Let’s be honest: Some parts of the Bible are hard to believe. Talking snakes, surviving in the belly of a giant fish, resurrections. It’s fair to have questions — a lot of questions. In fact, it’s hard to be intellectually honest if you don’t ask questions about this stuff. The good thing is that we believe in an intellectual faith. If you are going to stake your life on something, you should be able to turn it inside out, ask the hard questions and come out still finding firm truth. That’s the kind of faith that holds up through the trials of life — not the kind that is built on feelings and wishful thinking.

One of the biggest questions people have is whether Jesus was a real person, or if this whole thing is based on a “once upon a time” sort of fairy-tale rescue story. 

Historical evidence for Jesus’ life

Secular and religious scholars agree that the Bible (which is literally a compilation of historical records and documentations) is one of the most historically accurate books ever written. The historical records in the Bible were written and confirmed by more than 100 eyewitnesses, and were written in a time when writing anything was extremely expensive and reserved for only the most important news and documentation. Therefore, the fact that there are several eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus that were commissioned and approved by people who walked with Him and lived in proximity to Him gives validity to the historical accuracy of his life.

“If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.” — F.F. Bruce, Manchester University

Let’s set aside all other questions about the Bible right now (your questions are valid, and we will come back to this). So often, people throw out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. They have so many questions about so many things that they just fold it up and throw it all away as fiction. But just like anything in life, we have to start small and dissect this piece by piece. You have questions about the Bible? That’s OK. Jesus was recorded beyond just the Bible. Let’s start there.

Recordings of Jesus’ life outside of the Bible

Jesus is not exclusive to the Bible. But remember, the Bible is a compilation of books that talk about the same topic. In the same way that we have anthologies of classics, the Bible is a library of documentation about the formation of the nation of Israel and the man Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God. They were seen as historically accurate by their peers who were eyewitnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus. 

But Jesus also appears in several additional historical Jewish texts, which is why you would be hard pressed to find even secular historians these days who do not believe that Jesus was a real person. 

Three additional historical texts that Jesus appears in are as follows:

1. Flavius Josephus, first-century Jewish historian — Josephus is one of the most commonly cited extrabiblical recorders of the life of Jesus. Born a few years after Jesus’ crucifixion, Josephus was around to see the early movement of the church and to interview eyewitnesses and close friends of Jesus. Mind you, being an eyewitness and close friend of Jesus was not something that gained you popularity at the time. For many, it was a prison or death sentence, so the motive for people to come forward was simply that they had information; there was no self-gain.

In one passage of Jewish Antiquities that recounts an unlawful execution, Josephus identifies the victim, James, as the “brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” While few scholars doubt the short account’s authenticity, says Mykytiuk, more debate surrounds Josephus’s lengthier passage about Jesus, known as the “Testimonium Flavianum,” which describes a man “who did surprising deeds” and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate. Mykytiuk agrees with most scholars that Christian scribes modified portions of the passage but did not insert it wholesale into the text. — "The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?" History.com

2. Annals of Imperial Rome — Written in 116 A.D. by the historian Tacitus, the Annals of Imperial Rome document the burning of Rome in 64 A.D. and the subsequent blaming of the Christians by Emperor Nero. The document states, “The persons commonly called Christians ... were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”

It’s important to note that Tacitus was not Christian and therefore had no ulterior motives for including the reference to Jesus. In fact, he is recorded to have shared much of the hatred and disdain for Christians that many Romans did during that time. It’s also important to note that throughout his writings, Tacitus indicated when he had reason to believe that something might not be entirely historically accurate. He shows no such indications when referencing Jesus who was crucified by Pontius Pilate.

3. Roman governor Pliny the Younger and Roman historian Suetonius — Both referenced Chrestus (Jesus the Christ) in their letters, citing disdain for the Christians who “sang hymns to Christ as to a god” and “were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus.”

Lawrence Mykytiuk, associate professor at Purdue University, notes that there was no question in early times about whether Jesus existed. “Jewish rabbis who did not like Jesus or his followers accused him of being a magician and leading people astray,” he says, “but they never said he didn’t exist.”