Secular sources

[Boltwave]

Does anyone know where I can get ahold of the Roman and secular records regarding Jesus? I know there are a few that say he performed miracolous signs amongst the commoners, and someone did write an account of the land going into darkness at his execution.

Anyways links, quoted sources, or even book titles would be helpful.

 

[Zeena]

Evidence that demands a verdict, by Josh McDowell

 

[Key]

Does anyone know where I can get ahold of the Roman and secular records regarding Jesus? I know there are a few that say he performed miracolous signs amongst the commoners, and someone did write an account of the land going into darkness at his execution.

Anyways links, quoted sources, or even book titles would be helpful.

I do not know where you can get the records themselves. But here is a place to start, so you can know what you are looking for.

http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/tacitus.html

http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/josephus.html

Hope this helps in your search regarding finding out this information.

God Bless

Key

 

[rocklife]

Does anyone know where I can get ahold of the Roman and secular records regarding Jesus? I know there are a few that say he performed miracolous signs amongst the commoners, and someone did write an account of the land going into darkness at his execution.

Anyways links, quoted sources, or even book titles would be helpful.

a wikipedia search about the history of Jesus is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus_Christ, but the site seems to say Rome did not really keep much tabs on Jesus Christ, just wrote a bit about Christians (and kind of just how to deal with them as a people group). Romans were not interested in Jewish religious talks much, so I don't think you will get much detailed information and scholarly research from their time period, but you may find a little bit. This wikipedia link has some resources you can try to look at. Remember the times were different back then, they didn't have a printing press or tv cameras, information was very slow to pass around. that's what I've found, maybe you'll find a bit more, but that may have to include some college research type things.

and I think the day of darkness can be easily explained as a freak of nature. we have earthquakes and all kinds of weather phenomena. I do believe God did bring darkness as the Bible says, as a sign, but weather is easy to explain away and ignore.

 

[jasper123]

Does anyone know where I can get ahold of the Roman and secular records regarding Jesus? I know there are a few that say he performed miracolous signs amongst the commoners, and someone did write an account of the land going into darkness at his execution.

Anyways links, quoted sources, or even book titles would be helpful.

The closest your going to get to it is go to a search
engine and look up early church fathers. There are
37 volumes, download the first 5 and you will find
alot of accouts as to what happened at the death
of Christ
Ron

 

[dvd_holc]

There is a lot of information in this links…I am saying I agree with them but it does give many non-Biblical accounts.
http://www.sonic.net/sentinel/naij3.html
http://users.binary.net/polycarp/jesus.html
http://www.watch.pair.com/HRChrist.html



By the beginning of the 2nd century, Romans were writing about Christians and Jesus. Pliny the Younger, proconsul in Asia Minor, in 111 A.D. wrote to Emperor Trajan in a letter:

...it was their habit on a fixed day to assemble before daylight and recite by turns a form of words to Christ as a god; and that they bound themselves with an oath, not for any crime, but not to commit theft or robbery, or adultery, not to break their word, and not to deny a deposit when demanded. After this was done, their custom was to depart, and meet again to take food... [Pliny, Epistle 97]

Special attention should be made to the phrase, "to Christ as a god," an early secular witness to the belief in Christ's divinity (John 20:28; Phil. 2:6). Also it is interesting to compare this passage with Acts 20:7-11, a biblical account of an early Christian Sunday celebration.
Next the Roman historian, Tacitus, who is respected by modern scholars for historical accuracy, wrote in 115 A.D. about Christ and His Church:

The author of the denomination was Christ[us] who had been executed in Tiberius time by the Procurator Pontius Pilate. The pestilent superstition, checked for a while, burst out again, not only throughout Judea...but throughout the city of Rome also... [Tacitus, Annals, XV 44]

Even with disdain for the Christian faith, Tacitus still treated the execution of Christ as historical fact, drawing connections to Roman events and leaders. (cf. Luke 3:1ff)
Likewise, Josephus record that was a Jesus so called Christ…and evidence of John the Baptist and James the brother of Jesus.

 

[TimmyPage]

There were none, contemporary of the time of Jesus, or from anyone living in the time of Jesus. The earliest appearance of him in any kind of writing came from someone two generations after his death - it would have had to have been passed by mouth after his death.

 

[Boltwave]

There were none, contemporary of the time of Jesus, or from anyone living in the time of Jesus. The earliest appearance of him in any kind of writing came from someone two generations after his death - it would have had to have been passed by mouth after his death.

I know that, I was asking about the Roman records that talked about him, even if there a few years after his time.

 

[Robinsegg]

The works of Josephus (a Jewish historian of the time) mention Jesus . . . but I think there's something like 9 volumes of his works, so you'll want to google it to find the right place to start in his writings.

Rachel