Jesus Christ And Early Christians, Outside The Holy Bible

Josephus (37-101)

“The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII”, by Josephus, translated by William Whiston.

Chapter 3

SEDITION OF THE JEWS AGAINST PONTIUS PILATE. CONCERNING CHRIST.

3 “Now there was about this time, Jesus, A Wise Man, if it be lawful to call Him, a man; for He was A Doer Of Wonderful Works, A Teacher of such men, as receive The Truth, with pleasure. He drew over to Him, both many of The Jews and many of The Gentiles. He was [The] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the Principal Men, amongst us, Had Condemned Him TO The Cross, Those That Loved Him, at the first, did not forsake Him; for He Appeared, TO Them, Alive Again, The Third Day; As The Divine Prophets had Foretold, These and Ten Thousand Other Wonderful Things, Concerning Him. And The Tribe Of Christians, So Named, From Him, are not extinct, At This Day.”

“The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX”, by Josephus, translated by William Whiston.

Chapter 9

CONCERNING ALBINUS UNDER WHOSE PROCURATORSHIP JAMES WAS SLAIN; AS ALSO WHAT EDIFICES WERE BUILT BY AGRIPPA.

1 “But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, Took The High Priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of The Sect Of The Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of The Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he Assembled The Sanhedrim Of Judges, and brought before them, The Brother Of Jesus, Who Was Called, Christ, Whose Name Was James, and some others, [or, some of His Companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against Them, as breakers of The Law, he delivered Them, TO BE Stoned!”

Tactitus (56-120)

“The Annals, Book XV” by Tactitus.

44 “Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt, and inflicted the most exquisite tortures, On A Class, Hated For Their Abominations, Called Christians, by the populace. Christus, From Whom, The Name Had Its Origin, Suffered The Extreme Penalty, During The Reign Of Tiberius, At The Hands Of One Of Our Procurators, Pontius Pilatus, AND A Most Mischievous Superstition, thus checked, for the moment! Accordingly, an arrest was first made of All, Who Pleaded Guilty; Then, Upon Their information, An Immense Multitude Was Convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to Their Deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, They were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Hence, even for criminals, who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, That They Were Being Destroyed.”

Pliny the Younger (61-113AD)

“They (the Christians) Were IN The Habit Of Meeting, On A Certain Fixed Day, before it was light, When They Sang, IN Alternate Verses, A Hymn TO Christ, As To A God, And Bound Themselves, By A Solemn Oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust, when They should be called upon, to deliver it up; after which, It Was Their Custom, To Separate, And Then, Reassemble TO Partake Of Food, But Food Of An Ordinary And Innocent Kind.”

Suetonius (69-140AD)

“Because The Jews, At Rome, Caused Constant Disturbances, At The Instigation Of Chrestus (Christ), He (Claudius) Expelled Them, From The City (Rome).”

“They Were Committed To Their Belief, Jesus Was God, And Withstood The Torment And Punishment Of The Roman Empire. Jesus Had A Curious And Immediate Impact, ON His Followers, Empowering Them To Die, Courageously, For What They Knew To Be True.”

Lucian of Samosata (115–200)

Lucian of Samosata, was a Greek Satirist, who wrote, “The Passing of Peregrinus.”

“It Was Then, That He Learned The Marvelous Wisdom Of The Christians, By Associating, With Their Priests And Scribes, IN Palestine. And What Else? In Short Order, He Made Them Look, Like Children, For He Was A Prophet, Cult Leader, Head Of The Congregation, And Everything, All By Himself. He Interpreted And Explained, Some Of Their Books, And Wrote Many Himself. They Revered Him, As A God, Used Him, As A Lawgiver, And Set Him Down, As A Protector, To Be Sure, After That Other, Whom They Still Worship, The Man Who Was Crucified, IN Palestine, Because He Introduced This New Cult, Into The World.”

“For Having Convinced Themselves, That They Are Going To Be Immortal, And Live, Forever, The Poor Wretches Despise Death, And Most Even, Willingly, Give Themselves Up. Furthermore, Their First Lawgiver, Persuaded Them, That They Are All, Brothers Of One Another, After They Have Transgressed, Once For All, by denying the Greek gods, And By Worshiping, That Crucified Sophist (False Teacher), Himself, And Living According TO His Laws.”

Lucian of Samosata: (115-200 A.D.)

“The Christians, You Know, Worship A Man, To This Day, The Distinguished Personage, Who Introduced Their Novel Rites, And Was Crucified, On That Account….You See, These Misguided Creatures, Start With The General Conviction, That They Are Immortal, For All Time, Which Explains The Contempt Of Death, And Voluntary Self-Devotion, Which Are So Common Among Them; And Then, It Was Impressed On Them, By Their Original Lawgiver, That They Are All Brothers, From The Moment, That They Are Converted, And Deny the gods of Greece, And Worship The Crucified Sage (False Teacher), And Live After His Laws. All This, They Take Quite, ON Faith, With The Result, That They Despise, All Worldly Goods Alike, Regarding Them, Merely, As Common Property.”

Fellow Believers, these are only a few examples (there are many more), in which, Non-Christians wrote about Jesus Christ And The Early Christians. So, when someone says to you; there is no proof, that Jesus Christ Ever Existed, outside The Holy Bible; you can confidently say, “Oh Yes, THERE IS!”

©Stan Arney (Simply, Follow Me™ Christian Ministries)

Matthew 13:16 "But BLESSED Are Your Eyes (Believers' Eyes), For They SEE, AND Your Ears (Believers' Ears), For They HEAR!" --- The Gospel OF Jesus Christ!