What happens if we don't use the Bible or Christian sources at all? Do we still find Jesus to be a real person, does his story hold up with the Gospel accounts? Here is a collection of sources that we found from Non-Christian [sources](https://paperpile.com/app/p/3e2cbb4f-9b0a-0a28-a4f6-ca1253f3046c 'Ancient non-Christian sources') (See [also](https://paperpile.com/app/p/77fbd190-0118-0be9-8859-0b58b4860f30 'Early Secular Writings Regarding Christ')). Using the extra biblibcal non-christian sources listed in this submission, we can know the following to be accurate outside of what the Bible says. ## New Testament Details Externally Confirmed by Contemporary Sources - Jesus was a real person.(2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14) - Jesus was born in Bethlehem under Herod The Great rule (11) - Jesus spent part of his early life in Egypt (6) - Jesus was a wise teacher (4,8,13,14) - Jesus performed public wonders (6,9,12,13,14) - Jesus healed (6,13) - Jesus fed multitudes (6) - Jesus raised the dead (6) - Jesus claimed/was worshiped to be God (6,7,8,12,13) - Jesus had a significant following during his lifetime (2,3,12,13,14) - Jesus was the founder of Christianity (2,3,8,13) - Jesus was tried by Pontius Pilate (2,14) - Jesus was crucified during passover at the behest of the Jewish leadership (2,4,8,12,13,14) - Jesus's support waned during the Crucifixion (12) - Jesus died during the reign of Tiberius (2,5) - An unpredicted eclipse occurred around the time of Crucifixion (1,5) - An earthquake occurred during the Crucifixion (1) - Christians persisted after the Crucifixion and quickly gained momentum(2,3,7,14) - The authorities who opposed Jesus and the church never produced Jesus�s dead body ((Implicit)6,13,14) > It's really well covered outside of the Bible, and it's far better coverage than most of the things we think we know about this same period in history that doesn't have to do with Jesus and Christianity. <p style='text-align: right;'>---[Matt Whitman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQKxoBpV2NE 'How We Know Jesus and the Early Church Existed')</p> This list lines up with what the gospel writers and Luke (one of our earliest sources in his work on the book of Acts) tell us of the early Christian church. While external corroboration is important, our best sources are found in the New Testament and should not be dismissed just because they are biased. > [!NOTE]+ External Secular Writings Regarding Christ >![[External Secular Writings Regarding Christ]] Non-Christian sources confirm the existence of Jesus and many of his teachings, such as his birth in Bethlehem, his wisdom and miracles, his claim to be God, his significant following during his lifetime, his founding of Christianity, his crucifixion, and the persistence of the Christian faith after his death. While the New Testament is biased, these sources provide external corroboration of Jesus' life and teachings.