Was Jesus an Historical Figure?

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In arguments against Jesus as a historical figure, appeal is frequently made to a list of writers contemporary with Jesus who are alleged to have been mysteriously silent about him.

Once you look at this list closely, you find several problems. Some of these writers did indeed mention Jesus; most by far, though, would have no reason to mention Jesus (because of the sort of things they wrote.

The question Remsberg never answers is, "Why should any of these people have mentioned Jesus?" The list is presented flat, as though it is obvious that merely by being in the same century as Jesus, something requires these writers to make mention of him. This argument goes, “Surely if a miracle worker like Jesus existed, there writers would have mentioned him.” But this argument lacks a certain perspective. It assumes that any non-Christian author who heard about Jesus would automatically believe, and therefore consider worth reporting, any stories about him – without any critical consideration.  In fact, the immediate reaction of people in the first century to the story of Jesus would have been one of disgust and disdain. Jesus would not be considered worthy of report, and stories of his miracle-working would have been immediately dismissed. Why? Biblical scholar John Meier offers these reasons why someone like Jesus would not make it into the typical ancient history:

• As far as the historians of the day were concerned, he was just a "blip" on the screen. Jesus did not address the Roman Senate, or write extensive Greek philosophical treatises; he never traveled outside of the regions of Palestine, and was not a member of any known political party. It is only because Christians later made Jesus a "celebrity" that He became known. Biblical scholar E. P. Sanders, comparing Jesus to Alexander, notes that the latter "so greatly altered the political situation in a large part of the world that the main outline of his public life is very well known indeed. Jesus did not change the social, political and economic circumstances in Palestine ...the superiority of evidence for Jesus is seen when we ask what he thought." Biblical scholar Murray Harris adds that "Roman writers could hardly be expected to have foreseen the subsequent influence of Christianity on the Roman Empire and therefore to have carefully documented" Christian origins.

• Jesus was executed as a criminal, providing him with the ultimate marginality. This was one reason why historians would have ignored Jesus. He suffered the ultimate humiliation, both in the eyes of Jews (Deut. 21:23 - Anyone hung on a tree is cursed!) and the Romans (He died the death of slaves and rebels.). On the other hand, Jesus was a minimal threat compared to other "Messiahs" of the time. Rome had to call out troops to quell the disturbances caused by the unnamed Egyptian referenced in the Book of Acts. In contrast, no troops were required to suppress Jesus' followers. To the Romans, the primary gatekeepers of written history at the time, and others who wrote history, Jesus during His own life would have been no different than thousands of other everyday criminals that were crucified.

• Jesus marginalized himself by being occupied as an itinerant preacher. Of course, there was no Palestine News Network, and even if there had been one, there were no televisions to broadcast it. Jesus never used the established "news organs" of the day to spread His message. He traveled about the countryside, avoiding for the most part (and with the exception of Jerusalem) the major urban centers of the day. How would we regard someone who preached only in sites like, say, Hahira, Georgia?

• Jesus' teachings did not always jibe with, and were sometimes offensive to, the established religious order of the day. It has been said that if Jesus appeared on the news today, it would be as a troublemaker. He certainly did not make many friends as a preacher.

• Jesus lived an offensive lifestyle and alienated many people. He associated with the despised and rejected: Tax collectors, prostitutes, and the band of fishermen He had as disciples.

• Jesus was a poor, rural person in a land run by wealthy urbanites. Yes, class discrimination was alive and well in the first century also!