More Evidence of Jesus's Existence Uncovered

Non-Christian historical sources corroborate details about Jesus's life, death, and resurrection

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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In addition to the writings of Cornelius Tacitus and Flavius Josephus, several other non-Christian ancient sources provide further evidence that Jesus was a real historical figure. These sources, including Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, Mara bar Serapion, Thallus, and Lucian, mention details about Jesus's life, crucifixion, and the early Christian movement, corroborating the accounts found in the Gospels.

Why it matters

The discovery of these additional non-Christian historical sources helps strengthen the case that Jesus was a real person who lived in the 1st century AD, rather than a purely mythological figure. This evidence, when combined with the early Christian oral traditions and Gospel accounts, provides a more comprehensive picture of the historical Jesus and the origins of Christianity.

The details

The sources include a letter from Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan describing the practices of early Christians, a passage from the Roman historian Suetonius mentioning "Chrestus" (likely referring to Christ), a letter from the Syrian philosopher Mara bar Serapion referencing the "wise king" of the Jews who was crucified, a citation from the historian Thallus about a darkness that occurred during Jesus's crucifixion, and references to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection from the pagan writer Lucian and the philosopher Celsus. These sources, while not providing the same level of detail as the Gospels, corroborate key facts about Jesus's life and the early Christian movement.

  • Around AD 49, the Roman historian Suetonius wrote about the expulsion of Jews from Rome due to disturbances caused by "Chrestus" (likely referring to Christ).
  • Around AD 55, the historian Thallus wrote about a darkness that occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus, according to a later citation.
  • Around AD 73, the Syrian philosopher Mara bar Serapion wrote a letter mentioning the crucifixion of the "wise king" of the Jews.
  • Around AD 177-180, the Neoplatonist thinker Celsus wrote a work criticizing Christianity, affirming that Jesus was a real historical figure and that many believed in his resurrection.

The players

Pliny the Younger

A Roman senator and friend of Cornelius Tacitus, who wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan describing the practices of early Christians.

Suetonius

A Roman historian who wrote extensively about the Roman Caesars and mentioned the expulsion of Jews from Rome due to disturbances caused by "Chrestus" (likely referring to Christ).

Mara bar Serapion

A Syrian philosopher who wrote a letter mentioning the crucifixion of the "wise king" of the Jews.

Thallus

A historian who wrote about a darkness that occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus, according to a later citation.

Lucian

A Syrian pagan writer who mentioned Jesus as a wise man and reported that he was crucified in Palestine.

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What they’re saying

“But they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god, and that so far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, their oath was to abstain from theft, robbery, adultery and from breach of faith, and not to deny trust money placed in their keeping when called upon to deliver it.”

— Pliny the Younger, Roman senator (Letter to Emperor Trajan)

“He [Claudius] expelled the Jews from Rome since they were always making disturbances because of their instigator Chrestus [Christus].”

— Suetonius, Roman historian (The Twelve Caesars)

“or the Jews [by killing] their wise king because their kingdom was taken away at that very time.”

— Mara bar Serapion, Syrian philosopher (Letter to his son)

What’s next

The author plans to summarize all the sources presented in the previous articles next week, continuing the exploration of the historical evidence for Jesus's existence.

The takeaway

The discovery of these additional non-Christian historical sources, when combined with the early Christian oral traditions and Gospel accounts, provides a more comprehensive picture of the historical Jesus and the origins of Christianity, strengthening the case that Jesus was a real person who lived in the 1st century AD.