JESUS' AMAZING MIRACLES: THE EVIDENCE

The amazing array of miracles that Jesus performed is one of the many amazing confirmations that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament (and therefore the God of Israel--the only true God and Creator of the Universe--come in the flesh).

In prophesying about the coming of God's kingdom, Isaiah said:

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
(Isaiah 35:3-6a)

When John the Baptist was in jail and was having his doubts about Jesus, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come [that is, the Messiah], or should we expect someone else?" Jesus responded: "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor...." (See Matthew 11:2-5. For Jesus healing the blind, see Matthew 9:27-31, etc. For Jesus healing the deaf and mute, see Matthew 9:32-33, Mark 7:32-37, and Mark 9:17-27. For Jesus healing the lame, see Matthew 9:1-8. For Jesus healing lepers--or someone with a skin disease, see Matthew 8:2-4. For Jesus raising the dead, see Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 7:11-15; and John 11:1-44.)

Many who saw Jesus working so many miracles asked: “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” (John 7:31)

So the prophets foretold that miracles would accompany the coming of the Messiah, and First Century Jews saw his many miracles as a sign that he was the Messiah. But Jesus himself consistently pointed to his miracles as a sign testifying to his messiahship: 

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” (John 14:10-11; Also see: John 5:36; 10:25; 10:37-38; 15:24; Matthew 11:20-24.)

And his apostles reiterated this, as we see with Peter at the very first public proclamation of Jesus' resurrection on the day of Pentecost: "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22)


So This Is the Claim, But Why Should We Believe It?
Is there good reason to believe these claims about Jesus' miracles? This is a valid question. And the answer is: Yes. In fact, there are many good reasons to believe the accounts of Jesus' miracles: 

1. The reliability of the Gospels themselves: The Gospels are shown to be historically reliable documents in all that they attest to and this is established by many factors including....
2. Archaeology: My class "Digging Up The New Testament"--which is listed first among the resources on my blog page "Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament"--gives a good overview of how archaeology shows that the Gospels are historically reliable.
3. Ancient Extrabiblical Documents: See the section below for Extrabiblical documents that directly confirm that Jesus worked miracles.
4. Undesigned Coincidences: My class on "Undesigned Coincidences" (that is listed first among the resources on the "Undesigned Coincidences" blog page) is particularly relevant as it focuses on the undesigned coincidences for one of Jesus' many miracles: the feeding of the 5000.
5. The Intense Persecution of the Early Church (and especially the apostles): My class "The Apostles: Dying to Tell the World" (which is listed first among the resources on my blog page "The Intense Persecution of the Early Church....") gives a good overview of how their willingness to suffer hardship confirms the truth of the major points of the Gospels--especially Jesus' miracles and his resurrection. (Note: There is a lot on that page, so you will need to scroll down a ways before you get to the "Resources.")

We can add a sixth evidence of the reliability of the Gospels (and much more if I had time): The Gospels all record eyewitness testimony and were all written well within the lifetime of many other eyewitnesses. If the miracle accounts were greatly exaggerated, there would have been plenty of people to discredit them and the Christian movement as a whole. 

Two of the Gospels are indeed eyewitness accounts, written by the apostles whose names they bear: Matthew and John (see John 19:35 & 21:24; also see points 3 & 4 of my article on Papias). Very early testimony by those who knew the apostles (e.g., Papias, see point 2 of my article on Papias) attests that Mark recorded the testimony of the apostle Peter. And Luke states explicitly in his prologue (1:1-4) that his Gospel is the result of a thorough investigation of eyewitness accounts.

Furthermore, Luke was written before 55 AD and Matthew and Mark were written before Luke (see my article: "Why 1 Timothy Was Written No Later Than 55 AD & Why That Matters"; and I am working on an article to provide much more evidence for this dating for Luke that I hope to publish within the next few weeks). And in 55 AD, Paul says that Jesus "appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living...." (1 Corinthians 15:6).  So....this means that after the Gospels were written and circulated, there were still hundreds of witnesses who had seen Jesus risen from the dead. Also, the apostles Peter, John, Paul and James the brother of Jesus (four of the most important witnesses to Jesus were still alive then and probably most of the other apostles. In fact, the only apostle known to be dead before 55 AD would have been James, the brother of John and the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2).

Finally, three of the apostolic fathers bear strong witness to the Gospel's miracle claims long after the Gospels were written. (See my article on the importance of the apostolic fathers.):

PAPIAS, BISHOP OF HIERAPOLIS & DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN, WHO WROTE A 5-VOLUME WORK ON JESUS (written c. 115-130 AD):

"As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he [Papias] states that they survived until the time of Hadrian [who reigned 117-138 AD]." (from 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)

QUADRATUS OF ATHENS (wrote c. 125 AD):  

"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." [Eusebius (lived c.260-339) quoted this from Quadratus' Apology in his Church History 4.2.1-3 (c. 325 AD).]

IRENAEUS, A DISCIPLE OF POLYCARP (died 155 AD) WHO WAS A DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN (died 100 AD):

"For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events (inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping pace with the growth of the soul, become incorporated with it); so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse — his going out, too, and his coming in — his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp having thus received [information] from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life, would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures. These things, through, God's mercy which was upon me, I then listened to attentively, and treasured them up not on paper, but in my heart; and I am continually, by God's grace, revolving these things accurately in my mind." (written c. 175-185 AD; see Fragment 3 of the lost works of Irenaeus as found in The Ante-Nicene Fathers by Roberts and Donaldson)

In fact, not many scholars deny that Jesus worked miracles. Not only are Jesus' miracles widely attested throughout all of the Gospels and Acts and by the apostolic fathers. But they are also universally attested to by non-Christians:

PONTIUS PILATE (wrote c.33 AD) as cited by JUSTIN MARTYR (wrote c.155 AD; lived c. 100-165 AD):

"And that it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases and raise the dead, hear what was said. There are these words: At His coming the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking: the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about. Isaiah 35:6 And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate." (The First Apology of Justin Martyr, chapter 48)

*NOTE: Some scholars think Justin merely assumed the record existed. Other scholars think that he had knowledge of some forged document (though the only one we know of was written long after Justin's time). I personally think that it is more likely that this learned man 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.

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS (wrote c. 93 AD; lived 37-100 AD):

"Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders [that is, miracles]...." (Josephus' Antiquities 18:63) For more on this passage from Josephus see this excellent article by Dr. Paul Maier, a professor of history and an expert on ancient history who published a commentary on The New Complete Works of Josephus and also his own translation in Josephus: The Essential Works)

THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD (written c. 70 – 200 AD):

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu (Jesus) was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover." [See The Babylonian Talmud, translated by I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1935), vol. III, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281, as cited in Habermas, GaryThe Historical Jesus, p. 203.]

*NOTE: Similar to what we find in the Gospels (see Matthew 9:34; 12:24-27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15), the Jews did not deny in the Talmud that Jesus did miracles but rather said that his miracles were works of sorcery. 

CELSUS (wrote c. 175-180 AD):

"For he [Celsus] represents the Jew disputing with Jesus, and confuting Him, as he thinks, on many points; and in the first place, he accuses Him of having invented his birth from a virgin, and upbraids Him with being born in a certain Jewish village, of a poor woman of the country, who gained her subsistence by spinning, and who was turned out of doors by her husband, a carpenter by trade, because she was convicted of adultery; that after being driven away by her husband, and wandering about for a time, she disgracefully gave birth to Jesus, an illegitimate child, who having hired himself out as a servant in Egypt on account of his poverty, and having there acquired some miraculous powers, on which the Egyptians greatly pride themselves, returned to his own country, highly elated on account of them, and by means of these proclaimed himself a God." (Origen's Against Celsus, Book 1, chapter 28)

*NOTE: Again, the claim is not that Jesus did not do miracles, but rather that he they were pagan miracles or that he learned to fake them.

RESOURCES: 
*For more on the non-Christian references to Jesus' miracles, see "Evidence for Jesus' Miracles Outside the Bible."
*For more on extrabiblical evidence for Jesus, see my blog article: "Ancient Documents (Besides the New Testament) That Mention Jesus."


So Could Jesus Have Faked His Miracles?
Master Illusionist Andre Kole (inventor of over 1000 illusions including about 100 of David Copperfield's illusions) approached Jesus' Miracles as a skeptic before becoming a believer. He concluded with certainty that Jesus could not have faked his miracles. See this 6-minute video:

The Range of Jesus' Miracles Is Amazing
The Gospels give accounts of more than 50 different miracles that Jesus did. They ranged from healing the blind and the lame to raising the dead, from walking on water to feeding tens of thousands by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, from casting out demons to raising himself from the dead. (For a helpful list of these miracles see: "The Miracles of Jesus.") And the Gospels all make it clear that these are not the only miracles that Jesus did:

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them." (Matthew 4:23-24)

"They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed." (Mark 6:55-56)

"A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all." (Luke 6:17b-19)

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

"This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:24-25)

No One In History Performed Miracles Like Jesus
We have the army of modern skeptics to thank for sifting through the records of history desperately seeking to find someone like Jesus, so that they can say: "See, Jesus is not the only one who performed miracles!" And the three best parallels that they can come up with are:

HONI, THE CIRCLE DRAWER (prayed for rain c. 65 BC)

Honi is credited as doing one miracle: he prayed for rain during a drought and it rained. That's it. That is hardly a parallel to Jesus. There are far greater parallels to Jesus in the Old Testament. Moses is the closest parallel and with good reason: because Jesus is the "prophet like Moses" that was prophesied to come (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Not only does Honi's single miracle pale compared to the miracles of Jesus, but the only two records of Honi are from at least 135 years later (not by eyewitnesses nor during the lifetime of eyewitnesses nor even the lifetime of those who knew eyewitnesses and no comparison to the less than 20 years' distance of the Gospel accounts of Jesus).

APOLLONIUS OF TYANA (lived c.15-100 AD)

Appolonius is indeed credited with a wide variety of miracles, but the nature of them still is unlike those performed by Jesus. More imporantly, the record of Apollonius that we have (Life of Apollonius of Tyana) was written c.220 AD, long past the time of eyewitnesses and those who knew eyewitnesses--and also at a time and place in which it was likely intended to be some kind of parallel to Jesus (though it fails miserably). Besides, it does not read anything like history but rather reads like a very silly legend--or as David Marshall says: like a Saturday Night Live skit! [See p.199, 204-206 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016). See p.199-222 for a more detailed refutation of Apollonius as a parallel to Jesus.]

BAAL SHEM TOV (lived 1698-1760)

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (aka, the Besht) was an 18th Century Jewish rabbi and mystic and the founder of the Jewish Hasidic movement. It is claimed that he performed miracles in a little known work entitled In Praise of Baal Shem Tov. The work itself is written in 1814 (54 years after his death and nearly a century after the earlier accounts). The author of this work is not extremely clear about the source of his stories, but at one point he relates that he heard them from a rabbi, who heard it from another rabbi--and it is unclear whether this rabbi was actually an eyewitness: 

"I heard these tales from the rabbi, the famous great light, Rabbi Gedaliah. God bless his memory, who said that he heard them from the famous Hasid, our teacher Schmersl, God bless his memory, the preacher of the holy community of Zwierzchowka." [as quoted on p.267 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016)].

So the accounts of Baal Shem Tov's miracles are not first even second-hand accounts nor were they written down within the lifetime of eyewitnesses for most of them. In fact, there were no eyewitnesses for many of them, as they were not public miracles but things like private visions or a letter purported to have been written privately by the Baal Shem Tov 16 years earlier, etc. 

If you go to the collection of stories housed on a website of the Hasidic movement, you will find this claim: "No sage since Biblical times is more known than Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as an incredible miracle worker. Read some amazing stories about the feats of the founder of the chassidic movement." But when you actually read the stories, you do not find miracle claims that rival those of Jesus. I invite you to go and read the stories they have chosen for yourself. 

David Marshall reflects on the "miracles" reported for Baal Shem Tov: "As with Apollonius, the reason Ehrman cites Baal Shem Tov in the first place...is that the man supposedly did miracles. But did he?....The Besht can make himself invisible. He intuits the thoughts of others. He talks with animals....[and then there is] the reincarnated frog who claimed to have been a scholar who had lived 500 years previously" (p.274-275 of Jesus Is No Myth!). In another story, Satan transforms himself into a sorcerer and then into a werewolf who attacks children who are with the Besht. The Besht clobbers the werewolf with a club and the next day locals find the body of a "gentile sorcerer." (p.266) In yet another story, the dog of one of his disciples jumps into a river and drowns. The disciple then eats a fish that is caught and exclaims: "It's taste is like life itself!" The conclusion of the story is that both the dog and the fish were the disciple's father reincarnated to bring the disciple this "blessing" (p.266). 

So far I fail to see any parallel to Jesus' very public ministry of miracles. How about you?:

• Where is the man born blind who receives his sight? (John 9:1-7) 
• Where are the ten lepers who are healed on their way to have the priest confirm their healing? (Luke 11:17-19) 
• Where are those who are raised from the dead and still alive to testify about it many decades later? (See Papias and Quadratus above. The Gospels record no less than 3 people that Jesus raised from the dead.) 
• Where are the crowds of people who bring their sick and they are all healed? (See above: Matthew 4:23-24; Mark 6:55-56; Luke 6:17-19) 
• Where is the crazed demoniac who cannot be bound by chains but suddenly finds himself at peace and in his right mind? (Mark 5:1-20) 
• Where is the man who had been an invalid for 38 years who immediately gets up and takes his mat and walks? (John 5:1-9) 
• Where is the account of Baal Shem Tov being raised from the dead?

Again, despite the outlandish false claims of Bart Ehrman (see p.263-264 of Marshall's Jesus Is No Myth! and Ehrman's blog article on Baal Shem Tov), the evidence for these miracles is not by any means the same as for the miracles of Jesus.

They do not meet any of the six criteria I laid out above for the reliability of the Gospels (nor do they meet the 50 criteria that Marshall lays out in Jesus Is No Myth!, The Truth Behind the New Atheism, and Why the Jesus Seminar Can't Find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could...nor the many criteria which I have been documenting over the past couple of years but have yet to publish)...nor are they attested to decades later by those who saw those whom Baal Shem Tov had healed...nor are they attested by those outside of Hasidic Judaism. For a more detailed refutation of Baal Shem Tov as a parallel to Jesus, see p.261-279 of Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016).

In conclusion, the historical evidence for Jesus' miracles is rock solid. Furthermore, no one in history has ever been claimed to work the kinds of miracles that Jesus did. And yet, if it was possible to get away with making up such claims and providing multiple eyewitnesses and significant evidence for such an array of public miracles, one would think that we would be able to find many examples. Certainly, there have been many who would like to claim that kind of power for themselves or for their sage heroes. Yet none are found.

The deep divide between Honi, Appolonius and the Besht only serves to prove the very thing that the skeptics have sought to disprove: that there is no one like Jesus. As Marshall writes: "If after ransacking your house for weapons, you challenge a thief with a butter knife, that probably means no more potent hardware lies hidden in your closet" (p.204 of Jesus Is No Myth!).

Resource: Marshall, David. Jesus Is No Myth! (self-pubished: 2016). See my review of Dr. Marshall's book here.


*SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS ARE FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION



RESOURCES FOR DIGGING DEEPER

My Class: "Jesus' Amazing Miracles"
*MP3 Audio 
*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)"


Articles
*Cooper, Brad: "Miracles: Resources for Study"
*Stewart, Don. "Why Should Anyone Believe in the Miracles of Jesus?"
*Biblical Archaeological Society. A collection of articles on "The Miracles of Jesus"

Books
*Habermas, Gary. The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions (a FREE! 50-page ebook)

*Twelftree, Graham (editor), The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects
*Beth, Karl. The Miracles of Jesus (FREE! to read online)

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