The Historical Jesus

The great, British philosopher Bertrund Russell once said,

“Historically it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever existed at all, and if He did we do now know anything about Him.”

Why I Am Not A Christian

Jesus Christ is arguably the most influential man in the whole of human history. So, outside of the Bible – which incidentally is an incredibly reliable document – what kind of evidence is there that Jesus ever existed? Is dear old Mr. Russell right? Is there any extra-biblical evidence for Jesus?

Well, yes, there is.

Non-Christian History

Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth under the watch of the Roman Empire, which covered much of Europe, Northern Africa, and parts of the Middle East. So what did the Romans, the rulers of the day, have to say? Here’s Tacitus, probably the best Roman Historian in the world:


This small excerpt is part of a longer piece on how the Romans treated the early Christian church. Tactitus, writing in the second half of the 1st Century, corroborates Biblical facts about Jesus and the birth of the early church.

A popular objection to the Biblical record may be, “The early Christians made up the stories about Jesus because they needed to spread their false message.” Well, Tacitus and the Romans didn’t need to spread the message. Quite the opposite; they wished the Christians didn’t exist! This is simply an honest historical account of the facts.

Another group of people not exactly tickled by the arrival of Jesus were the Jews. So let’s see what the Jewish historical record says.



Hmm. Jesus, Pilate … the extra-biblical record does seem to be emerging clearly.

Christian History

We also have records from Christians. We have the Bishop of Rome, Clement, here writing to the church in Corinth:


Or how about Ignatius? Just one of the many Christians murdered in Rome. He wrote of the crucifixion, as did Justin Martyr. In fact, both of these men quote facts, places, and names – all things easily checked by their readers.  Additionally, both of these men were martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ.


That’s the thing. These historical records were composed by people who didn’t have much to gain but plenty to lose. Reputation, peace, or even their lives were at stake.


If Jesus didn’t exist then we don’t need to deal with him seriously. But he did exist and his life challenges us today. Will we ignore him, or will we brave further investigation of the man who has changed human history more than anyone else in all time?