Sources of Jesus' History

Information about the history of Jesus Christ can be obtained from a number of sources, many of which are biblical and which also serve as a basis for followers of Christianity to build their faith. Religious scholars have the task of interpreting biblical teachings for followers to apply to their everyday lives. However, historians are also interested in more objective sources that give information about the existence and life of Jesus Christ in a non-biblical context.

Multiple Attestation

When looking for facts about the history of the life of Jesus Christ, the idea of multiple attestation is important. Multiple attestation means that a biblical passage or a bit of historical information about Jesus that appears in two or more sources that are independent from one another is likely to be authentic. So, if, for example, a biblical passage claims that Jesus enabled a blind man to see, and the same incident is documented elsewhere by a non-biblical figure in Roman history, then the incident is more likely to be true.

Biblical Sources

Let's face it—the Bible is a very long book. However, when discussing the life and history of its main character, Jesus Christ, we should mainly consider the Gospels of the New Testament. These gospels deal with the high-profile years of Jesus' life, during which he traveled around with disciples, spreading his teachings and performing healings and miracles.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because the information that they give about the life of Jesus Christ during his most active years is similar in all three. The Gospel of John is also an important source of history of the life of Jesus, but some of the information it presents differs from that in the Synoptics.

Non-Biblical Sources

Josephus

Flavius Josephus was a historian who was born four years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Josephus was a widely accepted historian of the time and was patronized by several emperors of Rome. One of his two famous works, Jewish Antiquities, covers Jewish history from what was believed to be the beginning of life on Earth to around 66 CE. In one volume of the work, Antiquities 18:63, he refers to Jesus Christ in great detail as a wise man and also refers to Jesus' brother, James. While historians have argued for centuries over the authenticity of this reference, a majority of them agree that even though there may be some Christian alterations of the original writing, it is still authentic and is truly evidence of the existence of Jesus.

Pliny the Younger and Others

Pliny the Younger, governor of the Roman province Bithynia, sent a letter to the Roman Emperor Trajan around 112 CE, asking for advice about how to handle legal matters concerning Christian people. In his letter, he outlines the activities of local Christian people very clearly, describing in detail how they followed the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are also references to Jesus Christ in other non-biblical writings like the Talmud of Babylonia and from the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata. The Roman historian Tacitus also referred to the crucifixion of Christ just as it happened during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius.

The Life of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is believed to have been born sometime between 6 BCE and 4 BCE in the town of Bethlehem. His parents, Mary and Joseph, traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem due to the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. After birth, Jesus was visited by the Three Wise Men, or Magi, and the shepherds.

Early Life

Jesus's parents had to flee Bethlehem with him and go to Egypt when he was an infant due to King Herod's orders to kill all male children under the age of two. Later, after Herod's death, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus traveled to Israel, where they would live in Nazareth. This is outlined in Matthew 2:13--23. There is not much other specific information about the early life of Jesus except a mention of his precociousness as a child in Luke 4:41--52. From the age of 12 to 30, Jesus worked as a carpenter in Nazareth along with his father, Joseph.

Years of Teaching

Jesus Christ only lived on the Earth for 33 years. During those years, after being baptized by John the Baptist, he began his ministry of teaching. It was during his ministry that he chose his 12 disciples, performed a number of miracles, and gave his inspirational Sermon on the Mount near the Sea of Galilee. This sermon is recorded in Chapters 5 through 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. It describes what it means to live as a follower of the Christian faith. In Matthew 6:9--15, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, in the form of the famous Lord's Prayer.

Death and Resurrection

Before his death, Jesus Christ was supposedly aware of what was to come. After a rigged trial, he was sentenced to death by a reluctant Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. Prior to the crucifixion, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place where he often went for deep prayer. The crucifixion of Jesus and the Last Supper is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. It is said that darkness came over the area where he was crucified, which is described by a centurion who witnessed it in Luke 23:33--49. The Christian meaning of the crucifixion is that Jesus died for the sins of mankind to empower them to accept the grace of his Father that could lead them to eternal life. Jesus was resurrected from the grave three days later and rose, representing the raising and eternal life of all followers.

Lesson Summary

There are both biblical and non-biblical sources of history regarding the life of Jesus Christ, who is considered the Son of God in the Christian faith. Most of the biblical sources are found in the Gospels of the New Testament, which document Jesus' adult life, during which time he performed miracles and taught people with his 12 disciples. The non-biblical sources come from a number of Roman historians and others, such as the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and Pliny the Younger, governor of the Roman province Bithynia. The idea of multiple attestation means that historical information about Jesus that appears in two or more independent sources is likely to be accurate.

We learned that the generally agreed upon narrative begins with Jesus Christ being born in Bethlehem to Joseph and Mary. He lived on Earth for only 33 years, the last three of his life being those for which he is most remembered. Those were the years of his ministry, which began the faith of Christianity. Jesus was crucified after an unjust trial, died, and then was resurrected, representing eternal life for all followers.