How do we validate the truth of the Bible without resorting to circular reasoning? One effective approach is to look at external, historical sources that corroborate the events described in the New Testament. Various secular historians from the ancient world wrote about Jesus and the early Christians, offering powerful evidence of their existence and influence. Let’s explore some key figures and their writings that attest to these events.
1. Pliny the Younger (AD 62–111)
Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor, provides an insightful glimpse into early Christian worship practices. He observed that Christians gathered regularly before dawn to sing hymns to Jesus as though He were a god, highlighting their devotion. Additionally, they pledged to live morally upright lives, committing to honesty and integrity.
“They (Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, 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” (Pliny the Younger, Epistles, 10.96).
2. Tacitus (AD 56–120)
Tacitus, one of Rome’s greatest historians, offers a crucial account of Jesus’ execution under Pontius Pilate. He described Christians as followers of “Christus,” noting that they endured severe persecution under Emperor Nero. Tacitus’s writing confirms the execution of Jesus during the reign of Tiberius, reinforcing the timeline in the Gospels.
“Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus” (Tacitus, Annals, 15.44).
3. Celsus (2nd Century)
Celsus, a Greek philosopher and fierce critic of Christianity, inadvertently supports the biblical narrative by acknowledging Jesus’ miraculous powers. Although he attributed these to sorcery, his writings reveal that Jesus was believed to have performed extraordinary feats. Celsus also recounted Jesus’ baptism and His gathering of disciples.
“It is by the names of certain demons, and by the use of incantations, that the Christians appear to be possessed of (miraculous) power”
“A few years ago he began to teach this doctrine, being regarded by Christians as the Son of God.”
“And it is a Jew who addresses the following language to Him whom we acknowledge to be our Lord Jesus: When you were bathing, says the Jew, beside John, you say that what had the appearance of a bird from the air alighted upon you.”
“Jesus having gathered around him ten or eleven persons of notorious character, the very wickedest of tax-gatherers and sailors fishermen and tax-gatherers, who had not acquired even the merest elements of learning, fled in company with them from place to place, and obtained his living in a shameful and importunate manner.”
(Origen, Against Celsus, Book 1).
4. Josephus (AD 37–100)
The Jewish historian Josephus provides one of the most famous references to Jesus outside of Christian writings. He describes Jesus as a wise man and a doer of wonderful works. Notably, Josephus reports that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate and appeared alive to His disciples after three days, an astonishing detail consistent with Christian claims of resurrection.
“Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure… He appeared to them alive again the third day” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.3.3).
5. The Jewish Talmud
The Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, also acknowledges the existence of Jesus, referring to Him as a sorcerer who was executed on the eve of Passover. While hostile to Christian claims, these writings further confirm key details about Jesus’ life and death.
“Jesus was hanged on Passover Eve” (Sanhedrin 43a:20).
“Jesus the Nazarene performed sorcery” (Sanhedrin 107b:14).
6. Thallus (1st Century AD)
Although his original works are lost, Thallus is referenced by Julius Africanus, who quoted Thallus’ account of the solar eclipse that is scientifically impossible and earthquake that occurred during Jesus’ crucifixion. This natural phenomenon, described in the Gospels, was also noted by secular historians, giving further weight to the biblical narrative.
“On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake…This darkness Thallus, in the 263 third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the Passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior fails on the day before the Passover [see Phlegon]; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun?” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1).
7. Phlegon (2nd Century AD)
Phlegon, a Greek historian, mentioned the solar eclipse and earthquake that took place during Jesus’ crucifixion, as well as his understanding of the prophetic significance of this event, confirming the supernatural aspects of the crucifixion story.
“Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth” (Origen, Against Celsus, Book 2.33).
Conclusion
These historical accounts from secular historians provide strong evidence that Jesus existed, performed miracles, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and that extraordinary events such as darkness and an earthquake occurred during His death. While these accounts vary in their perspective on Jesus’ divinity, they all affirm His historical presence and the impact He made on the world, which aligns with key aspects of the New Testament. This external corroboration offers a compelling case for the truth of the biblical narrative.
References
- Josephus, F. (n.d.). Antiquities of the Jews. (Whiston, W., Trans.).
- Origen. (n.d.). Against Celsus.
- Pliny the Younger. (n.d.). Epistles (Book 10, Chapter 96).
- Tacitus. (n.d.). Annals (Book 15, Chapter 44).
- Talmud. (n.d.). Sanhedrin 43a:20.
- Thallus (n.d.). Chronography (Julius Africanus, Ed.).
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