question40

Is there any evidence, outside the Bible, that Jesus Christ really lived?

Answer # 40

Actually, the accounts in the Bible, which is God's inspired revelation to humanity, are proof enough. But extrabiblical sources also amply attest that Jesus lived, was born of a young virgin, preached the Gospel, performed miracles and was condemned to execution.

Justin Martyr, a second-century theologian, wrote: "Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, 35 stadia from Jerusalem, in which Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registries of the taxing under Cyrenius your first procurator in Judea" (First Apology, chapter 34). Justin was referring to public records that existed in his day to demonstrate that Jesus was born in Judea. Of course, one would expect that a religionist such as Justin would naturally support Jesus' authenticity as a historical person. But what about a historian who despised Christians?

Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian, senator, consul and governor of the province of Asia, wrote concerning Jesus and Christians: "Nero . . .punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). Their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius' reign by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. But in spite of this temporary setback, the deadly superstition had broken out afresh, not only in Judea (where the mischief had started) but even in Rome" (The Annals of Imperial Rome, xv, 44).

This was not a Christian writing, but a pagan Roman historian who hated everything Christian. Tacitus had access to government records. He had proof Jesus was crucified! We also have the testimony of another Roman, the fourth-century emperor Julian the Apostate (so called because he turned from Christianity after being brought up in it). He wrote a major work against Christianity in which he said this: "Jesus, whom you celebrate, was one of Caesar's subjects. If you dispute it, I will prove it by and by; but it may be as well done now. For yourselves allow, that, he was enrolled with his father and mother in the time of Cyrenius... But Jesus having persuaded a few among you, and those the worst of men, has now been celebrated about 300 years; having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of remembrance; unless anyone thinks it a mighty matter to heal lame and blind people, and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany" (quoted in the polemic of Cyril of Alexandria against Julian, Cyril Contra Julian, vi, pages 213, 191). If Julian could have demonstrated that Jesus was not an authentic figure, he would have done so. Instead, he asserted that the proof that Jesus was one of Caesar's subjects was still available (the census records were apparently still in the imperial archives). Rather than denying that Jesus performed miracles, Julian simply downplayed these miracles as not being a "mighty matter."

What about the Jews? If Jesus did not exist, the Jews would have had no reason to reject Him! Although they did not accept Jesus, they were forced by the very circumstance of His power to recognize Him in their records.

The Jewish historian Josephus admitted that Jesus, Jesus' disciples and John the Baptist lived. He called John the Baptist "the good man" (Antiquities of the Jews, xviii, 5, 2). Scholars recognize the genuineness of Josephus' account concerning the death of James, "the brother of Jesus who was called Christ" (Antiquities, xx, 9, l). Jesus is also mentioned in the Talmud. The Jewish Encyclopedia terms as a mere "subterfuge" the attempt of atheists to deny those talmudic references that apply to Jesus of Nazareth.

In the Talmud, Jesus is called "Son of Pandera," which obscures that He was born of a young virgin. Pandera, a word meaning "panther" or "leopard," is an anagram for the Greek word parthenos, meaning "virgin." The reference makes Jesus, figuratively, the son of a panther or leopard (the Greek word for "panther" is panther, which Jewish usage corrupted into the form pandera),

The Talmud subtly calls the Gospel that Jesus preached an avengil, meaning a "blank paper," rather than referring to Jesus' message by the original word evangel, meaning "good news." Jesus brought the good news of the coming Kingdom of God!

There are records of Jesus healing the blind, the halt and the leprous. The Talmud also mentions His walking on the sea. Jesus' miracles were not denied by the Jews. Instead, those who saw Jesus perform those miracles said He learned sorcery in Egypt.

Jesus is called "dead dog," "the hanged one," "the sorcerer," "Balaam" and "Seducer." Notice the similarity between some of these epithets and the accusation in Matthew 12:24.

These facts, all from sources outside the Bible, clearly substantiate the existence of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not a myth — the Bible record is true. This world will soon see just how real Jesus Christ is today!