Anyway, there's far more documented evidence of Julius Caesar, in addition to all the archaeological evidence of his existence, than there is of Jesus Christ, of whom all there is is early Christian literature like the Gospels. From what I understand, there are no non-Christian sources that mention Jesus; whereas there's plenty of non-Roman sources that mention Julius Caesar.
The weight of historical record is not just from manuscripts. That's a gross oversimplification of how historicity is established. Plenty of other things can be used.
Happy to enlighten you to the truth of the matter:
Non-biblical Sources for Historicity of Jesus
1C. CORNELIUS TACITUS (born A.D. 52-54)
A Roman historian, in 112 A.D., Governor of Asia, son-in-law of Julius Agricola who was Governor of Britain A.D. 80-84.
Writing of the reign of Nero, Tacitus alludes to the death of Christ and to the existence of Christians at Rome: "But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished with the most exquisite tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also." Annals XV. 44
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (pp. 81-82). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
2C. LUCIAN OF SAMOSATA
A satirist of the second century, who spoke scornfully of Christ and the Christians. He connected them with the synagogues of Palestine and alluded to Christ as: " . . . the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world....
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (p. 82). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
3C. FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS (born A.D. 37)
A Jewish historian, became a Pharisee at age 19; in A.D. 66 he was the commander of Jewish forces in Galilee. After being captured, he was attached to the Roman headquarters. He says in a hotly-contested quotation: "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day." Antiquities, xviii.33. (Early second century)
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (p. 82). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
4C. SUETONIUS (A.D. 120)
Another Roman historian, court official under Hadrian, annalist of the Imperial House, says: "As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus (another spelling of Christus), he expelled them from Rome." Life of Claudius 25.4 He also writes: "Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition." Lives of the Caesars, 26.2
5C. PLINIUS SECUNDUS, PLINY THE YOUNGER Governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor (A.D. 112),
Pliny was writing the emperor Trajan seeking counsel as to how to treat the Christians. He explained that he had been killing both men and women, boys and girls. There were so many being put to death that he wondered if he should continue killing anyone who was discovered to be a Christian, or if he should kill only certain ones. He explained that he had made the Christians bow down to the statues of Trajan. He goes on to say that he also "made them curse Christ, which a genuine Christian cannot be induced to do." In the same letter he says of the people who were being tried: "They affirmed, however, that the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verse a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves to a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up." Epistles X.96
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (p. 83). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
6C. TERTULLIAN Jurist-theologian of Carthage, in a defense of Christianity (A.D. 197)
before the Roman authorities in Africa, mentions the exchange between Tiberius and Pontius
Pilate: "Tiberius accordingly, in those days the Christian name made its entry into the world, having himself received intelligence from the truth of Christ's divinity, brought the matter before the senate, with his own decision in favor of Christ. The senate, because it had not given the approval itself, rejected his proposal. Caesar held to his opinion, threatening wrath against all the accusers of the Christians" (Apology, V.2). Some historians doubt the historicity of this passage. Also, Cr. Justin Martyr, Apology, 1.35.
7C. THALLUS, THE SAMARITAN-BORN HISTORIAN One of the first Gentile writers who mentions Christ is Thallus, who wrote in 52 A.D.
However, his writings have disappeared and we only know of them from fragments cited by other writers. One such writer is Julius Africanus, a Christian writer about 221 A.D. One very interesting passage relates to a comment from Thallus. Julius Africanus writes: " 'Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun unreasonably, as it seems to me* (unreasonably, of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died)." Thus, from this reference we see that the Gospel account of the darkness which fell upon the land during Christ's crucifixion was well known and required a naturalistic explanation from those non-believers who witnessed it. 2/113
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (pp. 83-84). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
8C. PHLEGON, A FIRST CENTURY HISTORIAN His Chronicles have been lost, but a small fragment of that work, which confirms the darkness upon the earth at the crucifixion, is also mentioned by Julius Africanus. After his (Africanus5) remarks about Thallus* unreasonable opinion of the darkness, he quotes Phlegon that "during the time of Tiberius Caesar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the full moon." 7/IIB, sect. 256 f16, p. 1165 Phlegon is also mentioned by Origen in Contra Celsum, Book 2, sections 14,33,59. Philopon (De. opif. mund. II21) says: "And about this darkness... Phlegon recalls it in the Olympiads (the title of his history)." He says that "Phlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, and no other (eclipse), it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous t i m e s . . . and this is shown by the historical account itself of Tiberius Caesar." 4/H B, sect. 257 f 16, c, p. 1165
9C. LETTER OF MARA BAR-SERAPION F. F. Bruce records that there is: " . . . in the British Museum an interesting manuscript preserving the text of a letter written some time later than A.D. 73, but how much later we cannot be sure. This letter was sent by a Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapion to his son Serapion. Mara Bar-Serapion was in prison at the time, but he wrote to encourage his son in the pursuit of wisdom, and pointed out that those who persecuted wise men were overtaken by misfortune. He instances the deaths of Socrates, Pythagoras and Christ:
McDowell, Josh (1992-09-01). Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1: 001 (p. 84). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
