Was Jesus a real person or a legend, a myth made up by the earliest Christians? Most serious Bible scholars assume that Jesus existed, but some skeptics question Jesus’s existence and argue that the early Church developed Jesus as a mythical figure. Surprisingly, the strongest argument for the existence of Jesus comes from an unexpected source: Bart Ehrman, an outspoken agnostic/atheist critic of the Bible. Despite his usual skepticism, he argues that Jesus was a real person in his book Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: Harper Collins, 2013).
Even though a consensus among historians is not definitive proof, it is noteworthy that just about every historian from every type of background—both religious and secular—accepts that Jesus was a real person. They may debate what he said or did, but his existence is rarely doubted. Nonetheless, it is important to explore the historical data that we have. After looking at how different ancient historians refer to Jesus, we will consider the general argument that Jesus is a myth.
Sources about Jesus
While the New Testament provides the most extensive record of Jesus’s life, several non-Christian authors mention him outside of the biblical text. These writers, detached from the Christian community, offer a unique perspective on Jesus and the movement he inspired. Although these accounts date from the early second century, nearly 80 years after Jesus’s ministry, they serve a valuable purpose: they provide an unbiased, and at times hostile, account of Jesus and early Christianity, corroborating elements of the biblical narrative.
Pliny the Younger, a Roman senator governing Asia Minor around AD 111, provides our earliest non-Christian account. In a letter to Trajan (Epistles 10.96–97), Pliny discusses how to handle Christians who refuse to participate in the worship of the Roman gods. The exchange reveals that Christianity had spread widely enough to concern Roman officials. He reports that Christians worshipped Christ as a god and refused to curse him even under threat of execution. While Pliny does not give any details about Jesus’s life, his account suggests that Christ was central to early Christian worship as early as AD 85.
Suetonius, a Roman historian writing around AD 120, mentions “Chrestus” (most likely a misspelling of “Christus”) in his biography Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Claudius 25.4). The reference describes the expulsion of the Jewish people from Rome in AD 49 due to the disturbance caused by “Chrestus.” Luke describes this event when he introduces Aquila and Priscilla as Jewish believers who have been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:2). Even though the reference is brief, it suggests that Jesus’s influence through Christianity had reached Rome within two decades of his ministry.
Tacitus gives more detail in his Roman history, Annals of Imperial Rome, written around AD 116. The section describes Nero’s persecution of the Christian community following the great fire that devasted much of Rome in AD 64 (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). In his description, Tacitus identifies Christ as the founder of the group who was executed by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.
Josephus, a Jewish historian born shortly after Jesus’s death, mentions Jesus in Antiquities (Ant. 18.63–64), written around AD 94. Even though later Christian scribes embellished Josephus’s comments about Jesus, most scholars believe that he referred to Jesus as a wisdom teacher, mentioned his miracles, and confirmed his execution by Pilate. Finally, he notes that his followers considered Jesus the Messiah.
These sources might disappoint modern readers, given the impact that Jesus made on history. Despite Christianity’s rapid growth, Jesus ministered for a brief time in a remote part of the empire. When we compare the available records about Jesus with other historical figures, we gain a better appreciation. For example, Pontius Pilate, a Roman official central to the Gospels, is mentioned only by Tacitus. While we might want a more complete picture of Jesus’s life, the existing documentation is remarkable.
Jesus as a Myth
The primary argument against Jesus’s historical existence comes from the Gospel writers’ use of literary devices and parallels with mythical narratives about great men. For instance, Jesus’s virgin birth (Luke 1:26–38) has been compared to the miraculous conception of Augustus (Suetonius, Augustus 94.4), while his death and resurrection are likened to myths about dying and rising gods in Egyptian and Greek mythology. This perspective argues that these stories were “historicized,” meaning that the individual stories about Jesus were crafted within a mythical framework, transforming symbolic and allegorical tales into historical accounts.
This view assumes that the use of literary devices inherently indicates mythical content. In reality, both fictional and non-fictional narratives use literary techniques like characterization or plot development. For example, the musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda uses Broadway conventions to portray the life of Alexander Hamilton. Likewise, Shakespeare presents the story of Julius Caesar in iambic pentameter, but that does not mean that he did not exist. We can find numerous examples in historically based movies. For instance, Steven Spielberg directed a movie about Abraham Lincoln in 2012. In the same year, the movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter came out. Even though one movie is more truthful than the other, they are both based on a real person.
Furthermore, throughout the Gospels, Jesus interacts with real people. He stands before Pilate and Herod Antipas. The Gospels show him interacting with his disciples. In Acts, Luke describes them preaching Jesus’s death and resurrection throughout Jerusalem and Judea. The Gospel writers describe Jesus as having a family who did not quite understand his ministry at first (Mark 3:31–32).
Church history suggests that his mother, Mary, settled in Ephesus with John (Eusebius Hist. eccl. 3.1.2; cf. John 19:26–27). Despite initial unbelief (cf. John 7:5), two of his brothers became influential in the early church. James played a significant role in the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13–19). He met with Paul in Jerusalem before his arrest (Acts 21:17–26). Paul himself describes him as an apostle (Galatians 1:19, cf. 1 Corinthians 9:5). The author of Jude identifies himself as the brother of James, which implies he, too, is the brother of Jesus. Mark confirms this by identifying both James and Jude (or Judas) as Jesus’s brothers (Mark 6:3).
In 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to Jesus’s teaching about marriage (1 Corinthians 7:10), the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26), and Jesus’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–8). Paul attributes these teachings to Jesus years before the Gospels were written. Since Paul likely did not know Jesus personally before his conversion, he must have gathered these from the disciples who preserved what Jesus taught them. This suggests that a real historical person stands behind the traditions that appear in Paul’s letters. Even though we do not have any writings directly from Jesus himself, the network of interconnected relationships with real historical figures and the consistent references across various early Christian sources strongly support his historical existence.
Conclusion
The evidence suggests that Jesus existed. We may not learn much about Jesus from Pliny, Suetonius, Tacitus, or Josephus, but they point to a real person behind the Christian movement that extended throughout the empire in the first century. While historians will debate what Jesus did or said, this forms a foundation upon which we can explore how his ministry impacted the world. In the prologue of his Gospel (John 1:1–18), John describes Jesus as one sent from God but rejected by the world. Jesus played a role in creation (John 1:1–3) and brings salvation to those who believe in him (John 1:12–13). John explains that no one has ever seen God, but Jesus, “the one and only God, who is at the Father’s side has made him known” (John 1:18).
Scripture References
