Ask Lee... About Jesus Outside the Bible
By Lee Strobel
8.3.06
| Thanks to everyone who submitted a question! CLICK HERE to pose a question for a future newsletter. Though we can’t answer them all, we’ll select the ones that seem to have the broadest appeal – or are the most intriguing! |
Q. Are there other sources that are not biblical but which still talk about Jesus and which are dated within the first or early second century?
A. Hmmmm, let me clarify something before I answer. Some people automatically disregard what the New Testament says about Jesus because…well, it’s in the Bible and therefore they believe it’s inherently biased and suspect. They only want to give credence to writings outside the New Testament. I don’t buy that reasoning.
| Ben Witherington III answers: Is the Bible Bogus? What is the Value of the New Testament Books (1:10) |
Watch Now The very best information we have about Jesus – dating right back to the First Century when he lived – is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These writings pass the tests of historians and consequently I believe they are trustworthy.
Even the skeptical German scholar Peter Stuhlmacher told Time magazine: “We have good reasons to treat the Gospels seriously as a source of information on the life and teachings of Jesus, and thus on the historical origins of Christianity…. The biblical texts as they stand are the best hypothesis we have until now to explain what really happened.”
Having said that, there are, indeed, references to Jesus and Christianity in non-biblical writings from the first and second centuries. Actually, it’s a fascinating topic! Historian Edwin Yamauchi, who earned his doctorate in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University, described these writings in an interview with me.
For instance, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote a history of the Jewish people that he probably completed about A.D. 93. His writings refer to James, the brother of Jesus, and to Jesus himself. Says one passage: “He [the high priest Ananias] convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.”
Said Yamauchi: “I know of no scholar who has successfully disputed this passage…. So here you have a reference to the brother of Jesus – who had apparently been converted by the appearance of the risen Christ, if you compare John 7:5 and 1 Corinthians 15:7 – and corroboration of the fact that some people considered Jesus to be the Christ, which means ‘the Anointed One’ or ‘Messiah.’”
Many scholars claim that Christians later tampered with a second reference to Jesus that’s found in Josephus’ writings. “But even so,” said Yamauchi, “Josephus corroborates important information about Jesus: that he was the martyred leader of the church in Jerusalem and that he was a wise teacher who had established a wide and lasting following, despite the fact that he had been crucified under Pilate at the instigation of some of the Jewish leaders.”
In A.D. 115, the Roman historian Tacitus testifies “to the success and spread of Christianity, based on a historical figure – Jesus – who was crucified under Pontius Pilate,” said Yamuchi. “And it’s significant that Tacitus reported that an ‘immense multitude’ held so strongly to their beliefs that they were willing to die rather than recant.”
In A.D. 111, another Roman, called Pliny the Younger, referred to Christians. His reference “attests to the rapid spread of Christianity, both in the city and in the rural area, among every class of persons, slave women as well as Roman citizens,” said Yamauchi. “And it talks about the worship of Jesus as God, that Christians maintained high ethical standards, and that they were not easily swayed from their beliefs.”
A historian named Thallus wrote a history of the eastern Mediterranean world in A.D. 52. Though his writings have been lost, they are quoted by Julius Africanus in about A.D. 221. Apparently, Thallus had referred to the darkness that fell over the earth during the crucifixion of Jesus, saying this must have been caused by an eclipse. Africanus argues that this couldn’t have been an eclipse because of the timing.
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Paul Maeir answers: Who Decided What Books Became Part of the New Testament? (8:20) |
Regarding the darkness, which is also reported in the New Testament, historian Paul Maier wrote: “This phenomenon, evidently, was visible in Rome, Athens, and other Mediterranean cities. According to Tertullian…it was a ‘cosmic’ or ‘world event.’ Phlegon, a Greek author from Caria writing a chronology soon after 137 A.D., reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., 33 A.D.) there was ‘the greatest eclipse of the sun’ and that ‘it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.’”
“So,” said Yamauchi, “there is…non-biblical attestation of the darkness that occurred at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Apparently, some found the need to try to give it a natural explanation by saying it was an eclipse.”
I said to Yamauchi, “Let’s pretend we didn’t have any of the New Testament or other Christian writings. Even without them, what would we be able to conclude about Jesus from ancient non-Christian sources, such as Josephus, the Talmud, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and others?”
“We would still have a considerable amount of important historical evidence; in fact, it would provide a kind of outline for the life of Jesus,” he replied.
“We would know that first, Jesus was a Jewish teacher; second, many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms; third, some people believed he was the Messiah; fourth, he was rejected by the Jewish leaders; fifth, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius; sixth, despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed that he was still alive, spread beyond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by A.D. 64; and seventh, all kinds of people from the cities and countryside – men and women, slave and free – worshiped him as God.”
What is Unique About the Four Gospels of the New Testament? (11:53) featuring Gary Habermas |
In his book The Historical Jesus, historian Gary Habermas details a total of 39 ancient sources documenting the life of Jesus, from which he enumerates more than 100 reported facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection. What’s more, 24 of the sources cited by Habermas, including seven secular sources and several of the earliest creeds of the church, specifically concern the divine nature of Jesus.
Granted, the quality of these sources is all over the map. Nevertheless, Habermas builds a powerful case.
Also, I just added a new book on this topic to my library: Jesus Outside the New Testament, written by Robert E. Van Voorst of Western Theological Seminary. He concludes: “Our study of Jesus outside the New Testament points at the end of the day to Jesus inside the New Testament.”
If you’d like to read more about my interview with Yamauchi, who recently retired from his distinguished career at Miami University of Ohio, check out my book The Case for Christ.
| Thanks to everyone who submitted a question! CLICK HERE to pose a question for a future newsletter. Though we can’t answer them all, we’ll select the ones that seem to have the broadest appeal – or are the most intriguing! |
