Quote:
Originally posted by Joe Sixpack
Although it must be noted that there are no undisputed references to Jesus in secular writings of the time.
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Actually there is one. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, referred to Jesus twice. The first reference iin the Antiquities is an obvious christian interpolation, as it contains things Josephus indicated later he didn't believe. The second is generally accepted as being from the pen of Josephus. Here are the two:
#1:
Quote:
Antiquities 18:63-64
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it may be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonders. A teacher of such men who recieve the truth with pleasure. He drew many after him both of the Jews and Gentiles. He was Christ. When Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again on the third day, as the divine prophets had fortold these and ten thousand other wonderful things about him, and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day
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This is obviously at least partially a forgery, because we know from his later writings that Josephus did not believe those things about Jesus.
#2
Quote:
Antiquities 20. 9.1 199-203
Possessed of such a character, Ananus thought that he had a favorable opportunity because Festus was dead and Albinas was still on the way. And so he convened the judges of the Sanhedrin, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, the one called Christ, whose name was James, and certain others, and accusing them of having transgressed the law delivered them up to be stoned.
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This is generally accepted as original.
Christians cite many others; Tacitus, Pliny, the Talmud etc. but they are sketchy at best, and tend to refute the claims being made to boot. If I remember correctly, in Tacitus' reference to Jesus and Christianty he refers to the belief as a "nonsensical superstition" or something similar, as does the Talmud.