Often times you will hear unbelievers demand extra-biblical sources to validate the Christian narrative. However, this is usually based off of two incorrect assumptions.
First, unbelievers assume the Bible is one book written by one author when in reality, it is made up of 66 books written by around 35-40 different authors over thousands of years. Unbelievers point to the Bible as a whole demanding more sources but they already have 35-40 different sources.
The second assumption is that the sourcing of the Bible must be discounted because it was biased towards Christianity. It is important to grasp what they are demanding here. They are demanding that the sources are unreliable because they happened to write in favor of the Christian narrative.
Both of these premises are not pursued with any other ancient writings. These demands by unbelievers are exclusive to the Bible. They are holding separate standards for evidence that other historical events occurred than those pieces of evidence that the events of the Bible occurred. In fact, they are attempting to create a high enough bar that no matter what level you offered, they would come back and say “we need more”.
So this argument that says extra-bible documentation to validate the biblical narrative is simply one not worth engaging in because it would always be about changing goal posts. Nonetheless, we will tackle the extra-biblical evidence just for the sake of showing it is out there. Are there extra-bible sources? You bet.
- Unbelievers often demand extra-biblical sources to validate the Bible, based on assumptions about its authorship and bias.
- Early Christian leaders like Clement of Rome and Ignatius, and non-believers like Flavius Josephus and Pliny the Younger, provide historical accounts confirming Jesus’ existence and crucifixion.
- Extra-biblical sources support key aspects of the Gospel, demonstrating the validity of the Christian narrative beyond the Bible.
Early Christian Leaders & Believers
Clement of Rome
Catholics consider Clement of Rome to be the 4th Pope. He wrote a letter to the Corinthians dated around 96 A.D. that addresses the Old Testament as well as the crucifixion of Jesus. It is notable for one of the earliest non-biblical affirmations that we receive justification through faith and not by works.
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius was an early church leader that is mostly known for his letters he wrote prior to his execution in 110 A.D. His letters spoke out against sinful acts as well as it addresses the authority structure in churches.
Early Non-Believers
Flavius Josephus
Josephus is probably the most well known historian that wrote about early Christianity and was also a non believer. His writings acknowledge the existence of Jesus and also that some believe that he was the Messiah.
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger was a self-proclaimed persecutor of Christians. He wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan and he confirmed that Christians considered Jesus to be God.
What Do The Extra-Biblical Sources Tell Us?
The extra-biblical sources confirm that there was a man named Jesus, his followers worshipped him and considered him God, that he was crucified, and that they were persecuted for their beliefs. To a large extent, you can confirm the Gospel by just reading non-Biblical sources and even ‘enemy testimony’.
