Originally Posted by pocketkangaroo

Yes there was proof that Jesus lived. Besides the littany Christian writers, there were a handful of non-Christian writers that referenced him in their works. I'm not sure why biblical scholars and religous historians "have to" do anything. Most aren't religous at all and in fact view the history of religion as just that, history.

The only thing disputed are the references to Jesus in ancient writings. Some say that they aren't that reliable, while others point to some omissions of his name in certain writings. Whatever your view is on the issue, I'm simply pointing out that your opinion on him not existing is in the extreme minority of those who dedicate their lives to the historical research of religions. They believe that Jesus was in fact a man who lived and had a following, but that he was also fairly insignifigant.