The Historical Evidence for Jesus of Nazareth

Bradley Sliedrecht
Dec 18
3 min read

Jesus of Nazareth — Historical or Myth?

He is the most talked-about figure in history. His name has been whispered in reverence and shouted in rage. Some call Him Saviour. Others dismiss Him as a myth.

But regardless of where you land, one question deserves an honest answer:

Did Jesus of Nazareth really exist?

In an age where social media memes spread faster than facts, it’s common to hear the claim, “There’s no evidence for Jesus outside the Bible.” But is that true—or have we stopped looking?

A Man of History, Not Legend

Let’s begin with a simple observation: serious historians—Christian and non-Christian alike—do not deny that Jesus existed.

Even Bart Ehrman, a well-known secular scholar and critic of Christian theology, states plainly:

“The reality is that every single author who mentions Jesus—pagan, Christian, or Jewish—was fully convinced that He at least lived. Even the enemies of the movement thought so.”— Bart D. Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? (2012)

That statement alone should give pause. If even skeptics agree Jesus lived, the question becomes: where does the evidence come from?

Voices from Rome: Tacitus and Pliny the Younger

One of the strongest non-Christian references to Jesus comes from Tacitus, a Roman historian writing around AD 115. In Annals (15.44), he describes Emperor Nero’s attempt to blame Christians for the Great Fire of Rome:

“Christus, from whom the name [Christian] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus…”

Tacitus had no sympathy for Christianity. He referred to it as “a most mischievous superstition.” And that is precisely why his testimony matters.

From this hostile source, we learn that:

Jesus was known as Christus
He was executed under Pontius Pilate
His followers were numerous enough in Rome to be persecuted

Another Roman official, Pliny the Younger, wrote to Emperor Trajan around AD 112 seeking advice on how to deal with Christians. In Epistles (10.96), he notes that believers gathered:

“on a fixed day before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a god.”

This is remarkable. Within decades of Jesus’ death, Roman authorities were documenting that Christians worshiped Him—not merely as a teacher, but as God.

A Jewish Voice: Josephus

A second major non-Christian witness comes from Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. In Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18), he writes about Jesus as a wise man who attracted followers and was condemned to crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.

While scholars debate later Christian embellishments to the passage, there is broad agreement that Josephus originally referenced:

Jesus’ wisdom
His influence among Jews and Gentiles
His execution by crucifixion under Pilate

Even in its most conservative reconstruction, Josephus affirms that Jesus was a real historical figure whose life left a significant mark.

From the Jewish Rabbinic Tradition

Jesus is also mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, a collection of Jewish rabbinic writings that preserve earlier traditions.

One passage states:

“On the eve of Passover, Yeshu was hanged… because he practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy.”— Sanhedrin 43a

The tone is hostile—but the admission is striking. The Jewish authorities did not deny Jesus existed. They rejected Him. They accused Him. They explained away His works—but they did not erase Him from history.

Ironically, the accusations align with the Gospel accounts: execution around Passover, claims of miraculous acts, and a movement that challenged religious authority.

Myths Don’t Die on Crosses

Unlike mythical gods of ancient legend, Jesus lived in a specific time and place—during the reign of Tiberius, under Pontius Pilate, in Roman-occupied Judea.

Roman governors do not crucify myths. Hostile historians do not record legends. Fables do not leave paper trails across empires. Jesus does.

His life intersected history, politics, religion, and culture in ways that myths simply do not.

So did Jesus really exist?

His existence is not a matter of faith. It is a matter of historical fact.