This article should not need to be written. Two thousand years ought to have been sufficient time to confirm whether Jesus existed. And, indeed, for most, the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth is a settled matter. However, doubters remain.
In this essay, I will explore the evidence for the existence of a historical Jesus of Nazareth. The evidence will be drawn primarily from three sources: pagan, Jewish, and Christian.
Who Do You Say I Am?
It may be said that there are two Jesuses of Nazareth. In a sense, they correspond to the hypostatic union. The first one is the biblical Jesus, the man depicted in Scripture. This Jesus is the one associated with Christianity, the one who Catholics believe is God.
The second Jesus is the human and historical Jesus. This was a first-century Jew living in present-day Israel.
The data for both the supernatural and historical Jesus is, of course, drawn almost exclusively from the Gospels. Invaluable additional information is gleaned from the Pauline Epistles, as well. These are the Epistle to the Romans, the Epistle to the Galatians, and the first and second Epistles to the Corinthians.
According to the biblical accounts, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea (present-day Israel, approximately six miles from Jerusalem). The Gospels (in varying degrees and with different focuses) recount how Jesus and His parents were forced to flee to Egypt to escape the persecution of King Herod. (Matthew 2:13-15).
After Herod’s death, the family returned to Israel and eventually settled in Nazareth. As Jesus’ human father, Joseph, was a carpenter, Jesus was likely trained in carpentry. By all accounts, Jesus began His public ministry around age 30 after being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:13-17).
The Bible recounts how Jesus began calling disciples, including Peter, Andrew, James, and John. It appears that Jesus and His disciples traveled throughout Galilee and Judea, teaching and proclaiming the word of God. (Matthew 4:18-22). Eventually, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem, where He was arrested, crucified, died, and was buried.
I have intentionally refrained from recounting the supernatural events of Jesus’ life as depicted in the Bible. The reason for this is the intention of this essay to examine evidence for the existence of a historical Jesus of Nazareth.
We must next inquire whether the events of Jesus’ life as depicted in the Bible can be verified independently. To do that, it is necessary to review the process by which historical events and persons are studied.
The Existence Of Historical Figures And Events
The most common and widely accepted procedure used by historians and scholars to investigate and verify historical events and people is called the historical method. The process begins with the collection of all available evidence. The evidence is then categorized into primary, secondary, and other sources.
Primary sources are firsthand accounts or artifacts created during the time period being studied. Examples include diaries, government documents, letters, photographs, tools, and architecture. Secondary sources analyze, interpret, and synthesize primary sources. Examples include scholarly books, journal articles, and biographies written after the event.
Lastly, other or additional proof comprises material evidence from archaeology (e.g., ruins, artifacts), oral traditions, and data from other fields such as genetics or linguistics, all of which contribute to a comprehensive picture.
Once this aspect is completed, scholars begin the critical evaluation. Critical evaluation is a two-stage process to evaluate the authenticity and reliability of the evidence gathered. External criticism entails determining the source’s basic authenticity. For example, when and where was it produced? Who was the author? Is the material consistent with the period, or might it be a forgery?
The second stage is internal criticism. This involves assessing the source’s credibility by examining the author’s motives, biases, and circumstances. Historians consider the author’s ability to observe the event accurately (e.g., physical location, language skills) and their potential reasons for bias (e.g., propaganda, self-interest).
The last step in the historical method is cross-verification and corroboration. Cross-verification involves comparing the sources with independent authorities to find points of agreement and disagreement. Obviously, if multiple independent sources agree on a specific fact, its credibility is significantly enhanced.
If and when sources conflict, historians weigh the authority and reliability of each to determine which account is more likely to be accurate. Preference is given to accounts of experts or eyewitnesses if their reliability can be established through external evidence. Lastly, historical information is weighed against common sense and general knowledge of human nature and cultural milieu.
Having thus far examined the claims regarding the existence of a Jesus of Nazareth and the method used to determine the veracity of historical events and persons, I turn to asking whether there is proof sufficient to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth existed.
The Verdict
It follows from what has been said thus far that to show that Jesus existed as a historical person requires applying the historical method to the evidence of His existence.
Historians generally accept the Gospels as primary sources for the historicity of Jesus. (Copan, Paul, and William Lane Craig. Come Let Us Reason. B&H Publishing Group, 2012). A reasonable objection arises, however. Isn’t using the Bible to prove the historicity of the Bible arguing in a circle? There are two reasons why that is not the case.
First, in the context of analyzing the historical veracity of the New Testament, the data is being gathered solely for historical events and persons. The historian denudes the Bible of any supernatural or spiritual elements, seeking only historical information. Second, and relatedly, the biblical data is being compared to independent sources. In this case, independent sources may include extra-biblical documentation or relics.
To that end, additional non-Christian sources are considered. These include Jewish and Roman sources. The Jewish source most frequently cited is the historian Josephus. His writing mentions Jesus, including a passage describing the execution of Jesus’s brother, James, which is considered strong corroboration for the existence of Jesus and his brother. (Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. 2013).
Another Jewish source considered relevant to proving the existence of a historical Jesus is the Talmud. The Talmud is a text produced by Rabbinic Judaism that provides teaching and commentary on the Old Testament. Although disputed by some Jewish commentators, the Talmud refers to an individual named Yeshu. Several scholars have concluded that this is a reference to Jesus.
The Romans provide additional non-religious evidence. The Roman politician Tacitus refers to the execution of Jesus by Pontius Pilate and states that the Emperor Nero persecuted early Christians following the Great Fire of Rome. Additional documents are provided from the writings of Suetonius, another historian, and Pliny the Younger, a Roman lawyer and judge.
Suetonius refers to a “Chresto” and to “disturbances” caused by Christians in Rome. Passages in the Book of Acts support Suetonius’s writings. (Acts 18:2).
Several letters from Pliny the Younger mention early Christians singing hymns to Christ “as to a god” and refusing to curse Christ, confirming their rapid spread and devotion. (Pliny, Book 10, Letter 96, To The Emperor Trajan).
These sources are then compared to Christian sources such as the Pauline Epistles and the Synoptic Gospels. (Feldman, Louis Harry, and Gōhei Hata. Josephus, Judaism, and Christianity. 1987).
Finally, there is physical evidence, in the form of archaeological data, that corroborates the biblical data. For example, the location where Jesus is said to have healed a blind man, the Pool of Siloam, has been excavated.
Evidence of the Roman practice of Crucifixion has also been found, as has an inscription called Pilate’s Stone. The stone corroborates the existence of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judaea from AD 26 to 36, who ordered the Crucifixion of Jesus. The inscription confirms his title and provides historical evidence for his rule. (Kennedy, Titus. Excavating the Evidence for Jesus. Harvest House Publishers, 2022).
The final step in the historical method analysis of Jesus of Nazareth entails internal criticism and verification of the New Testament.
Owing to the vast number of surviving New Testament manuscripts (over 5,800 Greek manuscripts), scholars can compare versions and identify transcription errors, most of which are minor or involve word-order changes. This process helps reconstruct the original text with a high degree of confidence (scholars often cite 98-99% accuracy in transmission).
Internal details such as specific locations, names, and events are cross-referenced with archaeological findings and other historical documents to verify their plausibility in the ancient world and, ultimately, to enhance the historical reliability of the Gospels.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether one accepts the claims of Catholicism, regardless of whether one believes in God or that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah, one thing seems clear. There existed a historical person named Jesus of Nazareth. The rest is a matter of faith.
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