Some people now believe that Jesus is merely a concept rather than a historical individual; however, there is a substantial amount of recorded evidence indicating that he existed 2,000 years ago.

What level of certainty do we have that Jesus Christ actually existed? The historical evidence supporting Jesus of Nazareth has been around for a long time and is widely available. His name appears in the writings of Jewish and Roman historians, as well as in a slew of Christian writings, all within a few decades of his lifespan. Consider, for example, the legend of King Arthur, who is said to have lived around the year 500 C.E. When it comes to events in that time, the most important historical source does not even mention Arthur, and he is only mentioned for the first time 300 or 400 years after he is believed to have lived. The evidence for Jesus is not restricted to subsequent mythology, as is the case with Arthurian legends.

What can we learn from Christian writings? The importance of this evidence lies in the fact that it is both timely and thorough. The epistles of St Paul are the first Christian writings to mention Jesus, and scholars generally agree that the earliest of these letters was written within 25 years of Jesus’ death at the very latest, whereas the detailed biographical accounts of Jesus in the New Testament gospels date from approximately 40 years after he died. The majority of these appeared during the lifetimes of several eyewitnesses, and they all provide descriptions that are consistent with the culture and geography of first-century Israel. Another difficulty comprehends why Christian writers would create a figure that was so very Jewish in a period and place (i.e., the Roman Empire) when there was widespread anti-Semitism toward the Jewish people.

What did authors who were not Christians have to say about Jesus? The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who published a history of Judaism about the year 93 C.E., is the first author outside the church to refer to Jesus, according to what we know. There are two allusions to Jesus in his work. However, while one of these is questionable because it is believed to have been altered by, Christian scribes (however, there exists no evidence to support this assertion) ; the other is not suspicious because it is a reference to James, the brother of “Jesus, the so-called Christ.” Pliny and Tacitus, two Roman politicians who rose to prominence at the beginning of the second century C.E. and occupied some of the highest positions of state, were born about 20 years after Josephus. Based on the writings of Tacitus, we can infer that Jesus was crucified while Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect in charge of Judaea (C.E. 26-36) and Tiberius was emperor (C.E. 14-37), claims that are consistent with the historical record. Pliny offers the information that Christians worshipped Christ as a god in the region where he served as governor in northern Turkey at the time. Pliny and Tacitus were both critical of Christians, with Pliny referring to their “pig-headed obstinacy” and Tacitus referring to their faith as a “destructive delusion.”

Did ancient writers make any mention of the existence of Jesus Christ? The fact that there was never any controversy regarding whether or not Jesus of Nazareth was a historical character in the ancient world is remarkable. Jesus was vilified as an illegitimate child of Mary and as a sorcerer in the earliest Jewish Rabbinic literature, dating back to the first century CE. No one in the ancient world doubted Jesus’ existence, even the comedian Lucian and philosopher Celsius, but no one in the ancient world doubted Jesus’ existence among the Jews and Christians.

When it comes to Jesus’ existence, how contentious is it these days? A recent book by the French philosopher Michel On fray describes Jesus as a hypothesis, rather than a historical character, and his existence as an idea rather than a historical figure. The Jesus Project, based in the United States, was established approximately ten years ago, with one of its primary topics of discussion being whether Jesus existed. It has been suggested that Jesus of Nazareth was double non-existent, with some authors claiming that both Jesus and Nazareth were Christian inventions. It is worth noting, however, that the two mainst

ream historians who have written the most in opposition to these hyper-skeptical arguments are both atheists: Richard Dawkins and David Harvey. Maurice Casey and Bart Ehrman are two of the most well known writers in the world. They have published scathing critiques of the “Jesus-myth” approach, labeling it pseudo-scholarship in their writings. According to a recent survey, 40 percent of persons in England do not believe that Jesus was a historical character who lived thousands of years ago.

Is there any archaeological evidence that points to Jesus’ existence? Strange archaeological arguments raised in connection with Jesus may be a contributing factor to the widespread misunderstanding of his historical significance. According to recent reports, Jesus was the great-grandson of Cleopatra, and antique coins purportedly depicting Jesus wearing his crown of thorns have been found to support this claim. In some groups, the Shroud of Turin, which is believed to be the burial shroud of Jesus, continues to pique curiosity. In his address, Pope Benedict XVI declared it to be something that “no human talent had the capability of crafting” as well as a “symbol of Holy Saturday.” However, it is difficult to find historians who consider this material to be significant archaeological evidence. It is the writings of Christian, Jewish, and Roman authors that serve as the most crucial pieces of evidence. Because of the abundance of historical evidence, we have little reason to question that Jesus was alive and died on the cross. Is it possible for Jesus to have died and lived again? This is a more interesting subject that goes beyond history and objective reality.