THE GOSPEL OF MARK IS PETER'S TESTIMONY: 6 Early Church Fathers Confirm

Here are six early church fathers who provide reliable, authoritative and independent confirmation that Mark's Gospel is based on the testimony of the apostle Peter. 

These testimonies are all written within 40 to 130 years of the earliest possible date for the death of Mark. 

Dates for the publication of the Gospel of Mark itself range from c.40 to 70 AD. So these testimonies for the origin of Mark's Gospel are all given within a range of 40 to 160 years of its publication. That is extraordinarily early unanimous independent testimony for its origin. I am unaware of any other ancient document that has this kind of testimony to its provenance.

Papias, quoting the apostle John, of whom he was a disciple (writing c.110 AD):

"And the Elder [the apostle John] used to say this: 'Mark, having become Peter’s interpreter, wrote down accurately everything he remembered, though not in order, of the things either said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, followed Peter, who adapted his teaching as needed but had no intention of giving an ordered account of the Lord’s sayings. Consequently, Mark did nothing wrong in writing down some things as he remembered them, for he made it his one concern not to omit anything which he had heard, or to make any false statements in them.' Such, then, is the account given by Papias with respect to Mark" (from Papias' 5-volume work The Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord as recorded in Eusebius' Church History 3.39)

*for more on Papias, see my blog article: The Importance of Papias, The Disciple of the Apostle John

Justin Martyr (writing c.132-165 AD):

“And when it is said that He changed the name of one of the apostles to Peter; and when it is written in the memoirs of him [Peter] that this so happened, as well as that He changed the names of other two brothers, the sons of Zebedee, to Boanerges, which means sons of thunder. . ." (Dialogue with Trypho 106, emphasis mine). Compare this with Mark 3:16-17: "These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”),...." This is found only in the Gospel of Mark and not in the other three New Testament Gospels or any of the gnostic or apocryphal writings (including the Gospel of Peter that some have carelessly attributed as the source of Justin's statement).

Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John (writing c.180 AD):

"....Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter." (Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 1)

Clement of Alexandria, who assumed leadership of the catechetical school founded by Mark at Alexandria (Clement assumed leadership of this "seminary" and wrote c.180-200 AD):

"But so great a light of godliness shone upon the minds of Peter’s listeners that they were not satisfied with a single hearing or with the oral teaching of the divine proclamation. So, with all kinds of exhortations they begged Mark (whose Gospel is extant), since he was Peter’s follower, to leave behind a written record of the teaching given to them verbally, and did not quit until they had persuaded the man, and thus they became the immediate cause of the Scripture called “The Gospel According to Mark.” And they say that the apostle, aware of what had occurred because the Spirit had revealed it to him, was pleased with their zeal and sanctioned the writing for study in the churches. Clement (of Alexandria) quotes the story in the sixth book of Hypotyposes, and the bishop of Hierapolis, named Papias, corroborates him" (as quoted in Eusebius' Church History 2.15; also see 6.25 and 24:.1: written c.324 AD).

Tertullian (writing c. 207 AD):

"....I mean the Gospels of John and Matthew — while that which Mark published may be affirmed to be Peter's whose interpreter Mark was."(Against Marcion, Book 4, Chapter 5).

Origen, one of the greatest intellects of the early church (writing between 215 and 250 AD):

"The second [Gospel] is by Mark, who composed it according to the instructions of Peter, who in his Catholic epistle acknowledges him as a son, saying, 'The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, salutes you, and so does Marcus, my son.'" [1 Peter 5:13] (as Eusebius notes was recorded in Origen's "first book on Matthew's Gospel, Eusebius' Church History 6.25.3-5: written c.324 AD)

CONCLUSION:

From this we can conclude that the Gospel of Mark is based faithfully and accurately on the eyewitness testimony of the Apostle Peter as written down by his beloved assistant Mark (1 Peter 5:13: "my son Mark"). And note that the Apostle John is emphatic that Mark "made it his one concern not to omit anything which he had heard, or to make any false statements in them." 

Flemish School (c. 1600), Christ Calling Saint Peter (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

WHO ARE THE APOSTLES & THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS?

 The following are resources used in or as follow-up for a presentation that I am doing February 4, 2023 at 10:30am at Maple City Chapel in Goshen, Indiana for a meeting of the GOSHEN APOLOGETICS FELLOWSHIP: 

• Who Are The Apostles?
• CHART #1: Apostolic Fathers & 2nd Century Church Leaders (Fathers)
• CHART #2: Apostolic Fathers & 2nd Century Church Leaders (Fathers)
• Records of the Apostolic Fathers Relationships to the Apostles
• What the Apostolic Fathers Said about the Apostles
• The Presentation Slides (Unfortunately it did not format correctly but can be used to easily make a new set of presentation slides.)
• The video of the presentation will appear here later.
• My blog page: "Who Are The Apostolic Fathers?"

THE IMPORTANCE OF PAPIAS, DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN

Papias (who wrote c.110-125 AD and lived c.65-130 AD) is important for several reasons. Let me highlight seven:

(1) He is one of dozens of early writers to testify to Jesus' historicity. He not only knew at least two firsthand eyewitnesses to Jesus, the apostle John and another disciple named Aristion; he also interviewed many others who knew other apostles and disciples of Jesus. From these, he gathered enough eyewitness testimony to fill five volumes! This 5-volume work was entitled The Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord (Fragment 3, Eusebius' Church History 3.39.1). Furthermore, he provided historical confirmation of Jesus' miracles in this work as is testified to by Philip of Side: "As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he states that they survived until the time of Hadrian" (Fragment 5, Philip of Side's 5th Century Church History).

(2 & 3) In "Fragment 6" (excerpted from Eusebius' Church History, 3.39.15-16) he establishes the New Testament Gospels of Mark and Matthew as eyewitness accounts and confirms their authorship:

....but now, to the extracts already made, we shall add, as being a matter of primary importance, a tradition regarding Mark who wrote the Gospel, which he [Papias] has given in the following words]: And the presbyter said this. Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements. [This is what is related by Papias regarding Mark; but with regard to Matthew he has made the following statements]: Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could.

*For Mark also see Fragment 21.

(4) And in fragments 19 and 20, Papias confirms the authorship of the Gospel of John:

FRAGMENT 19: "Here begins the summary of the Gospel According to John: The Gospel of John was made known and given to the churches by John while he was still in the flesh, as a man of Hierapolis by the name of Papias, a beloved disciple of John, has related in the exoteric--that is, the last--part of his five books. Indeed, he wrote down the Gospel correctly as John dictated." (As preserved in the 9th Century Codex Vaticanus Alexandrinus 14, p.585 of Holmes' The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations)

(5) The apostle John is the author of Revelation (Fragment 3, Eusebius' Church History 3.39.6).

(6) He thereby, also provides valuable early testimony to their canonicity, serving as an important link in the "chain of custody" establishing their apostolic provenance (as being the work of an apostle or their associates is of primary importance in including any book in the canon of the New Testament).

(7) Finally, Papias was a disciple of John's and provides details about John's life that are not found in the New Testament, most importantly, his martyrdom:

a. The apostle John lived until the time of the Emperor Trajan, who ruled from 98-117 AD (Fragment 1).

b. In Fragment 5, Philip of Side's Church History (5th Century) tells us that the account of John's martyrdom was recorded in the second volume of Papias' Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord.

And from Fragment 6, which is preserved in The Chronicle of George the Sinner (9th Century):

After Domitian [fl. 81-96], Nerva ruled for a year, who, having recalled John from the island, released him to dwell in Ephesus. At the time he was the sole survivor of the twelve apostles and composed the gospel according to himself: he was held worthy of martyrdom.

For Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, who was his eyewitness, in the second volume of the Lord's Reports alleged that he was killed by Jews. Having clearly fulfilled, with his brother, the prediction of Christ about them and their own agreement about this and submission: for the Lord said to them, "Can you drink the cup I will drink?" [Mark 10:38f.] and they gave their assent willingly and agreed: You shall drink, I say, my cup and you shall be baptized with the baptism I am baptized. And reasonably: for God cannot lie. Thus, the erudite Origen also affirmed in his commentary of Matthew, that John was martyred, having intimated that he learned this from the sucessors of the apostles. And indeed the well-read Eusebius in the Hist. Eccl. [3.1] says: "Thomas was allotted Parthia; but John Asia, where he resided and died in Ephesus."

PAPIAS' UNIQUE POSITION
A little biographical information further demonstrates Papias' unique position to provide this testimony. Papias was one of the "apostolic fathers" (see my blog article on the apostolic fathers), that is he was a disciple of one of the apostles. He was bishop (lead pastor) of the church at Hierapolis and a disciple of the apostle John, who lived at the end of the first century and beginning of the second century. The city of Hierapolis (where Papias was bishop) was at the intersection of two roads that connected four major cities that were important centers of the early church: Syrian Antioch, Ephesus, Attalia and Smyrna. He, therefore, would have had unique access to travelers who knew Jesus or Jesus' disciples.

Over the years, he interviewed many who had known Jesus' apostles and disciples, and (as noted previously) he himself knew the apostle John and a disciple named Aristion. He collected the notes from these interviews and composed a five volume work on them, commonly known as the Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. As Bauckham has noted, however, the Greek word logia that is translated "Sayings" almost certainly refers both to the things Jesus said and to the things he did (p. 214 of Jesus and the Eyewitnesses). The most likely scenario is that he collected these interview notes over a period of two or three decades (perhaps 85-110 AD) and finished composing this five volume work at the beginning of the second century (circa 110 AD or shortly thereafter, though some would place his work as late as 140 AD).

As Bauckham shows, Papias was heavily influenced by the tradition of ancient Greek historiography and its concern for eyewitness testimony. (Read the chapters from Bauckham's book referenced below for more details on this.)

Unfortunately, we only have a couple dozen fragments left from that work, which was known and used for several centuries but has since disappeared into history. A collection of 26 of these fragments can be found in Michael W. Holmes' edition of the The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations.

It would be amazing if this text would suddenly re-emerge from the sands of Egypt or ancient jars in a desert cave; but barring that, the fragments of Papias that we do have provide valuable early testimony linking the New Testament Gospels back to the apostles, those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection (Acts 1:21-22).

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY
Online texts
*Early Christian Writings hosts the text of the "Fragments of Papias" and a nice selection of resources.

Articles
*A comprehensive and nicely organized collection of the fragments of Papias compiled and organized by Peter Kirby
*"Did Papias Know the Apostle John?" by Michael Kruger
*An article on Papias followed by a significant bibliography at EarlyChurch.org.uk

Book Chapters
*The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations by Michael W. Holmes (an updated and revised version of the classic work by Lightfoot and Harmer) contains 26 "fragments of Papias" gleaned from various ancient texts. (Also available in an edition without the Greek texts, both of which can be found at the link given in the title above.)
*Eusebius' Church History has a section on Papias (Book 3, Chapter 39). Eusebius completed his history about 325 AD.
*Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham has three excellent chapters on Papias (chapters 2, 9 and 16) and you can read the first chapter (his overview of Papias) for FREE on Kindle (using the "sample": see button under the "Buy" button....OR using the "Look Inside" preview by clicking on the link above the thumbnail of the book's cover). These three chapters by themselves are worth the price of the book, as Baukham's careful study dispenses with a lot of misinformation and uncovers important details about Papias' important contribution. Chapter 2 is a general article on Papias. Chapter 9 explores what Papias tells us about the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. And Chapter 16 deals with what Papias tells us about the Gospel of John.

Books

*Papias and The New Testament by Monte Shanks. Excellent argument for the importance of Papias and skillfully clears up some significant issues and misinformation. For an overview of his argumentation see: "Did Papias Know the Apostle John?" by Michael Kruger. You can also review a significant portion by downloading a sample of the Kindle version.

*MORE INFO ON THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS

10 MORE GREAT APOLOGETIC BOOKS THAT ARE *FREE!*

Here is a list of 10 more FREE! apologetics books that I highly recommend....

My good friend and expert apologist Dr. Timothy McGrew includes the first three among his "Mandatory Reading" and the fourth comes from his annotated bibliography at the Library of Historical Apologetics.

1. A Lecture on the Historic Evidence of The Authorship and Transmission of the Books of the New Testament (1852) by Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Lucidly and cogently written by an eminent 19th Century scholar. A brief biography and overview of his greatest scholarly accomplishment are found at The Center for The Study of New Testament Manuscripts (and a slightly longer biography here). An extensive list of his works available online is hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
2. A View of The Evidences of Christianity (1794) by William Paley. A powerful cumulative case by one of the foremost scholars and apologists of the 18th Century. Also available for FREE on Kindle. A brief summary of the book at the Library of Historical Apologetics. A brief biography of Paley at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
3. The Four Gospels from a Lawyer's Standpoint (1893) by Edmund Bennett. A concise biography and overview of the book is found at the Library of Historical Apologetics. It is a brief 88 pages.
4. The Trial of the Witnesses of the Resurrection (1729) by Thomas Sherlock. A short introduction to the book is available at the Library of Historical Apologetics. (Only 114 pages). Also available for FREE on Kindle.
5. Heretics (1905) by G.K. Chesterton. Also available on Kindle at Amazon or Audiobook from Librivox. Chesterton was one of the great writers of the early 20th Century and had a huge influence on C.S. Lewis. He is well known for his works of apologetics, especially Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man, and Heretics. But he is also well known for his poetry and fiction, especially his "Father Brown" mysteries, which have been adapted for television. You can find 49 of his works in audiobook at Librivox. A brief biography, list of quotes and collection of his works is found at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. There is a wealth of information about Chesterton and his writings at The American Chesterton Society (including some notable theological essays).
6. Dialogue with Trypho (c. 150 AD) by Justin Martyr. We can learn a lot from this relatively short but important writing from one of the early church fathers. Not only does it give us some important historical information that confirms the historicity of the Gospels, but it also gives us some insight into Messianic Prophecy and how apologetics was done among the Jews in the 2nd Century. The first 8 chapters of this work describes Justin's pursuit of philosophy and his conversion. Then he begins answering Jewish objections about Christians not keeping the Old Testament laws. In chapter 31, he begins giving detailed responses related to messianic prophecy. (Chapters 55-63 deal with Jewish objections to the Incarnation--and Justin's view seems to be quite Arian! A brief biography of Justin, his collected works, and other resources can be found at Early Christian Writings (my favorite web site for researching the writings of the early church).
7. St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen  (1895, 1907) by William Ramsay. FREE at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, where you will also find a nice summary of the book and a short biography of Ramsay. And here is a short article by Don Stewart quoting from this book and showing how Sir William Ramsay is related to settling the question of the historicity of Acts.
8. The Gospel of Thomas (mid-2nd Century) is available at Early Christian Writings, along with a "collected commentary" and a significant bibliography. The so-called "gnostic gospels" have been making quite a stir in the world for the last few decades--and especially in the past decade. The Gospel of Thomas is raised up by critics of the Bible as representing a picture of Jesus that is just as worthy of our attention as the New Testament. Reading this short document for yourself will help you to understand the issues more clearly and to see firsthand that it is really no gospel at all.
9. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis. Lewis explores ideas important to the moral argument, which he establishes quite solidly in the first section of Mere Christianity. You can find a brief biography of Lewis (and much more) here.
10. The Apostolic Fathers by Joseph Barber Lightfoot. A standard collection of the writings of the apostolic fathers with introductions and commentary. Reading and understanding the writings of the apostolic fathers is important in assessing the evidence for the New Testament canon and the historicity of Jesus. See my article "Who Are the Apostolic Fathers? for a brief explanation of who they are and why they are important and also a concise bibliography of resources.

10 MORE HERE!
1000s MORE HERE!

Looking for more great resources for apologetics and Bible study?....
....then check out my growing MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETIC RESOURCES....

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“You cannot evade the issue of God, whether you talk about pigs or the binomial theory, you are still talking about Him. Now if Christianity be. . . a fragment of metaphysical nonsense invented by a few people, then, of course, defending it will simply mean talking that metaphysical nonsense over and over. But if Christianity should happen to be true – then defending it may mean talking about anything or everything. Things can be irrelevant to the proposition that Christianity is false, but nothing can be irrelevant to the proposition that Christianity is true.”

– G.K. Chesterton
Daily News, December 12, 1903

WHO ARE THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS?: A Brief Article & Resources for Study

The apostolic fathers are those early church leaders who knew the apostles and who lived and wrote after the apostles had died. They include Clement of Rome, Papias, Polycarp, Ignatius, and the authors of the Epistle of Barnabas and Didache. The authors of 2 Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Diognetus are often included among them, also (because these works are believed to have been written at a time during which they would have known the apostles). In the last half of the 1st Century, Clement wrote his letter to the Corinthians. The Didache was written c.60-100 A.D . The Letter of Barnabas was written between 70 and 130 A.D. And Papias, Polycarp and Ignatius wrote in the first decade of the 2nd Century, the decade following the death of the last living apostle, the apostle John (c. 100 A.D.).

*Clement of Rome (wrote c. 68 to 99 AD; lived 35-99 AD; knew the apostles Peter and Paul and was appointed as an elder at Rome by the apostle Peter, as Tertullian tells us was recorded in the church's archives there in his Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32. (Scroll down to "QUOTE" below for the relevant section of chapter 32.) See an article on Clement followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. For serious scholarly study of Clement, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers. Also see Clement and the Early Church of Rome: On the Dating of Clement's First Epistle to the Corinthians by Thomas J. Herron for an able defense of a pre-70 AD dating of 1 Clement.

*Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (lived 35 to c. 110 AD; wrote on the way to his martyrdom c. 110 AD) was also a disciple of the apostle John and knew Polycarp. He also knew other apostles, and there is strong tradition that he was appointed as bishop of Antioch by apostles (one tradition says by Peter). See an article on Ignatius followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. Also, see this excellent article at New Advent. For serious scholarly study of Ignatius, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers.

*Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (wrote c.110-125 AD; lived c. 60-130 AD). He was a friend of Polycarp (below). He not only knew at least two firsthand eyewitnesses to Jesus (the apostle John and another disciple named Aristion), he also interviewed many others who knew other apostles and disciples of Jesus. From these, he gathered enough eyewitness testimony to fill five volumes! This 5-volume work was entitled The Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord (Fragment 3, Eusebius' Church History 3.39.1).Furthermore, he provides historical confirmation of Jesus' miracles: "As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he states that they survived until the time of Hadrian" (Fragment 5, Philip of Side's 5th Century Church History). See my blog article on Papias.

*Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (69-155 AD) was a disciple of the apostle John, as Tertullian tells us was recorded in the church's archives there in his Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32. (Scroll down to "QUOTE" below for the relevant section of chapter 32.) Irenaeus mentions Polycarp in Against Heresies, Book 3.3.4: "But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true." For more, see an article on Polycarp followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. For serious scholarly study of Polycarp, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers. See also The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written c.156-160 AD.

To understand the importance of the apostolic fathers, it is important to understand who the apostles themselves were. The apostles were those whom Jesus appointed to be witnesses to his life, teaching, miracles, death, and most importantly his resurrection (cf Acts 1:21-22). They are also those whom he sent out with the authority to speak in his behalf. They are therefore the only ones with the authority to write or confirm writings claiming to speak in Christ's behalf, that is Scripture (cf Luke 10:16; John 14:25-26; 16:12-15; Matthew 28:18-20; etc.).

So the writings of the apostolic fathers serve as important witnesses to the provenance of the New Testament, assuring its authenticity and canonicity. A summary of the evidence found in the writings of the apostolic fathers is: (1) Ephesians, James, & 2 Peter are called "Scripture" (γραφή). Matthew is cited with the Scriptural formula "It is written" (γέγραπται) in the Epistle of Barnabas. And The Didache applies Deuteronomy 4:2 to the Gospels. (2) They cited all 27 books of the New Testament canon, except Titus, Philemon, 2 & 3 John, and Jude. (3) Of the books not quoted from, they allude to all but perhaps Philemon, 2 & 3 John (though allusions are suggested). (4) They confirm the authorship and authenticity of Matthew, Mark, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Revelation. And (5) they do not quote from any of the apocryphal/gnostic writings that are so often suggested to have been candidates for the early canon.

They also serve as secondary evidence to Jesus' historicity. Yet another important role that they play is in recording the martyrdom and persecution of the church during the time of the apostles and the period immediately following their deaths.

Finally, during their lifetimes, they served as guardians of the truth--as those who had heard the Gospel directly from the apostles themselves. As Hegesippus writes:

... Up to that period the Church had remained like a virgin pure and uncorrupted: for, if there were any persons who were disposed to tamper with the wholesome rule of the preaching of salvation, they still lurked in some dark place of concealment or other. But, when the sacred band of apostles had in various ways closed their lives, and that generation of men to whom it had been vouchsafed to listen to the Godlike Wisdom with their own ears had passed away, then did the confederacy of godless error take its rise through the treachery of false teachers, who, seeing that none of the apostles any longer survived, at length attempted with bare and uplifted head to oppose the preaching of the truth by preaching "knowledge falsely so called." 

[Written c.174-190; and preserved in Eusebius' Church History, 4.22)

QUOTE
*FROM Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 32 (c.200AD):

"But if there be any (heresies) which are bold enough to plant themselves in the midst of the apostolic age, that they may thereby seem to have been handed down by the apostles, because they existed in the time of the apostles, we can say: Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the beginning in such a manner that [that first bishop of theirs ] bishop shall be able to show for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the apostles or of apostolic men, — a man, moreover, who continued steadfast with the apostles. For this is the manner in which the apostolic churches transmit their registers: as the church of Smyrna, which records that Polycarp was placed therein by John; as also the church of Rome, which makes Clement to have been ordained in like manner by Peter. In exactly the same way the other churches likewise exhibit (their several worthies), whom, as having been appointed to their episcopal places by apostles, they regard as transmitters of the apostolic seed."

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

English Translations and Introductions
*Lightfoot, Joseph Barber and J.R. Harmer. Edited by Michael W. Holmes. The Apostolic Fathers (2nd Edition). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989. A standard collection of the writings of the apostolic fathers with introductions and commentary. An older edition of this work is in the public domain and is available for FREE! many places. You can find both the text and MP3 audio files FREE! to download here (click on the book icon next to the title you want).  Also available FREE! in ebook here. It may be read online or downloaded as a PDF. A nice online version is also available FREE here.
*Early Christian Writings: This website hosts translations and introductions for a nearly comprehensive collection of the writings of the early church from the time of the New Testament until 380AD. FREE!
*Patrology (Vol. 1 of 4) by Johannes Quasten. A standard work on the early church fathers available online for FREE! here.
*Hastings, James. Dictionary of the Apostolic Church. Volume 1. Volume 2. FREE!
*Links to writings of the Church Fathers "not included in the 38 volume collection of Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers" (listed in chronological order) by Roger Pearse at Tertullian.org. FREE!

*The Apostolic Fathers and The Apologists of The Second Century (Early Christian Literature Primers) by George A. Jackson. FREE here. I highly recommend this work as a great place to get started and oriented to the writings of the apostolic fathers and those who immediately followed them.

*Introducing Early Christianity: A Topical Survey of Its Life, Beliefs & Practices by Laurie Guy

*The Rise of Christianity by W.H.C. Frend

*HYPERLINKED SUBJECT INDEX to Eusebius' Church History. You can look up individual apostolic fathers and others and quickly find all that Eusebius has recorded about them.


Resources for the Greek Texts
*Holmes, Michael W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. An extensive topical selected bibliography is given at the front of this volume that can be viewed using the "Look Inside" preview at the left of its Amazon's page.
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca. (1857). There are 161 volumes in this set and you can find them listed here. FREE!
*Index Patristicus: Clavis Patrum Apostolicorum Operum by Edgar J. Goodspeed. FREE at Internet Archive. "In this important reference work, edited by Goodspeed, several scholars have indexed the Greek and Latin words from early works of the Church, including 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Epistle of Barnabas, Papias, Epistle to Diognetus, Letters of Ignatius, Letter of Polycarp to Philip, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Shepherd of Hermas, and Didache."
*A Reader's Lexicon of the Apostolic Fathers edited by Daniel B. Wallace, Brittany Burnette, and Terri Darby Moore
*A Greek Reader’s Apostolic Fathers by Alan S. Bandy
*A Patristic Greek Lexicon by G. W. H. Lampe. FREE at Internet Archive.
*Charteris, A.H. Canonicity: A Collection of Early Testimonies to the Canonical Books of the New Testament (Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1880).
*Lake, Kirsopp. Apostolic Fathers (Loeb Classical Library). FREE!
*Lardner, Nathaniel. The Works of Nathaniel Lardner. (London: William Ball, 1838). Individual volumes may be downloaded. FREE!
*Lightfoot, Joseph Barber. The Apostolic Fathers. (London: Macmillan and Company, 1898). FREE! Also FREE here.


Resources for Latin Texts
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. (1844). FREE!


The Apostolic Fathers' Use of the New Testament
*Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature. FREE!
*e-Catena: Allusions to the New Testament in the Ante-Nicene Fathers. FREE!
*The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers, 1905, by a Committee of the Oxford Society of Historical Theology. FREE! This is a very technical book and requires significant knowledge of New Testament Greek.

*The Apostolic Fathers and the New Testament by Clayton N. Jefford


The Martyrdoms of the Apostolic Fathers
*"The Intense Persecution Of The Early Church: An Odd View? (so Says Bart Ehrman)" by Brad Cooper
*Cave, William. Apostolici : or the history of the lives, acts, death and martyrdoms of those who were contemporary with, or immediately succeeded the Apostles : as also the most eminent of the Primitive Fathers for the first three hundred years to which is added, a chronology of the three first ages of the church. (1682)
*Water, Mark. The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs

Misc. Resources
*A nice timeline of the Church Fathers 50-750 A.D. FREE!

*Topical Index at Patristics

Articles

*Authors of Triablogue: "Skeptical Myths About The Church Fathers." Links to numerous articles by the authors of Triablogue.

*Berding, Kenneth. A blog series on the apostolic fathers:
(1) "How Much Should We Value the Apostolic Fathers?"
(2) "Priceless Quotes from Ignatius of Antioch"
(3) "A Powerful Prayer from Clement of Rome"
(4) "Polycarp of Smyrna Tells Us Who He Thinks Wrote 1 & 2 Timothy"
(5) "Taking Issue With the Angelic Visitations in The Shepherd of Hermas"
(6) "The So-Called Epistle of Barnabas and the Problem of Allegorical Interpretation"
(7) "How Christianity is Distinct in 'To Diognetus'"
*Hurtado, Larry. The "Apostolic Fathers": Renewed Interest and Recent Publications
*Journal of Early Christian Studies. Articles for this journal are FREE!

General Books
*Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger
*Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998. A topical concordance to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (church leaders who lived before the Council of Nicea). It also gives a very concise biographical entry for each early church leader (at the front of the book).
*Ferguson, Everett (editor). Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. New York: Garland Publishing, 1990. A large reference book (983 pages) containing articles on various issues related to the early church until about 600 A.D.
*Maier, Paul L. Eusebius--The Church History: A New Translation with Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999. Eusebius is the church's first historian and gives many details about the apostolic fathers that are preserved nowhere else in antiquity. Maier's translation and commentary are quite accessible even for those not thoroughly acquainted with the scholarship. 
*Schaff, Phillip. Eusebius' Church History. An older translation of Eusebius which can be dowloaded or read online for FREE! here. Or you can download an MP3 audio version of it for FREE! here.
*Wace, Henry and William C. Piercy (editors). Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1911. Another large reference book (1028 pages) containing articles related to the early church until about 500 A.D. This is an older work and is in the public domain and is available for FREE! here. It may be read online or downloaded as a PDF file. 
*Cross, F.L. and E.A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
*Benedetto, Robert. The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History, Volume 1: The Early, Medieval and Reformation Eras. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. 768 pages, nearly 1400 articles.
*Harvey, Susan Ashbrook. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies.
*Bartlet, J. Vernon. Early Church History: A Sketch of the First Four Centuries, 1984, 160 pages. FREE!
*An Introduction to the Early History of Christian Doctrine, by J.F. Bethune-Baker (London: Methuen, 1903). Also here and here.


RESOURCE PAGES with much more:
*Check out this massive guide at the Lund University Library page.
*OR these excellent Bibliographies for the Study of Early Christianity and Patristic Theology by William Harmless....
*OR this excellent resource on the early church hosting a vast array of articles and books and links to other excellent sites.....
*OR "Apostolic Fathers" and "Early Church Fathers" at Theopedia
*OR this list of links at NT Gateway. A large directory of academic internet resources, though sadly lacking in some of the best evangelical scholarship.
*OR the Digital Book Index list of digitally archived books on the internet in the category: "History: Medieval: Early & Primitive Church History (30-600)"

ANCIENT DOCUMENTS (BESIDES THE NEW TESTAMENT) THAT MENTION JESUS

**NOTE: The list of ancient documents below was originally compiled by my friend Shawn White (but his blog has since been hacked and no longer exists). I gave him a little input at the time and have adapted it and added most of the current content to it since then.

*****************

The 27 books of the New Testament are among the most reliable ancient documents that we have and have been confirmed in multiple ways. They were written by eyewitnesses (apostles) or by those who were companions of eyewitnesses (apostles). So they are by far our best source for understanding who Jesus is. 

These 27 documents represent the testimony of no less than 8 different early witnesses (probably 9, since Hebrews is anonymous and was probably not written by Paul but by one of Paul's associates)--six were eyewitnesses (Matthew, John, Paul, James, Peter and Jude) and three reported what they learned from eyewitnesses (Mark recorded Peter's testimony and Luke recorded the testimony of various eyewitnesses; see Luke 1:1-4). These are eyewitnesses and their close associates. All but one of the eyewitnesses spent years of their lives with Jesus and who endured difficulty, persecution and martyrdom because of their testimony of Jesus' resurrection. It's frankly very difficult to find testimony this weighty about anything. 

Nevertheless, most skeptics will not accept Biblical sources when it comes to the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. They usually want extrabiblical sources (sources outside of the Bible) with the thought that there will not be any or perhaps very few sources that make mention of Jesus. In order to show that this does nothing to support their case or their claims, below is a list of non-Biblical historical sources written between 25-180 years after Jesus lived. 

These sources vary in value as historical information for Jesus, but they all have value and several are of significant weight. Perhaps at a later time I will get to rating and explaining the value of each of these more thoroughly. 



SOURCES WRITTEN DURING THE PERIOD OF LIVING EYEWITNESSES

Sources behind the Gospels (and thus earlier)
*M (Sayings in Matthew only but not in other Gospels)
*L (Sayings in Luke only but not in other Gospels)
*Q (Sayings in both Matthew and Luke but not in other Gospels)
*The Pre-Markan Passion Narrative: "Rudolf Pesch, a German expert on Mark, says the Passion source must go back to at least AD 37...." (which according to the latest and best chronological work is about 4 years after the crucifixion).

**NOTE: These are hypothetical documents that many scholars believe represent sources used by the writers of the Gospels. I am personally skeptical that the nature of these sources resembles that which is generally proposed. Nevertheless, there certainly were written eyewitness accounts before Luke--as he is very explicit that he is aware of "many" written accounts of Jesus before he wrote his Gospel (one of which was almost certainly the Gospel of Mark). See Luke 1:1-4.

RESOURCES
An excellent article by James Smiley Bishop that looks at the value of the Gospel sources, the creed, and the hymn of Philippians 2.

Sources Quoted in the letters of the Apostle Paul (and thus earlier)
*The Creed in 1 Corinthians 15. Scholars are agreed that this creed was composed before 1 Corinthians and it is generally agreed that it was composed between 6 months and 3 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. For example:

Michael Goulder (Atheist NT Prof. at Birmingham) “…it goes back at least to what Paul was taught when he was converted, a couple of years after the crucifixion.” [“The Baseless Fabric of a Vision,” in Gavin D’Costa, editor, Resurrection Reconsidered (Oxford, 1996), 48.]

Gerd Lüdemann (Atheist Prof of NT at Göttingen): “…the elements in the tradition are to be dated to the first two years after the crucifixion of Jesus…not later than three years… the formation of the appearance traditions mentioned in I Cor.15.3-8 falls into the time between 30 and 33 CE.” [The Resurrection of Jesus, trans. by Bowden (Fortress, 1994), 171-72.]

*The above quotes are as cited by Nick Peters of Deeper Waters

*The Hymn in Philippians 2. Even liberal scholars typically agree that the hymn in Philippians 2 was composed by someone besides Paul (and therefore before Paul wrote Philippians).

*Many other creeds and Christological hymns are believed to be embedded in Paul's letters. All of them would therefore pre-date Paul's letters. I hope to document more of them later.
Here is a list given in The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ by Gary Habermas (p.29): 

*"The chief examples [of passages explicitly stated as coming from an earlier source] include 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 15:3; 1 Thes. 2:15; 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Heb. 1:2-3."

*"Major examples [of passages thought to come from earlier sources but not stated explicitly] include those in Rom. 1:3-4; 4:25; 5:8; 10:9; 1 Cor. 8:6; Phil. 2:6-11, and Heb. 1:3. Cf. many others such as Eph. 1:20; Col. 1:15-20; 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 3:16; Heb. 1:1; 1:13; 8:1; 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:21; 2:21; 3:18; 3:22."


RESOURCES
An excellent article by James Smiley Bishop that looks at the value of the Gospel sources, the creed, and the hymn of Philippians 2.


Sources for Sermons Used by Luke in the book of Acts
Here is a list given in The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ by Gary Habermas (p.29):
"The most-commonly mentioned candidates for these sermon segments are in Acts 1:21-22; 2:22-36; 3:13-16; 4:8-10; 5:29-32; 10:39-43; 13:28-31; 17:1-3; 17:30-31. Those speaking of Jesus’ deity include Acts 2:33, 36; 5:31."

Ancient Historians of the First Century
*Thallus (wrote his 3-volume history c. 50 AD) See these excellent articles by William Lane Craig, Glenn Miller and Jason Engwer; also see: The Works of Nathaniel Lardner, Volume 4, Chapter 13. See this article to find basic info on Thallus and a listing of the fragments of his work that have been preserved.

*Flavius Josephus (wrote c. 93 AD; lived 37-100 AD) See this excellent article by Dr. Paul Maier.  Another excellent article by Dr. Greg Herrick. Also "Josephus, the Bible and History" by Louis Feldman.

Anonymous Works of the First Century
*Didache (written c. 50-100 AD, probably c. 70 AD)
*The Epistle of Barnabas (written c. 70-135 AD; author unknown)



SOURCES WRITTEN BY THOSE WHO KNEW EYEWITNESSES

The Apostolic Fathers (Disciples of the Apostles)
*Clement, bishop of Rome (wrote his Letter to the Corinthians c. 69 to 99 AD; lived 35-99 AD. He knew the apostles Peter and Paul and was appointed as an elder at Rome by the apostle Peter, as Tertullian tells us was recorded in the church's archives there in his Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32.

*Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (lived 35 to c. 110 AD; wrote on the way to his martyrdom c. 110 AD) was a disciple of the apostle John and knew Polycarp (below). He also knew other apostles besides John; and there is strong tradition that he was appointed as bishop of Antioch by apostles (one tradition says by Peter). See an article on Ignatius followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. Also, see this excellent article at New Advent.

*Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (wrote c.115-130 AD; lived c. 60-130 AD). He was a friend of Polycarp (below). He not only knew at least two firsthand eyewitnesses to Jesus (the apostle John and another disciple named Aristion), he also interviewed many others who knew other apostles and disciples of Jesus. From these, he gathered enough eyewitness testimony to fill five volumes! This 5-volume work was entitled The Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord (Fragment 3, Eusebius' Church History 3.39.1, p.526-63 of The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes).Furthermore, he provides historical confirmation of Jesus' miracles: "As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he states that they survived until the time of Hadrian" (Fragment 5, Philip of Side's 5th Century Church History, p.572-73 of The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes). See my blog article on Papias.

*NOTE: If you think it is unbelievable that people that Jesus raised from the dead could have survived until the reign of Hadrian (reigned 117-138 AD), check out this playlist of videos featuring interviews with those who survived the Spanish Flu of 1918. They have very vivid memories of that time. These interviews happened between 1998 and 2020, that is 80 to 102 years after the Spanish Flu epidemic. Hadrian's reign would be as little as 85 years after Jesus' ministry. And if you believe people in the ancient world did not live that long, that is incorrect. Evidence shows that people did, and I have been collecting it. That will be another blog post sometime in the future, but here is just a small taste of the evidence: chapter 49 of The Natural History by Pliny the Elder (written c.77 AD).

*Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (wrote  his Letter to the Philippians c. 120-140 AD; lived c. 69-156 AD). Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle John and was instructed by other apostles and eyewitnesses to Jesus; and he was a friend of Ignatius and Papias. See my blog article on the apostolic fathers. See also The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written c.156-160 AD.

*"The Traditions of the Elders" is a collection of 17 fragments preserving the testimony of anonymous apostolic fathers. This collection follows the "Fragments of Papias" in Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers and a smaller collection of 5 fragments is available in the edition of The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes. The following are two of the best examples in their witness to Jesus' life:

But that the age of thirty years is the prime of a young man's ability, and that it reaches even to the fortieth year, every one will allow; but after the fortieth and fiftieth year, it begins to verge towards elder age: which our Lord was of when he taught, as the Gospel and all the Elders witness, who in Asia conferred with John the Lord's disciple, to the effect that John had delivered these things unto them : for he abode with them until the times of Trajan. And some of them saw not only John, but others also of the Apostles, and had this same account from them, and witness to the aforesaid account. [as preserved in Irenaeus' Against Heresies 2.22.5 which was written c. 175-185 AD; Irenaeus himself living c.125-200 AD; The testimony preserved here is what was handed down c. 80-100 AD from eyewitnesses to Jesus to multiple elders/pastors. It seems from Irenaeus' wording--and it is quite reasonable to believe--that Irenaeus heard this testimony from the elders himself--certainly from his mentor Polycarp, who was a disciple of John.]

As the Elders, who saw John the disciple of the Lord, relate that they had heard from him, how the Lord used to teach concerning those times, and to say...... [as preserved in Irenaeus' Against Heresies 5.33.3, written c. 175-185).

An Early 2nd Century Apologist
*Quadratus, bishop of Athens (wrote c.125 AD; lived c.70?-129 AD). See this nice article at Got Questions?

Eusebius (lived c.260-339) wrote this about Quadratus in his Church History 4.2.1-3 (c. 325 AD):

1 After Trajan had reigned for nineteen and a half years Aelius Adrian became his successor in the empire. To him Quadratus addressed a discourse containing an apology for our religion, because certain wicked men had attempted to trouble the Christians. The work is still in the hands of a great many of the brethren, as also in our own, and furnishes clear proofs of the man's understanding and of his apostolic orthodox. 2 He himself reveals the early date at which he lived in the following words: "But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine: those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on earth, but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day." Such then was Quadratus.

3 Aristides also, a believer earnestly devoted to our religion, left, like Quadratus, an apology for the faith, addressed to Adrian. His work, too, has been preserved even to the present day by a great many persons.

Jerome (lived c. 347-420) wrote this about Quadratus in his book Illustrious Men 19:

Quadratus, disciple of the apostles, after Publius bishop of Athens had been crowned with martyrdom on account of his faith in Christ, was substituted in his place, and by his faith and industry gathered the church scattered by reason of its great fear. And when Hadrian passed the winter at Athens to witness the Eleusinian mysteries and was initiated into almost all the sacred mysteries of Greece, those who hated the Christians took opportunity without instructions from the Emperor to harass the believers. At this time he presented to Hadrian a work composed in behalf of our religion, indispensable, full of sound argument and faith and worthy of the apostolic teaching. In which, illustrating the antiquity of his period, he says that he has seen many who, oppressed by various ills, were healed by the Lord in Judea as well as some who had been raised from the dead.

*NOTE: If you think it is unbelievable that people that Jesus healed and raised from the dead could have still been living during Quadratus' lifetime, check out this playlist of videos featuring interviews with those who survived the Spanish Flu of 1918. Not only did they survive it, but they have very vivid memories of that time. These interviews happened between 1998 and 2020, that is 80 to 102 years after the Spanish Flu epidemic. Quadratus' Apology is less than 95 years after Jesus' ministry and he could have met these individuals much earlier in his life. And if you have been led to believe that people did not have that long of lifespans in the ancient world, that is a complete misunderstanding (an urban myth about the ancient world). There is a ton of evidence that shows that people did and I have been collecting it. That will be another blog post sometime in the future, but here is just a small taste of the evidence: chapter 49 of The Natural History by Pliny the Elder (written c.77 AD).


SOURCES WHO PROBABLY KNEW EYEWITNESSES OR HAD ACCESS TO THEM

Ancient Historians of the Early Second Century
*Cornelius Tacitus (wrote c. 115 AD; lived c.56-120 AD) Article by Colin Green, Article by Ryan Leasure. "Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Historical Jesus" by Rob Bowman, Jr.

*Suetonius (wrote c. 115 AD; lived c. 69-122 AD) "Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Historical Jesus" by Rob Bowman, Jr.

*Phlegon of Tralles (wrote c. 140 AD; lived c. 80?-150? AD). Article at Never Thirsty; also see: Origen in Against Celsus, Book 2, Chapter 14 and Chapter 59; also see: The Works of Nathaniel Lardner, Volume 4, Chapter 13.


Fathers of the Early 2nd Century
*Aristides (wrote his Apology for Christians c. 145 AD). See the text of the Apology. See notes on the Apology. Excerpt from the Apology, chapter 2: 

"The Christians, then, reckon the beginning of their religion from Jesus Christ, who is named the Son of God most High; and it is said that God came down from heaven, and from a Hebrew virgin took and clad Himself with flesh, and in a daughter of man there dwelt the Son of God. This is taught from that Gospel which a little while ago was spoken among them as being preached; wherein if ye also will read, ye will comprehend the power that is upon it. This Jesus, then, was born of the tribe of the Hebrews; and He had twelve disciples, in order that a certain dispensation of His might be fulfilled. He was pierced by the Jews; and He died and was buried; and they say that after three days He rose and ascended to heaven; and then these twelve disciples went forth into the known parts of the world, and taught concerning His greatness with all humility and sobriety; and on this account those also who to-day believe in this preaching are called Christians, who are well known."

*Hermas (The Shepherd of Hermas was written c. 70?-150 AD): Origen believed him to be the Hermas of Romans 16:14)



SOURCES WHO HAD ACCESS TO OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS THAT SPOKE OF JESUS
*Justin Martyr (wrote c.155 AD; lived c. 100-165 AD): Twice he mentioned that the Acts of Pilate Pontius could be checked in the Roman archives to confirm the Gospel accounts. Speaking of the events of Jesus' crucifixion, he writes: "And that these things did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate" (Justin's First Apology, chapter 35; also see chapter 48).

*Tertullian (lived c.155-240 AD): Knew official church documents that told which elders were placed by apostles (see Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32, written c. 199 AD). He also mentions that both the darkness during the crucifixion and also Pilate's report to Tiberius Caesar about Jesus were recorded in the government archives (see The Apology of Tertullian, chapter 21, written c.197-217 AD; also see this article at Never Thirsty). His writings make it clear that he was highly educated, well read and familiar with government archives. No doubt this was the result of his formal education as a lawyer.

*NOTE: A word of caution about the Acts of Pilate that Justin and Tertullian refer to: Probably most scholars (even conservative ones like F.F. Bruce) express caution or even extreme skepticism that they actually saw such records in the archives or had reliable knowledge of them. Some scholars think they merely assumed the record existed. Other scholars think that they had knowledge of some forged document. I personally think that it is more likely that these learned men were more careful than that. Certainly, it seems unlikely that Justin would present this as evidence to the Emperor Antoninus unless he knew for sure that it was true. The Emperor could easily check this for himself--so that would be a careless move in his apology and would throw doubt on the whole thing. The exact same thing can be said about Tertullian, who makes his reference to the Acts of Pilate in his appeal before the court of the "rulers of the Roman Empire." In fact, it seems even less likely in Tertullian's case, as he had formal education as a lawyer. It does appear that Tertullian especially has combined the information from the Acts of Pilate with information from the Gospels and perhaps less reliable information passed down orally as tradition. Nonetheless, I believe that these men were both had reliable knowledge that the Acts of Pilate did in fact confirm some of the basic facts concerning Jesus' crucifixion.


SOURCES WHO KNEW THOSE WHO KNEW EYEWITNESSES 
*Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon (wrote c.175-185; lived c.125-200 AD): See a brief biography and significant bibliography. Irenaeus was born in Smyrna and was a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John. Besides his abundant testimony in Against Heresies, Eusebius has preserved fragments of letters that Irenaeus wrote including one to Florinus, which begins as follows:

These opinions, O Florinus, that I may speak sparingly, do not belong to sound doctrine. These opinions are inconsistent with the church, and bring those who believe in them into the greatest impiety. These opinions not even the heretics outside the church ever dared to proclaim. These opinions those who were presbyters before us, who accompanied the apostles, did not hand on to you. For while I was still a boy I knew you in lower Asia in Polycarp's house when you were a man of rank in the royal hall and endeavoring to stand well with him. I remember the events of those days more clearly than those which happened recently, for what we learn as children grows up with the soul and is united to it, so that I can speak even of the place in which the blessed Polycarp sat and disputed, how he came in and went out, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, the discourses which he made to people, how he reported his intercourse with John and with the others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what were the things concerning the Lord which he had heard from them, and about their miracles, and about their teaching, and how Polycarp had received them from the eyewitnesses of the word of life, and reported all things in agreement with the Scriptures. I listened eagerly even then to these things through the mercy of God which was given me, and made notes of them, not on paper but in my heart,.... [preserved in Eusebius' Church History 5.20.4-7].

*Tatian (lived 120-173 AD). He wrote his Address to the Greeks c. 155-165 AD. And he composed his Diatessaron (a harmony of the four Gospels) c. 170-175. See this excellent brief biography.


SOURCES WHO PROBABLY KNEW THOSE WHO KNEW EYEWITNESSES
*Aristo of Pella (wrote c.140 AD). See brief introduction and fragments from Roberts and Donaldson's Ante-Nicene Fathers.

*Second Clement (written c.98-160 AD). See a brief introduction to this anonymous ancient sermon (that was wrongly attributed to Clement). See the text of 2nd Clement.

*The Epistle of Diognetus (written c.130-200 AD). See this section from Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church. See the text of The Epistle of Diognetus.

*Hegesippus (wrote c. 165-175 AD; lived c. 110-180 AD). Hegesippus almost certainily knew the apostolic fathers and quite possibly knew some of the last eyewitnesses of Jesus when he was a young child. He affirms Jesus' historicity through his records of who were Jesus' relatives, some of whom lived down until the time that Hegesippus was a young child. See Henry Wace's excellent article from his Dictionary of Early Christian Biography and Literature. See also this excellent brief biography. See the fragments preserved from his 5-volume work in Eusebius' Church History 2:23:8-18 and 4:22.

*Melito of Sardis (wrote c. 160-177 AD; died c. 190 AD). See this excellent brief biography. Also this section from Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church. And this very brief biography plus a significant bibliography. See the fragments of Melito's works here.

*Claudius Apollinaris, Bishop of Hierapolis and Apologist (wrote c.160-180 AD). See this very brief biography and the few fragments that we still have as found in Roberts and Donaldson's Ante-Nicene Fathers.

*Dionysius, bishop of Corinth (wrote c.165-175 AD). See this brief biography.

*Theophilus, bishop of Antioch (wrote c.180-185 AD). See this section from Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church. See his work To Autolycus.

*Athenagoras of Athens (wrote c. 175-180 AD). See this section from Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church. A brief introduction and the texts of his Plea for the Christians and The Treatise on the Resurrection of the Dead from Roberts and Donaldson's Ante-Nicene Christian Library: Justin Martyr and Athenagorus, p.371-456.

*Clement of Alexandria (wrote c.182-202 AD; lived c.150-215 AD). See this brief biography and significant bibliography. See an introduction and the texts of his works in Roberts and Donaldson's Ante-Nicene Fathers (scroll down at page linked to).

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TESTIMONY FROM THE ENEMIES OF CHRISTIANITY....
*The Criterion of Enemy Attestation (also known as the Criterion of a "Hostile Witness"): 
Gary Habermas notes: "The criterion of enemy attestation is satisfied when an antagonistic source expresses agreement regarding a person or event when it is contrary to their best interests to do so. Maier holds that “such positive evidence within a hostile source is the strongest kind of evidence . . . if Cicero, who despised Catiline, admitted that the fellow had one good quality--courage--among a host of bad ones then the historian correctly concludes that Catiline was at least courageous.” ("Recent Perspectives on the Reliability of the Gospels" by Gary Habermas)

NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES WHO HAD ACCESS TO EYEWITNESSES & OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
Government Officials Who Prosecuted Christians
*Pontius Pilate (1 B.C. - c.37 AD) Article at Never Thirsty

*Pliny the Younger (wrote c. 111-112 AD; lived 61-113 AD) "Pliny’s Letter to Trajan" at Christian History Institute

*Emperor Trajan (wrote c.111 AD; lived 53-117 AD). See this article at Never Thirsty.

*Emperor Hadrian (wrote/reigned c.117-138 AD; lived 76-138 AD). See this article at Never Thirsty.


NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES WHO HAD ACCESS TO THOSE WHO KNEW EYEWITNESSES

Critics of Christianity
*Celsus (Criticized Christianity in his work True Discourse written c. 178 AD. We no longer have that work but an estimated 60-90% of True Discourse is quoted in Origen's Against Celsus.). See Celsus vs. the Early Christians by Vocab Malone. See "Evidence for Jesus' Miracles Outside the Bible" by Ryan Leasure.



Heretical Writings
*Marcion (died c. 160 AD)
*The Apocryphon of John (c. 120-180 AD)
*The Gospel of Thomas (c. 140-160 AD)
*The Gospel of Truth (c. 140-180 AD)
*The Treatise on the Resurrection (c. 170-200 AD)
*Several more heretical writings from this period could be added to this list. This is just a sample of a few of the more important heretical writings.
*NOTE: The very existence of hagiography, Gnostic writings and other heresies in the late 1st to mid 2nd Century is strong evidence for Jesus' historicity. No one invents such stories and ideas about people who do not exist. Furthermore, the heretical writings generally say very little about Jesus and his apostles but merely present them as talking heads that speak in favor of heretical ideas, generally well-known pagan ideas. In other words, these writings presuppose the well known existence of Jesus, the basic events of his life, his apostles and other persons from the four New Testament Gospels. On the other hand, these writings had no connection to the apostles as they generally claim: They were written after the time of the apostles and had no connection with anyone who was a disciple of one of the apostles. Even modern liberal scholars who want to propose that these writings preserve some form of Christianity are forced to admit that these writings have no apostolic connection.

Other Jewish Sources
*The Talmud (c. 135 AD). Article at Never Thirsty
*Toledoth Jesu (Compiled in the 5th Century AD, these were a collection of writings dating from mid 1st century to mid 2nd century AD). The relevant section from The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary Habermas can be seen at the Google Books preview, p.205-206.

Other Gentiles
*Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirical playwright (c. 165-175 AD). Article at Never Thirsty
*Mara Bar-Serapion (c. 73-200 AD). Article at Never Thirsty
*Greek Magical Paypyri. Article at Never Thirsty

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RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

My Class: "Ancient Documents That Confirm the Gospels"
*MP3 Audio (45 minutes)
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen (and/or the handout).
*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"

Videos
*"Is There Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?" by Peter Williams (6 minutes)

Articles (& Book Chapters) Online
*"What Early Non-Christians Said About Christianity": Links to various articles related to the historical confirmation of the Gospels by ancient non-Christian sources. Written by the authors of Triablogue.

*"Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible" by Lawrence Mykytiuk. This is the January/February 2015 feature article for BAR (Biblical Archaeology Review). Excellent!
*"Is There Any Evidence for Jesus Outside the Bible?" by J. Warner Wallace
*"Early Historical Documents on Jesus Christ." A nice article at New Advent.
*"Ancient Non-Christian Sources" This is the ninth chapter from The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ  by Gary Habermas and is available for FREE.
*"Evidence for Jesus' Miracles Outside the Bible" by Ryan Leasure.
*"Historical Jesus - Two Centuries Worth of Citations" at True Free Thinker. Lists more than 200 ancient documents within the first 2 centuries or so that mention Christ.
**McDowell, Josh and Sean McDowell. Evidence That Demands A Verdict (2017 edition). Chapter 6: "The Historical Existence of Jesus," section II. "Non-Christian Sources" (rated according to value) and III. "Christian Sources" (of exceptional value)

Books
*Jesus Outside the New Testament by Robert  Van Voorst
*The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary Habermas
*Second-Century Christianity: A Collection of Fragments (Revised and Expanded) by Robert M. Grant. Brief intros and excerpts from 39 different documents from the 2nd Century.
*Testimonies of Heathen and Christian Writers of the First Two Centuries to the Truth and Power of the Gospel (1837) by Thomas Browne. FREE!

STILL LOOKING?.... 
*See RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR JESUS: Videos, Articles & Books
...OR "Historical Quotations About Jesus" at Never Thirsty