Q. How do you respond to someone who says that Jesus of Nazareth didn’t exist? Is there any proof that there was a real Jesus of Nazareth?
A. The idea that Jesus of Nazareth was a construct of the early Christians (especially St. Paul) was first seriously argued in scholarly circles by Bruno Baur and Arthur Drews, German philosophers who wrote in the mid-1800s and early 1900s, respectively.
From that point on, the idea of Jesus as a myth gained traction amongst strict rationalists and has appeared at different times in scholarly works as well as non-scholarly “works” (we’re looking at you, YouTube “historians”) ever since.
The simple reality, though, is that the vast majority of scholars, even those who are agnostic or atheist, recognize that Jesus of Nazareth was a real, historical person, even if they deny His divinity. For example: “The idea that Jesus did not exist is a modern notion. It has no ancient precedents. It was made up in the 18th century. One might as well call it a modern myth, the myth of the mythical Jesus” (Dr. Bart Ehrman).
The argument in favor of Jesus of Nazareth having existed comes not from Christian sources, but non-Christian sources. Publius Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56-c.120) was a Roman aristocrat and historian who makes a reference to Jesus, stating he was crucified by Pontius Pilate. Tacitus was a member of the quindecimviri sacris faciundis, one of the four colleges of priests within the Roman government which was tasked with, among other things, monitoring foreign cults and the introduction of foreign gods in Rome.
As a Roman official, he would have been able to know if Jesus had been made up because he could have simply inquired. Given that his writings make it clear he did not particularly like Christians, making explicit reference to the fact that their central figure was made up seems like a good way to go about dismantling this new religion. Instead, he references Jesus’s crucifixion as a fact because, well, it is fact.
Another historian who makes reference to Jesus of Nazareth is Josephus (AD 37-c.100), a one-time Jewish revolutionary turned Roman supporter and member of the Emperor Vespasian’s court, who is the source of much of what we know about the history of the Jewish people, beginning with the conquest of Jerusalem by the Greeks through the destruction of the Second Temple. Within his many writings, he makes two references to Jesus, one in passing in a section mentioning the stoning of “the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, who was named James,” and a longer section giving more information about Jesus.
While some debate the authenticity of the longer section because it uses more overtly Christian language, a likely original version of the section was discovered in an Arabic translation which does not contain the overtly Christian references but preserves the historical references to a Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. Josephus, as Jew and as a Roman figure, was not looking to do Christianity any favors and would have been well connected enough to know if Jesus had been made up. But, like Tacitus, he recognized that Jesus existed.
Two non-Christian references might not seem like a lot, but we only have three references to the fact that Pontius Pilate was a real historical person. Josephus, Tacitus, and Philo of Alexandria are the only non-Christian sources to make reference to Pontius Pilate. This led to there being a time when various scholars claimed Pilate did not exist, an argument used to discredit the Gospels. Archeological discoveries in the 1960s led to there being hard evidence that Pilate existed, ending any question regarding his historicity. Despite the scant evidence, we know more about Pilate than any other Roman Governor of Judea, which just goes to show how hit or miss extant sources from that period are.
A less concrete but, I think, equally important argument is the fact that just because people lived 2,000 years ago doesn’t mean they were idiots. Making up a messianic figure who you claim was publicly executed by the Romans, within the living memory of people who would have been around to see it, is just bad propaganda.
Despite what most modern people seem to think, the Roman Empire was an interconnected society in which people and news traveled comparatively quickly. Jews hearing Paul preach in Athens could have sent a letter to family or friends in Jerusalem and asked them about this Jesus person. When your entire lie can fall apart with a single letter, it’s a bad lie. And if Jesus was not a real person, the story would have fallen apart 2,000 years ago.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
