Apologetics: Is New Testament Reliable? Corroborative Evidences

We are now back to where we left while examining whether NT books are reliable. In this process we went through documentary evidences, the number of manuscripts available, the date of these manuscripts from crucifixion, dates when the NT books were written, errors in copy writing and so on. Thereafter we moved on to the eyewitness accounts and the chain of custody. Now we will see whether any corroborative writings are available from other sources, including the secular ones.

What is corroborative evidence? It is the evidence produced or information presented that goes to support a statement. It is something that will back up, confirm, endorse, validate or authenticate what one is saying. Do we have such corroborative evidence to support what we are saying that is the NT is reliable? The Gospel narratives are Christian narratives written by Christians, but is there any writing from non-Christian sources, from contemporary times that support or confirm the narratives of the NT? To this we will turn in this blog.

Early Jewish Writings:

First we will turn to early, contemporary Jewish writings. The Jewish historian, Josephus, a Jew born in 37 AD, had written “The History of the Jewish War,’ and “Antiquities.” He mentions that Ananias the high priest of Jews, got James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, killed. Here is someone a non-Christian, a Jewish writer of repute referring to an incidence that is written in   and also mentions that Jesus was called the Christ.[1] Here Josephus is corroborating to the fact that James is the brother of Jesus, as written in Galatians 1:19, and that Jesus was called the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.’

Josephus also writes that Jesus was a wise man, wrought many miracles, a teacher and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, as he led many people away. He also mentions that Jesus rose on the third day and appeared to his followers who were called Christians.[2] That this corroboration comes from a Jewish historian is not a small matter.

Josephus also mentions many figures that are written about in the Gospels and the Epistles: Herod; Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Nero; Quirinius, the governor of Syria; Pilate, Felix, Festus; high priestly family of Annas, Caiaphas, Ananias; Pharisees and Sadducees; Gamaliel, etc.[3] He writes that John the Baptist was killed by Herod;[4] he mentions the sudden death of Herod Agrippa I, narrated by Luke in Acts 12:19-23. This establishes that the gospel writers like Luke were giving historical accounts of historical persons who lived during that time, when Jesus and his disciples lived.

Early Jewish writings known as Talmud of 400-700 AD also refer to Jesus, of course understandably as a transgressor, who practiced magic, led people away and that he was hanged on Passover eve. 

Gentile Writers:

Now we will turn to Gentile writers and see what they have to say about Jesus narrative which corroborates the NT accounts.

Thallus, a historian in 52 AD wrote about the history of eastern Mediterranean world since the days of Trojan War. He referred to the darkness that came over the land at the time of crucifixion of Jesus, written in Matthew 27:45, but explains is as due to an eclipse.[5] Nonetheless, it is a non-biblical attestation of the phenomenon that happened at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Mara Bar Serapion, a Syrian writes in 73 AD from prison to his son, that Jesus was a wise king, comparable to Socrates, Plato and Pythagoras. His letter is preserved in British Museum. He writes, “What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished … He lived on in the teachings which He had given.” Here is someone outside the pale of Christianity referring to Jesus as a wise King of Jews, comparable to Greek Philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Pythagoras, goading his son to follow the examples of such great men.

Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman historian of repute, born in 52 AD, wrote about the reign of the Emperor Nero and describes the great fire that devastated Rome in 64 AD, and how Nero made the Christians the scapegoats and punished them cruelly. He mentions ‘Christus, from whom they got their name, had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate when Tiberius was emperor;’[6] Tacitus got the name wrong, Christus for Christ, but he authenticates that Christ was executed under orders of Pontius Pilate, when Tiberius was the Emperor, attesting what is written in Luke 3:1.

Suetonius, wrote around 120 AD about the lives of the first 12 Caesars, starting with Julius Caesar, mentions the Great Fire of Rome for which punishment was inflicted upon Christians, but calls their sect as a ‘superstition.’ In the life of Claudius, he writes that Jews were expelled from Rome around 49 AD because they were creating ‘constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,’ again misnaming Christ as Chrestus.[7] It is no wonder that a pagan writer in those early decades after the crucifixion of Christ was not sure about the right pronunciation of the name. Christ and Christianity were not very popular or well known then. It was still the religion of fishermen and slaves to mention the least.

Pliny the Younger, also known as Plinius Secundus while he was the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor, writes to Emperor Trajan in 122 AD asking him advice as how to deal with the troublesome sect known as Christians in his province. He mentions that they assemble on a fixed day and sing ‘an anthem to Christ as God, and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit any wicked deed, but to abstain from all fraud, theft and adultery.’[8] The only problem was they will not worship any other god! For that the authorities were contemplating action!

So you see folks, there are quite a lot of corroborative accounts to establish that Jesus lived and died under Pontius Pilate, his followers Christians claimed that he had appeared alive after death, and that Christians worshipped Him as God. All major figures including Pilate, Tiberius, Annas and Caiaphas, James the brother of Jesus, are all mentioned by the secular writers, who were not Christians at all. The accounts and names given by Luke and Paul and other NT writers are all amply corroborated.

Glory be to God alone and praise be to Him and to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit who inspired the NT writers to pen these reliable accounts of the life and teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which we can boldly proclaim even today, after some 2000 and more years.

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[1] Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, OM Books, Secunderabad, India, Indian ed. 2001, reprint 2006, p. 78

[2][2] Ibid, p.79-80; Bruce, The New Testament Documents, are they reliable? OM Books, Indian ed. 2004, reprint 2006, p.128

[3] See Luke 3:1-3

[4] See Matthew 14:10

[5] Bruce, p. 133

[6] Ibid, p.138, written in Annals 15, 44, dated 116 AD.

[7] Bruce, pp.139-140

[8] Ibid, p.140