Learning Outcomes INTRODUCTION

At the end of the lesson, the students can:

D – identify correctly the historical evidences
of Jesus’ existence through a T-chart.
M – cite concrete ways of developing an
intimate relationship with Jesus through
letter writing.
W – deepen the value of friendship and trust
with Jesus through a personal prayer.
There are some people today who
claim that Christ never existed; that Jesus
was a mere fabrication of a group of people
who needed a new religion to
accommodate their beliefs and practices.
But if there had been no Jesus
Christ, everything we do is in vain. In a
way, our faith depends on the fact that
once upon a time, God walked on our
planet.

This module intends to focus on the

historical evidences for Jesus’ existence.
BTI
Let us journey together as we search for
The Historical Jesus.
2.2.1 Demonstrate understanding of
learning environments that promote
fairness, respect and care to encourage
learning

CapSouls of the Session

We Filipinos are followers of Christ, his
disciples. To trace his footsteps in our
times means to utter his word to others,
to love with his love, to live with his life;
To cease following him is to betray our
very identity. (PCP II 34)

“If you live according to my teaching,

you are truly my disciples; then you will
know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.” (Jn 8:31-32)

1|P age
ACTIVITY

THINK AND SHARE

1. How did you know that Jesus exist?
2. Are there any historical evidences of the existence of Jesus? What are they?
3. Why do we need to search the historical evidences of the existence of Jesus?

ACQUISITION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE

HISTORICAL EVIDENCES FOR JESUS’ EXISTENCE: NON-CHRISTIAN AND CHRISTIAN

SOURCES

The Christian Scriptures are our principal sources in proving the existence of the historical
Jesus.
The New Testament tells us of a certain Jesus of Nazareth who preached, performed miracles,
was crucified and rose again from the dead.
The Early Christian chose to give up their lives than to renounce Jesus. Why would these
men opt to die if Christ had not been raised from the dead, or much more if he had not existed at
all?

Even outside Christianity, there are writings that point to the existence of Jesus Christ.

A. Non-Christian Sources

A.1.Pagan Roman Sources. Is there any evidence for the existence of the historical Jesus
outside the New Testament? If we realize that Palestine was considered a bothersome, though
minor, province in the large Roman Empire, we should not be too surprised to find little written
evidence by the pagan* Roman historians concerning the wondering Jewish preacher and
teacher, Jesus of Nazareth. But it was inevitable that some Romans would have to take notice
because of the existence of the ever-increasing group of believers in Jesus, the Christians. They
claimed they came into being because this Jesus who was put to death now lived. Their message
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit spread by men like St. Paul reached every corner of the
Roman Empire. As a result, eventually some Roman historians had to take notice of the group
and ultimately of their founder. From those early years, we have mention of Jesus and his
followers in three separate Roman writers: namely, Suetonius, Tacitus and Pliny the Younger.

Suetonius. The Roman author Suetonius compiled biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors,
from Julius Caesar onward. Writing about 120 A.D. in his Life of Claudius he says of the emperor:
He expelled the Jews from Rome, on account of the riots in which they were constantly
indulging, at the instigation of Chrestus. **
Suetonius made a mistake in his retelling of the Jewish expulsion from Rome in 49 A.D. in
assuming that Christ was there. What probably happened was that when the early Christian
missionaries went to the synagogues in Rome to tell the Jews that their long-awaited Messiah
had come, the Christians met with such resistance that street riots resulted. Claudius thought
Christians and Jews were really members of the same religious sect and consequently banished
them from Rome because of the civil disturbances. Luke writes in Acts 18:2 that when Paul
arrived in Corinth about 50 A.D., he found there “a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus,

2|P age
recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. An edict of Claudius had ordered all Jews to
leave Rome.
Suetonius (life of Emperor Claudius 25:4) mentioned the expulsion of Jews from Rome
in A.D. 49 because of their riots at the instigation of Chrestus. Suetonius wrote around A.D. 120
and, like many Romans, considered Christians and Jews as members of the same religious
sect. What is most significant in this piece of evidence is the point that by the middle of the first
century, a strong testimony of Christ was made in the capital of the Roman Empire (Rome).

Tacitus. Tacitus, a Roman historian, writes in his Annals (15. 44.) of the great fire which swept
through the city of Rome in 64 A.D. Since the Emperor Nero (stepson and successor to Claudius)
was generally believed to have started the fire, Nero wanted to fix the blame on someone
else. He falsified a charge of fire-raising against the Christians in Rome. Many Christians
perished by being burned at the stakes or being exposed to wild beasts. Tacitus in 115-117
A.D. recounts the story of the fire and Nero’s successful attempt to fix the blame on the
Christians. He writes:
They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius
Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. That checked the pernicious superstition for a short time, but it
broke out afresh ---not only in Judaea, where the plague first arose, but in Rome it-self, where all
the horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home.
It is interesting to note that the historian Tacitus has gone out of his way to seek
information about the origins of Christianity. Perhaps he checked official Roman records----
including Pontius Pilate’s reports---which told of Jesus’ death sentence. Significantly, this is the
only place in all ancient Roman histories where Pilate is mentioned, though the Jewish writers
Philo and Josephus record his cruel rule in Judea.
Finally, the Roman historian Tacitus, in his Annals 15:44, which was written around A.D.
110, stated: “They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator
Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. That checked the pernicious superstition for a short time,
but it broke out afresh not in Judea, where the plague first rose, but in Rome itself where all
horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home.
This passage reveals Tacitus’ account of the great fire swept through the city of Rome in
A.D. 64 during the reign of Emperor Nero. Nero blamed the Christians for the fire and so put to
death many Christians. The value of Tacitus’ writing is that he did not secure his information
about Jesus’ death from the Christian source. Tacitus did not use Jesus’ proper name; he used
the word Christ, the religious title which was used by Christians outside of Palestine as a proper
title for Jesus.

Pliny the Younger. Pliny the Younger is known to history as a master letter writer. In 111 A.D.
he was appointed imperial legate of the Roman province of Bithynia in northwest Asia Minor.
There he carried on a constant correspondence with the Roman emperor, Trajan. In one of
these letters he advised the emperor about how he ought to treat the rapidly spreading religious
group known as the Christians. Pliny the Younger (Epistle 10:96ff), who was governor of Asia
Minor, wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan (c. A.D. 111). He asked for advice in the matter of
dealing with Christians who come together at fixed seasons and sing hymns to Christ as god.
This letter and Trajan’s reply are too lengthy to quote here but several interesting facts are
worth nothing. Pliny mentioned that the “superstition” of Christianity had spread so rapidly that
the pagan temples had fallen into disuse. As a result, the salesmen of the fodder for the sacrificial
animals were in serious economic trouble. Secondly, Pliny advised Trajan to set free any accused
Christian if he/she rejected Christ and worshiped the pagan gods of the emperor, but that he
march off to death any Christian who persisted in his/her belief in Jesus. And, finally, Pliny

3|P age
recounted the Christian custom of celebrating what we know as the sacrament of the Eucharist
on “a fixed day of the week”. Trajan’s reply to Pliny advised him that he had acted well in relation
to the Bithynian Christian. He told Pliny that he must punish any non-recanting Christians that
came to his attention, but that he must not ferret them out. Obviously, Trajan saw the Christians
as dangerous, but not terribly dangerous.

A.2. Jewish Source

Josephus. Born around 37 A.D., he fought against the Romans in the great revolt of 66-70 A.D.
and was appointed commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Josephus was captured by the
Romans, but, because he predicted that he commander-in-chief of the Roman army in Palestine,
Vespasian, would one day be emperor, his life was spared to see if his prediction would come
true. Two years later (69 A.D.), it did, and Josephus became a friend of the Roman emperor.
Writing later, Josephus tried to demonstrate that the real Messiah was not to be a Jew, but none
other than Vespasian himself. The Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote the history of his people
and Jewish-Roman war (A.D.66-70). In his work, Antiquities 20,200, he wrote: “James the brother
of Jesus who was called the Christ…” This passage was in reference to the stoning death of
James who was an apostle of Jesus.

Josephus later composed a 20-volume history of the Jews entitled the Jewish Antiquities.
In this history Josephus attempted to demonstrate to the Roman world, and especially to the new
emperor, the Jew-hating Domitian (81-96 A.D.), that the Jews were a noble people. In the 18th
book of the history, he gave a favorable report of John the Baptist and called him a good man.
Josephus noted in the 20th book that Annas the younger (the son of the high priest mentioned in
the Gospels) put to death in 62 A.D. James the Just whom we identify as the apostle and one of
the leaders of the Christian community in Jerusalem.
Now we come to one of the most interesting passages in all of ancient literature. In the
18th book of his Jewish Antiquities, Josephus gives an account of various troubles the people of
Judea suffered under the governorship of Pontius Pilate (26-36 A.D.). Please carefully study the
text of this section as it has been handed down to us:
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 drew over
to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at
the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that
loved him at first did not forsake him; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand
other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not
extinct at this day.*
Many scholars find problems with this version of the text. It sounds as if Josephus were a
Christian. They theorize that certain passages which support Christian belief were later added by
a Christian copyist----like the phase, “if it be lawful to call him a man,” and references to him as
the Christ (Messiah) and his resurrection. The Church father Origen maintained that Josephus
was a nonbeliever. Regardless of what Josephus either wrote to believed, it is most significant
that he did not question the actual historical existence of Jesus.

A.3. Other Sources

LUCIANO DI SAMOSATA (c.A.D. 120-180)
Luciano was a traveling lecturer and Sophist rhetor who wrote about Jesus Christ as a man
crucified in Palestine for introducing a new cult. In his writings, he said, this Jesus persuaded his
followers that they were all brothers to one another. The Christians, according to Luciano,
“worshiped the crucified sophist and lived under his laws.”

BABYLONIAN TALMUD

4|P age
A baraita (outside addition) to the Babylonian Talmud spoke of a certain Yeshu who practiced
magic and led his followerd into apostacy. This Yeshu was “hanged on the eve of the Passover.”

The non-Christian sources give us scanty information about Jesus. However, they do establish
that Jesus existed, died and had followers.

B. Christian Sources

Grounding: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah the Son of God”
(Mark 1:1a)

Our primary source of knowledge for Jesus and his message and mission is the form of
literature known as the Gospel. The four New Testament Gospels established the facts of the
existence of a man whom the early Christians claimed to be both the most remarkable of all
human beings and the Son of God. The Gospels present clear, strong, carefully reasoned and
repeated evidence that the faith of the early Christians was in fact based on a real historical
person.
Gospels, are neither autobiography nor biography. Jesus did not write them. The
Gospels’ primary purpose is not to give a detailed account of Jesus’ historical (earthly) life. If
the Gospels were attempts at biography, they were very poor attempts indeed. For example,
we know absolutely nothing about the so-called hidden years – the years Jesus spent in
Nazareth or His childhood years before his bar mitzvah in Jerusalem at the age of 12.
The Gospels are faith summaries. They describe what the early Christians held to be
most significant about Jesus, namely, that He is the Gospel, He is the Good News. In Jesus,
God had manifested himself in a total, unconditional way. In him, humankind is saved by being
reconciled to God. Note how the selection from Mark ties together the healing of the blind man
with the concept of faith in Jesus (Mk. 10:46-52). We get some historical information, to be sure
– locale (Jericho), the name of the beggar (Bartimaeus), the scenario (the scolding of the
people. But most important is the faith of the man and Jesus incredibly kind response to it(
From Jesus and You, p. 21).
From the book of Fr. Hendrickx, From One Jesus To Four Gospels: The literary form
“gospel” is a unique product of early Christianity and as such must held to be characteristic of a
distinctive element in early Christian faith. A “gospel” in this sense consists in the following:

1. A recital of the historical narrative of the death and resurrection of Jesus which make
up the core of the preaching of the early Church.
2. This narrative was prefaced by some account of Jesus’ public ministry: a selection of
words and deeds of Jesus as they were understood after in the light of the
resurrection.
3. In Matthew and Luke, this is again prefaced by an “Infancy Narrative,” which looks
like but is not a report on the circumstances of Jesus’ birth (how Jesus was born), but
rather a theological reflection on the meaning of the person and birth of Jesus. In the
Fourth Gospel (John) the selection of words and deeds of Jesus is prefaced by a
“Prologue.”
Modern scholars insist that the gospels do not give us an accurate portrayal of Jesus’
ministry, but rather a testimony to the early Christian experience expressed by means of an
arrangement of a traditional materials concerning Jesus and His disciples. In other words, the
history of the early Christian experience as lived in various communities is cast in the form of a
chronicle of the ministry of Jesus, which is partly based on actual reminiscences of that ministry.
But the theological viewpoint of the evangelist, often reflecting the situation and concerns of his
community, has played an important part in the formation of the gospel material.

5|P age
 1. The Testimony of the Synoptic Gospels (A.D.60-90)

The Synoptic Gospels (“synoptic” came from the Greek word synoptikos, “common
view”.
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) basically speak of faith in Jesus Christ as the
messiah who offers salvation to all peoples. These Gospels reveal the sayings, parables,
sermons, miracles and stories about Jesus. These accounts were written approximately between
A.D.60 and 90.

The word “gospel” (from old English “god-spel,” i.e., “good story” is a translation of the
Greek word “vangelion meaning “good news.”

The good news referred to is the coming of Jesus. Jesus is the name which comes from
Hebrew name Joshua or Yehoshua, a name which could be translated as God saves. The good
news, therefore, is that God has come to save His people. Christ from Greek word Cristos
meaning “Anointed One,” i.e., Messiah

JESUS...
HE WALKED WHERE WE NOW WALK.
HE SAW WHAT WE NOW SEE.
HE BREATHED THE SAME AIR WE BREATHE.
HE LAUGHED AT THE THINGS
THAT MAKE US LAUGH
HE CRIED OVER THINGS
THAT MAKE US CRY
HE IS ONE WITH US,
HE IS ONE OF US
HE IS “GOD WITH US”
EMMANUEL. (Mt. 1:23).

2. The Testimony of the Acts of the Apostles (A.D.80-85)

Acts

This book gives a great source of information about the two key leaders of the Christian
movement, Peter and Paul. Both men were dedicated for spreading the messages of Jesus.

The central message of acts is stated in chapter 1:8 “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to
the end of the earth.”

This writing reveals the existence of Jesus and the spread of his message, especially by Peter and
Paul.

- Church history (acts of some of the Apostle – primarily Peter and Paul)

- Paul’s 3 missionary journeys

- Key chapters

6|P age
 – Acts 2 – Day of Pentecost

– Acts 15 -- pivotal decision

3. The Testimony of St. Paul’s Letters

1. The Letter to the Romans (A.D. 57-58) – stresses the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

- Righteousness of God and salvation through faith

- Established Paul's credentials with church he had never visited

– missionary fund-raising letter

- Luther / Wesley

2. The 1st Letter to the Corinthians (A.D. 57) – gives advice to the Corinthians on chastity and marriage.

- Serious problems and disorder in a divided church

- Immorality

- Order in services 13:1; 14:33

- Key chapter: 1 Corinthians 13 -- love chapter

3. The 2nd Letter to the Corinthians (A.D. 57) – urges financial support for the suffering Jewish Christians
in Jerusalem.

- Paul defends his ministry as an Apostle and as founder of Corinthian church, profound concern for young
Christians 4:5

- 5:20-21

4. The Letter to the Galatians (A.D. 54-55) – speaks of his concern about Galatian Christians backsliding
to strict Jewish laws.

- Settle the debate: Must one submit to Jewish law, including circumcision, to become a Christian? (5:1)

5. The Letter to the Ephesians (A.D. 62) – discusses the mystery of salvation and the mystery of the
Church.

- A prison epistle

- The grandeur of the Church

– Body of Christ 1:23, 4:16

– Temple of God 2:20-22

7|P age
 – Bride of Christ 5:23-32

6. The Letter to the Philippians (A.D. 62) – warns against false teaching.

- A prison epistle.

- Beware of legalism

- Live joyfully in Christ in the midst of adverse circumstances

7. The Letter to the Collosians (A.D. 62) – emphasizes that Christ is the main path to salvation.

- Prison epistle

- Against Gnosticism (superior knowledge)

– Believed in a ladder of deities

– Asceticism (isolation from the world and all luxury)

- The deity and all-sufficiency of Christ

8. The 1st Letter to the Thessalonians (A.D. 51) – tells of Christ’s second coming.

9. The 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians (A.D. 52) – warns against imminent second coming of Christ.

10. The 1st Letter to Timothy (A.D. 63) – gives advise to Timothy about handling wrong ideas of some
Ephesians.

- Care of the church at Ephesus

- Emphasizes godliness in a minister of Gospel

- Beliefs and feelings about Church administration 4:12

11. The 2nd Letter to Timothy (A.D. 63) – asks Timothy to protect his community against false teachings.

- Paul's final letter

- His dying shout of triumph

- Tells Timothy to stand by his faith and to live by high convictions

- “Last words from death row”

12. The Letter to Titus (A.D. 62) – offers advice to titus to help christianize the area.

- Warns against counterfeit Christians

- Qualifications for church leaders

- Concerning churches at Crete

13. The Letter to Philemon (A.D. 62) – asks him to be merciful to his runaway slave Onesimus.

- Letter from prison

8|P age
- On behalf of a runaway slave, Onesimus

4. The Testimony of Other Christian Letters

a. The Letter of James (A.D. 60’s) – states that faith must be accompanied by good works.

- 1:27 Good works and pure religion

- The necessity of a living faith

- Exposes subtle sins

– pride, gossip, aloofness, materialism and practical atheism

- Proving your faith by your works

b. The 1st Letter of Peter (A.D. 60’s) – It teaches the value of suffering, and it is a sermon on the importance
of the sacrament of baptism.

- The Christian attitude or frame of mind in the midst of suffering

- Emphasis on holiness

c. The 2nd Letter of Peter (A.D.100-110) – warns against the false teacher. in particular, Petere reminds
his people that the parousia will come.

- Affirms Second Coming

- Cries out against evils of heresy and teachers of error

- A prediction of apostasy

d. The Letter of Jude (A.D. 90’s) – is an exhortation against a group of heretics within the Chruch who are
creating problems. The most interesting features of this Letter are the characteristics of an institutional
church.

- The faith once for all delivered to the saints

- A great doxology

- Immoral character of heretics

e. The 1st Letter of John (A.D. 100-110) – It speaks about the Gnostic heresy which believed that the
physical world was inherently evil. It condemns the Docetist heresy which denied the reality of Jesus’
body.

- A letter written from Ephesus

- If we are His, we will love one another and live righteously

f. The 2nd Letter of John (A.D.100-110) – It warns the Church against Docetism. it also indicate that the
Christian church is a definite and separate group in the world.

- Denounces false and heretical teachers

9|P age
- Walking in truth and love

g. The 3rd Letter of John (A.D. 100-110) – It condemns the man Diotrephes who is challenging the authority
of the lawful authority of the Church (probably0 John the elder.

- Vast difference between good and bad behavior

- Emphases:

– Prayer

– Faithful work in the Church

– Christian integrity

- Hospitality toward itinerant ministers, v 11

h. The Letter to the Hebrews (A.D. late 60’s) – speaks of the superiority of Jesus to persecuted Jewish
Christians.

- Written to persecuted Christian Jews tempted to deny their faith

- Better: The superiority of Christ and faith in Him

- Key chapter: Hebrews 11 -- Faith chapter

i. The Book of Revelation

- The grand finale

- Visions about the future

- Ultimate triumph of Christ and the New Heaven and New Earth

APPLICATION
Letter writing:
A. write a letter to Jesus containing concrete ways of developing an intimate relationship
with Him. Example: I will read the Gospel everyday.
B. End your reflection with a short personal prayer that shows the value of friendship and
trust to Jesus.

ASSESSMENT
T-chart making

Using your own words, identify correctly the historical evidences of Jesus’ existence from the non-
Christian and Christian sources in a T-Chart.

Historical Evidences of Jesus’ Existence

10 | P a g e
 Non-Christian sources Christian Sources

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,

your passion and death is the sacrifice that unites earth and heaven
and reconciles all people to you.
May we who have faithfully reflected on these mysteries
follow in your steps and so come to share your glory in heaven
where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

REFERENCES

Holy Bible

James Finley and Michael Pennock. JESUS AND YOU: Discovering the Real Christ, Indiana: Ave Maria
Press, 1977

Joseph Fitzmayer. A CHRISTOLOGICAL CATECHISM: New Testament Answers

NJ: Paulist Press, 1991

Herman Hendrickx, CICM. (1991). FROM ONE JESUS TO FOUR GOSPELS. Claritian Publicatios, Quezon
City, Philippines

11 | P a g e