Evidence for Over 100 Biblical Characters in Secular History
The Bible is not written as a history book, but it is a book that contains much history. Many call it the greatest history book ever written. Noted historical figures are identified in its pages. Among the most conservative lists, there are more than 100 biblical characters that can be conclusively identified within secular history.
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by more than 40 authors over more than 1,500 years. Given the volume and span of time, it is amazingly accurate when it comes to its historical record. From casual readers to students of the Bible, all readily see much historical proof and supporting evidence within its pages. The composition alone supports one single and Divine origin.
Historical Evidence for Jesus Christ
Confirming more than 100 biblical characters in secular history is impressive and provides remarkable proof for the validity of Scripture. But what about the central figure of the Bible, Jesus Christ? Does history confirm that such a man lived, performed miracles, died by crucifixion, and was resurrected from the dead?
Among those who mention Christ are two famous Roman historians. Both wrote in the second century and were born within 50 years of the death of Christ.
Tacitus Confirms Christ as the Founder of Christianity
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a prominent Roman senator who was born in A.D. 56. His most famous historical work, Annals, was published in 115-116. Tacitus confirms the connection between Christ and Pilate and agrees with the biblical record that this took place during the reign of Tiberius. Here is a quote from Tacitus (as translated from Latin by A.J. Church in 1876) taken from Annals 15.44:
“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, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.”
Tacitus was no fan of Christ or Christianity. Most scholars believe this is an accurate rendition of what Tacitus wrote. Notice that he confirms the existence of Jesus Christ as the founder of the Christian movement. He confirms that Pontius Pilate was the governor who convicted Christ and condemned Him to crucifixion (Matthew 27:2-22). He also confirms that all of this happened during the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). Each character and date lines up with the Bible.
Pliny Confirms the Existence of Christ
Pliny the Younger, whose full name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, was a Roman senator and was appointed governor of Bithynia and Pontus in A.D. 110. In his position as governor, he wrote numerous letters to Emperor Trajan asking for advice. A letter that is relevant to this article is found in his last and 10th book of “Letters,” and it contains references to Christians and Jesus Christ. During this time, many accused Christians of being cannibals. Pliny decided to make a thorough investigation. He discovered, to his surprise, that the accusation was incorrect.
“They declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately among themselves in honor of Christ as if to a god, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery, and adultery, to commit no breach of trust, and not to deny a deposit when called upon to restore it” (Letters 10.96.7-8).
Pliny was also no fan of Christians, but in his writings he mentions them as being interrogated, convicted, and even killed for being followers of Christ. These two famous historians leave no doubt as to the origin of the religion and of Jesus Christ. They also serve as historical proof of the Bible.
The Jewish Historian Josephus
Arguably the most famous Jewish historian of the first century was Flavius Josephus. Some say he was the father of modern history. Josephus is best known for two works, “The Jewish War” and “Antiquities of the Jews.” He wrote both of them in Greek, apparently to appeal to educated people. Josephus, according to historians, was the best source of information about first-century Palestine. Jesus is mentioned twice in “Jewish Antiquities,” a massive 20-volume history of the Jewish people that was written around A.D. 93.
Thought to have been born a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus, around A.D. 37, Josephus was a well-connected aristocrat and military leader in Palestine. He served as a commander in Galilee during the first Jewish Revolt against Rome in A.D. 66-70. Although Josephus was not a follower of Jesus, “he was around when the early church was getting started, so he knew people who had seen and heard Jesus” (Lawrence Mykytiuk, Ph.D., Hebrew and Semitic Studies, Purdue University).
In one passage of “Jewish Antiquities” that recounts an unlawful execution, Josephus identifies the victim, James, as the “brother of Jesus who is called Messiah.” While few scholars doubt the short account’s authenticity, more debate surrounds Josephus’s lengthier passage about Jesus in the “Testimonium Flavianum,” which describes a man who did surprising deeds and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate. Mykytiuk agrees with most scholars that Christian scribes modified portions of the passage but did not insert it entirely into the text.
“Antiquities of the Jews” mentions Jesus twice. While there’s some dispute over these passages, few scholars reject them outright. Below is the “Testimonium Flavianum” as it appears in virtually all copies of Josephus’s writings:
“Around this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who did surprising deeds, and a teacher of such people as to accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who in the first place came to love him did not give up their affection for him, for on the third day, he appeared to them restored to life. The prophets of God had prophesied this and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, have still to this day not died out” (Antiquities of the Jews, 18.3.3 §63).
While some question the credibility of this account, the fact is that all surviving manuscripts written in Greek contain the same version of this passage, with no significant differences.
POINT TO PONDER: Scholar and theologian Robert Van Voorst wrote in his book, “Jesus Outside the New Testament,” citing the common knowledge of Jesus: “No pagans or Jews who opposed Christianity denied Jesus’s historicity or even questioned it.”
History Shows Other Notable Characters in the Bible
Is the Bible true? Secular history corroborates the existence of more than 100 biblical characters. Among those 100 characters, below are two Old Testament figures who are easily identified by secular historical sources:
Shishak, pharaoh of Egypt, is mentioned in 1 Kings 11:40 and 14:25. There are numerous inscriptions and historical records for this pharaoh. The record of his campaign against Palestine (924 B.C.) is inscribed on the exterior south wall of the temple of Amun at Karnak in Thebes, and it conforms to the biblical account. There is no doubt about its authenticity.
Hophra, another pharaoh of Egypt, is mentioned in Jeremiah 44:30. History confirms that he was indeed the pharaoh of Egypt during the time of the prophet Jeremiah and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Hophra’s defeat by Nebuchadnezzar in 572 B.C.—and subsequent replacement by a general named Ahmes—are confirmed in Babylonian records.
The New Testament has its own list of historical characters: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, his brother Philip, and Annas and Caiaphas are all mentioned in Luke 3:1-2 in connection with the beginning of John the Baptist’s preaching, which introduced Jesus Christ. The image of Tiberius Caesar (42 B.C. to A.D. 37) is found on numerous Roman coins. Herod the tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip, the tetrarch of Iturea, are mentioned by the historian Josephus.
A stone inscription dedicated to Pontius Pilate reads: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” In archaeology, it is called the Pilate Stone and is kept in the Israel Museum. Annas and Caiphas are both mentioned by Josephus as being among the Jewish high priests of the first century.
For historical proofs authenticating the Bible, go to:
www.lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/is-the-bible-true/proof-3-history www.amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/q9_historical_proof_bible
Note: It doesn’t take a long search to see proof that the Bible is historically accurate. HIS STORY speaks for itself.
POINT TO PONDER: Is the Bible a true account of history? Or is it an altered and highly stylized take on real events? Is it a blend of myth and cultural memory? Is it complete fantasy? Many Christians claim that the Bible is a complete and perfect record of history—that everything in the Bible happened exactly as Scripture portrays it.
Most skeptics, on the other hand, tend to argue that the Bible is largely, if not completely, fictional. These are the people who at one point claimed that Jesus Christ never existed and that He was completely fabricated by Christians. This theory, however, has since been ground into the dust so utterly that scholars are in near unanimous agreement that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person.