Jesus outside the Bible
It may surprise you to know that Jesus is mentioned in quite a few non-Christian texts from ancient times. For economy of space and time, I won’t reproduce every early source that attests to Jesus’ existence, but I’ll list some of the major references and provide the quotations scholars use when looking into the existence of Jesus.3 1. Roman: PLINY THE YOUNGER (AD 62–113) Epistles 10.96: they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light [Sunday], when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food, but of an ordinary and innocent kind. 2. Roman: TACITUS (AD 60–120) Annal...