Virtually all serious modern historians and biblical scholars agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure who lived and died in first-century Judea.
This consensus is supported not only by Christian writings but by independent non-Christian sources from Roman and Jewish antiquities, including mentions by the historians Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus, as well as early Rabbinic traditions.
- Tacitus (Annals I5.44.3) wrote early Christians were blamed by Nero fir the fire in Rome in 64 AD
- Suetonius (Claudius 25.4) wrote debates about how Jesus led to Emperor Claudius expelling Jews from Rome in 49 AD
- Pliny (Letters I0.96) wrote to Emperor Trajan around 111 AD for advice on the people who worship 'Christ as a God' in the Asia Minor region
- Rabbinic Traditions (bSanhedrin 43.a) state Jesus of Nazareth was executed before he practised sorcery
The above historical and diverse evidence from Roman and Jewish opponents is significant enough to prove the existence of Jesus.