Originally Posted by
NAG2I
Thallus and Phlegon
Both were ancient historians and both confirmed the fact that the land went dark when Jesus was crucified. This parallels what the Bible said happened when Jesus died.
Phlegon lived in the second century... in Greece.
All that is really known about Thallus himself is that he was wrote around the middle of the 1st century... in Greek.
So far so not so hot.
Mara Bar-Serapion
Some time after 70 A.D., Mara Bar-Sarapion, who was probably a Stoic philosopher, wrote a letter to his son in which he describes how the Jews executed their King. Claiming to be a king was one of the charges the religious authorities used to scare Pontius Pilate into agreeing to execute Jesus.
Not even remotely conclusive proof of anything... written 40 or so years after the fact?
Josephus
Josephus was a Jewish historian who was born in either 37 or 38 AD and died some time after 100 AD. He wrote the Jewish Antiquites and in one famous passage described Jesus as a wise man, a doer of wonderful works and calls him the Christ. He also affirmed that Jesus was executed by Pilate and actually rose from the dead.
Okay, we've got one guy. He's actually somewhat reputable. I don't know how far you're really going to get on the word of one historian who was born years after the death of Christ, didn't write until many more years after the death and wrote from half the known world away in Rome (or he might have gone on Campaign during the Massada siege, I can't remember), though.
Josephus is one of the better known historical authors, although in this case considering his time and place in history I'm uncertain of why he would write on such a thing. That said, this is doing a little better.
Evidence from the Babylonian Talmud
"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald . . . cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy." This isn't what we call reliable or evidence.
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