There are people who question whether Jesus Christ really existed, while others acknowledge that He lived but reject the biblical accounts of who He was. As Christians, we need to be prepared to consider these questions and understand why they matter.
The question isn’t simply whether a man named Jesus walked the earth two thousand years ago. The bigger question is who He was, what He accomplished, and why His life, death, and resurrection remain central to the Christian faith.
What Does History Tell Us About Jesus?
In my latest episode of Foundational U, I examine historical references to Jesus outside the New Testament, including writings associated with Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, and the Babylonian Talmud.
These ancient sources come from different backgrounds, and they don’t all tell the same story or address Jesus in the same way. However, their references to Jesus and the early Christian movement are important when we consider the historical context in which Christianity emerged.
I also discuss Bertrand Russell’s essay Why I’m Not a Christian, published in 1957, in which Russell questioned whether Jesus’ existence could be established historically.
Questions like these deserve more than a quick dismissal. We should be willing to examine the evidence, understand what historical sources actually say, and think carefully about the conclusions we draw from them.
Our faith doesn’t require us to be afraid of honest questions.
The Testimony of the Early Church
Historical references outside the Bible are only part of the discussion. We must also consider the writings of the early Christian church and the testimony preserved in the New Testament.
The apostle Paul, writing about the resurrection, refers to Jesus appearing to more than five hundred people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Paul presents this testimony as part of the foundation of the Christian message: Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead.
The resurrection is not a minor detail added to an otherwise ordinary story. It stands at the center of the gospel.
If Jesus merely lived and died, He would be one more figure from the past. But the Christian proclamation is that He conquered death and lives today.
That claim changes the entire conversation.
More Than a Historical Figure
Ultimately, establishing that Jesus existed is not the same as answering the question of His identity.
Who do we believe Jesus is? Was He simply a teacher, a prophet, or a religious leader? Or is He who Scripture declares Him to be: the Son of God and the Savior of mankind?
That is the question every person must consider.
We should study the historical evidence, examine the testimony, and be prepared to explain what we believe. But we must never lose sight of the reason the evidence matters in the first place. We are not simply trying to establish a fact about someone who lived long ago. We are considering the identity of the One on whom our faith rests.
Jesus Christ is more than a historical figure. He is the Son of God, the one and only Savior of mankind.
I invite you to watch or listen to my latest episode of Foundational U, where I examine the historical evidence for Jesus and consider why His existence and identity matter.
And in the next episode, we’ll look more closely at what makes Jesus Christ unique.