Did Yeshua really exist? If Yeshua lived on Earth, then is there any historical evidence proving Messiah Yeshua’s existence? Typically, when non-Christians ask these questions they are seeking evidence outside the Holy Scriptures. However, for many historians, the Holy Bible is an excellent source of evidence for the existence of Yeshua. The vast majority of religious scholars both Christian and non-Christian will grant that the four Gospels and the letters of Paul were in fact written less than 50 years after Yeshua’s death, which is extraordinarily strong proof when we consider that many ancient manuscripts were written over 100 years after the time of a major historical figure. Historians point out that in CE 70 the Romans invaded and destroyed most of Israel slaughtering its inhabitants. Despite this history and the geographical limitation of his ministry, scholars draw a surprising amount of information about Yeshua from secular historical sources.
For example, Tacitus (CE 56 – CE 120), who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious Christians who suffered under Pontius Pilate. Suetonius (69 CE – 126 CE), who was the chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man called the Messiah who lived during the First Century. Flavius Josephus (37 CE – 100 CE), who was a famous Jewish historian, mention Yeshua’s crucifixion and resurrection when he wrote “About this time there lived Yeshua, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” Josephus also refers to James the brother of Yeshua who people called Messiah. Julius Africanus (160 CE – 240 CE) quotes the historian Phallus in a discussion of the darkness, which followed the crucifixion of Messiah. Pliny the Younger (61 CE – 113 CE) recorded early Christian worship practices including worshipping Yeshua as God noting they were very ethical and he includes a reference to the love feast and the Lord’s Supper.
The Babylonian Talmud, which scribes compiled in 500 CE, confirms Yeshua’s crucifixion on the eve of Passover and the accusations against Messiah of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy. Lucian of Samosata (125 CE – 192 CE) was a 2nd century Greek writer who admits that Christians worshipped Yeshua, and he personally introduced new teachings and the Romans crucified him for them. He said that Yeshua’s teachings included fellowship of believers, and the importance of conversion in denying other gods. Mara Bar Serapeon (50 CE), confirms that Yeshua was thought to be a wise and virtuous man, and many of his followers considered him to be the king of Israel, and he was put to death by the Jewish religious leaders, but he lived on in the teachings of his followers. The Gnostic writings from the Second Century CE all mentioned Yeshua. In fact, scholars can almost reconstruct the entire gospel just from early non-Christian sources. According to non-Christian sources, Yeshua was called the Messiah, he did magic, he led Israel into new teachings, and was hanged on Passover for them in Judea but claimed to be God and would return, which his followers believed worshiping him as God.
Finally, there is overwhelming evidence for
PRIMARY SOURCES: Dr. William Lane Craig Videos on the existence of Jesus Christ