First Glance

The New Testament does not contain the only first-century references to Jesus. Although the fact is not well known to the general public, there is evidence outside the Bible for Jesus’ existence. In a passage generally considered authentic, the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus speaks of “Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” In a disputed passage known as the Testimonium Flavianum, he not only provides a confirmation of Jesus’ existence, but actually tells us something about Jesus’ life. In “The Testimonium—Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible,” John P. Meier examines this passage and extracts from it a historical core long obscured by Christian interpolations.