rabbis or rebels) often have far less or later attestation.
