Dick Harfield: Jesus didn't exist.

 

Other than the gospels, what evidence is there for the existence of Jesus Christ?

Dick Harfield's response: 

Jewish historians who could have written about Jesus include Nicolaus of Damascus, Philo of Alexandria, Justus of Tiberias and Flavius Josephus. Certainly, Nicolaus, Philo and Justus never mentioned Jesus. A passage attributed to Josephus, the Testimonium Flavianum, mentions Jesus indirectly, but is widely acknowledged to be a late Christian interpolation, wholly or in part. As an interpolation, the Testimonium Flavianum probably demonstrates that the early Christians were embarrassed by the lack of evidence for Jesus Christ. Another, minor reference attributed to Josephus is in the form of “James, the brother of Jesus”, but “the brother of Jesus” is identifiably a gloss.

First-century Pagan historians who could have written about Jesus include Marcus Velleius Paterculus, Marcus Servilius Nonianus, Pamphila of Epidaurus, Aufidius Bassus, Pliny the Elder, Cluvius Rufus and Seneca the Younger, but they left no historical record of his existence.

Apart from the gospels, there is no evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ.

My Response: 

Tacitus: Writing around 116 AD in his work Annals, the Roman historian Tacitus described how Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the fire of Rome. He noted that the movement's namesake, "Christus," was executed by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.

Pliny the Younger: The Roman governor of Bithynia wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan around 112 AD, explaining that he interrogated Christians who stated they regularly met to sing hymns to Christ "as to a god".

Suetonius: A Roman historian who wrote around 120 AD, mentioning disturbances in Rome instigated by "Chrestus" (frequently understood as a spelling variation of Christus), which led to the expulsion of Jews from Rome.

Flavius Josephus: In his work around 93 AD, Antiquities of the Jews, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus references James as "the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ," and includes a passage (Testimonium Flavianum) describing Jesus as a wise teacher who was crucified by Pontius Pilate. [1, 2]

The Babylonian Talmud: Rabbinic literature from the late first and early second centuries acknowledges Jesus, though critically, referencing his execution on the eve of Passover and accusing him of practising sorcery, which indirectly confirms his historical existence rather than denying it.

Mara bar Serapion: A Syrian Stoic philosopher writing a letter to his son from prison sometime after 73 AD, comparing the unjust treatment of wise thinkers like Socrates and Pythagoras to that of the "wise Jewish King" of the Jews.

Lucian of Samosata: A second-century Greek satirist who mocked Christians, making reference to their worship of their "crucified sophist" in Palestine. 

The vast majority of modern historians agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure who lived in first-century Judea and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Scholars across secular, Jewish, and Christian backgrounds view the total denial of His existence as an extreme minority opinion 

Elements of Historic Consensus Baptism: Virtually all scholars accept that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist 

Crucifixion: His execution by Roman governor Pontius Pilate is considered a foundational, undisputed historical fact 

Movement: He was a Jewish teacher who gathered a community of disciples in Galilee 

Analysis of Secular Roman Sources Highly Valued: Historians consider Tacitus's record exceptionally reliable 

Independent Records: Roman accounts are viewed as completely independent of the New Testament 

Hostile Witnesses: Because Roman writers disliked Christianity, their confirmation of Jesus's existence carries significant historical weight. 

Debate on the Jewish Testimony 

The Core Account: Scholars universally agree that the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote about Jesus 

Later Alterations: Most agree that later Christian copyists slightly altered the text (Testimonium Flavianum) to add praise 

Reconstructed Truth: Experts have successfully stripped away those additions to reveal a neutral, authentic first-century Jewish account of Jesus 

The Evaluation of Gospel Texts Historical Biographies: 

Modern scholars evaluate the New Testament Gospels using the exact same critical methods applied to other ancient literature 

Multiple Sources: Experts note that the Gospels provide several independent oral and written traditions, which strengthens the historical case