Is there any proof that Jesus existed?

Flavius Josephus (c. 37–c. 100), a Jew and Roman citizen who worked under the patronage of the Flavians, wrote the Antiquities of the Jews in 93. In it, Jesus is mentioned twice. In the second very brief mentioning, Josephus calls James, "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ".[38] This is considered by the majority of scholars to be authentic

 

Not hanging my hat on anything. I tend to believe that Jesus was a historical figure. Not real sure that the Gospels portray anywhere close to an accurate picture, however.

 

Not the question at hand.

 

Neither is evolution.

 

Yeah, but Jesus was dead 4 years before his birth. So everything he wrote was hearsay.

 

Which means it would be fine to challenge his comments about Jesus' behavior, except that he doesn't comment on that. I wasn't born yet when JFK died, but I can document the fact that he existed.

 

Shelby Foote is gonna be bummed.

 

perhaps you could link such writings.

 

They are several linked in the wiki article CableGuy linked

Tacitus
Nero fastened the guilt [of starting the blaze] and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius

Suetonius
"As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome".[
The event was noted in Acts 18:2. The term Chrestus also appears in some later texts applied to Jesus

 

Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger, the provincial governor of Pontus and Bithynia, wrote to Emperor Trajan c. 112 concerning how to deal with Christians, who refused to worship the emperor, and instead worshiped "Christus". The name "Jesus" is not used.

Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ — none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do — these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.

They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food—but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations.[60]