4 Compelling Historical

Documents That Prove

Jesus Existed
It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus walked this earth and the
Gospel of His amazing work has withstood the test of time. For
Christians, the Bible is the only document we need to know Jesus
existed. However, what is truly astounding are the non-Biblical
artifacts that have been unearthed, dating back to the time He walked
this earth, which document His existence. While some scholars
question the authenticity, these non-Biblical accounts of the
existence of Jesus are far too compelling and powerful to ignore.

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It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus walked this earth and the
Gospel of His amazing work has withstood the test of time. For
Christians, the Bible is the only document we need to know Jesus
existed. In fact, His existence can be seen today, in all things big
and small — especially where He lives in our hearts. But what is
truly astounding are the non-Biblical artifacts that have been
unearthed, dating back to the time He walked this earth, which
document His existence. While some scholars question the
authenticity, these non-Biblical accounts of the existence of Jesus
are far too compelling and powerful to ignore.
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It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus walked this earth and the
Gospel of His amazing work has withstood the test of time. For
Christians, the Bible is the only document we need to know Jesus
existed. However, what is truly astounding are the non-Biblical
artifacts that have been unearthed, dating back to the time He walked
this earth, which document His existence. While some scholars
question the authenticity, these non-Biblical accounts of the
existence of Jesus are far too compelling and powerful to ignore.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Dating back to the time of Jesus, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the most
important archaeological discovery of our time. A collection of
animal skin, forged copper and papyrus were unearthed in in a cave
in Israel in the 1940’s. The scrolls contain a collection of hymns,
prayers, formulas, documentations and even the earliest version of
the Ten Commandments. Historians believe they were written
sometime between 150 B.C. and A.D. 70 and they provide a deeper
understanding of the Bible and more enlightenment on the histories
of Christianity and Judaism. Within these texts, is a figure referred
to as the "Teacher of Righteousness." While not implicated by
named, this teacher was described as being the one God chose to
reveal to the people "the hidden things in which all Israel had gone
astray" (The Qumran, pg 34). Additional text elabroates further,
"He (God) raised for them a Teacher of Righteousness to guide them
in the way of His heart." (The Dead Sea Scrolls). This account
offers one of the first evidences of historical account of Jesus.
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Written by: Lindsey

The Jewish Antiquities: Book 18
The Jewish Antiquities were written by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish
historian, during the thirteenth year of Roman emperor Flavius
Domitian around A.D. 93/94. Providing an eye-witness account of the
history of the Jewish people, Josephus documents the lengthy
events of the Hebrew Bible consisting of the beginning of Adam and
Eve, up to the Jewish War. These texts provide valuable information
to historians to better understand the early Christian-Judaism
period. Within these texts Jesus is referred to twice. In the first
instance, Jesus is mentioned in the period in which the Jews of
Judea were governed by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate:
"About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought
to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds
and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He
won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah.
And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us,
Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to
love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day
restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things
and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the
Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not
disappeared." (Antiquities, Book 18).
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The Jewish Antiquities: Book 20
In Josephus’ second reference to Jesus he describes the high priest
Ananus, "Convened the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish religious
court/governing body). He had brought before them the brother of
Jesus the so-called Christ, who was called James, and some other
men, whom he accused of having broken the law, and handed them
over to be stoned." (Antiquities, Book 20). While controversial to
scholars that speculate the text was inserted over the centuries by
a Christian copyist, these accounts of Jesus outside of the Bible
offer extremely powerful and compelling evidence for His existence.
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Tacitus - The Annals
A senator and historian of the Roman Empire, Publius Cornelius
Tacitus, referred to Christ in a work he penned called the Annals in
A.D. 116. On one page, he described the execution of "Christus"
(Christ) by Pontius Pilate and provides one of the earliest non-
Biblical accounts of Christians, "Consequently, to get rid of the
report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite
tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians
by the populace. 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, and a most
mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again
broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in
Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the
world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest
was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their
information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of
the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind" (Annals,
Book 15). Contrary to other mentions of Christ in historical
documents outside the Bible, the reference here in the Annals is
regarded by most modern scholars to be authentic.
In addition to the consistency and extraordinary account of the four
Gospels in the New Testament and the 13 books written by Paul,
these valuable historical documents can offer further evidence
of the existence of the greatest man to ever walk this planet, Jesus
Christ.
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