It's not a fairy tale at all

We all grew up with fairy tales when we were kids, including Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood,  Hansel and Gretel, and many others. While the stories can be fun to read or watch again with our kids or grandkids, it’s safe to say we don’t think about fairy tales much anymore as adults.

The Oxford Language Dictionary defines fairy tales as “children’s stories about magical and imaginary beings and lands.” Many have used that term to describe the contents of the Bible. Magical things were happening to people in faraway lands that may or may not have happened. But there is evidence to the contrary.

Remember when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD? They destroyed the city and most of Israel, burning it to the ground. That likely destroyed quite a bit of evidence that Jesus lived. However, the amount of information out there is quite surprising given that the ministry of Jesus was confined to a small part of the Roman Empire.

Tacitus: 56-120 AD

Cold-Case Christianity says the first-century Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus was considered one of the most accurate historians of the ancient world. Let me just say that Tacitus was not a follower of Christ. He mentioned “superstitious Christians,” who suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.

In his “Annals” of 116 AD, he describes Emperor Nero’s response to the great Roman fire and the Emperor’s response that Christians were to blame.

“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. Christus (Jesus), from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty (of crucifixion) during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate.”

J. Werner Wallace, author of Cold-Case Christianity, points out that Tacitus, while hostile to the Christian faith, confirms several historical elements of the Biblical narrative: Jesus lived in Judea, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and had followers who were persecuted for their faith in Him.

Mara Bar-Serapion (70 AD)

Sometime after 70 AD, Mara Bar-Serapion was writing to encourage his son and compared the life and persecution of Jesus with that of other philosophers persecuted for their ideas. The fact that Jesus is known to be a real person with a lot of influence is so important. The Syrian writer referred to Jesus as the “Wise King.”

“What benefit did the Athenians receive when they put Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them. What did the people of Samos get for burning Pythagoras? In one moment, their country was swallowed up by sand. What did the Jews get by murdering their Wise King? After that, their kingdom was destroyed (by the Romans). The Wise King… lived on in the teachings he enacted.”

From this account, we can add to our understanding of Jesus: He was a wise and influential man who died for His beliefs. The Jewish leadership was somehow responsible for Jesus’ death, and Jesus’ followers adopted His teachings and lived their lives accordingly.

Thallus (52 AD)

Thallus might well be the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus. In fact, his writings are so ancient, they don’t even exist anymore. But, Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD, does quote Thallus, who previously tried to explain away the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus.

“On the whole world, there pressed a most fearful darkness; the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.”

In other words, Africanus doesn’t agree with the “eclipse” theory. But there are things we can safely conclude, including the very fact that Jesus lived. He was crucified. There was also darkness and an earthquake during His crucifixion.

Phlegon (80-140 AD)

Julius Africanus also mentioned a historian named Phlegon, who wrote a chronicle of history around 140 AD. In his writings, Phlegon also mentions the darkness surrounding the crucifixion in an effort to explain it: “Phlegon recorded that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was an eclipse of the sun from the sixth to the ninth hour.”

Phlegon is also mentioned by Origen, an early church theologian and scholar. “Now Phlegon, in his Chronicles, not only ascribed to Jesus a knowledge of future events but also testified that the result corresponded to His predictions.”

Phlegon also wrote that with regard to the eclipse during the time of Tiberius Caesar, in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great earthquakes which then took place…

“Jesus, while alive, was of no assistance to Himself, but that He arose after death, and exhibited the marks of His punishment, and showed how His hands had been pierced by nails.”

From these accounts, we can add to our understanding that Jesus could accurately predict the future, was crucified under the reign of Tiberius Caesar, and demonstrated His wounds after He was resurrected.

Pliny the Younger (61-113 AD)

Early Christians were also described in early non-Christian history. In a letter to the Roman Emperor, Pliny the Younger described the lifestyles of Christians in ancient times.

“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Jesus Christ, as to a God, and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to do any wicked deeds and never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when called upon to deliver it. After they met, it was their custom to separate and then reassemble to partake of food of an ordinary and innocent kind.”

This early description of the first Christians documents several things: the first Christians believed Jesus was God, the first Christians upheld a high moral code, and these early followers met regularly to worship Jesus.

Conclusion:

Got Questions says there’s overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and Biblical history. The most overwhelming evidence is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century AD, including 11 of the 12 apostles, gave their lives as martyrs for Jesus. People won’t die for a lie.

This is where you'll find the most evidence for Jesus. Give it a look for yourself. The answers are there.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to eternal life. The evidence is there.