Did Jesus really die of crucifixion like the gospels tell us? Was his crucifixion recorded in other sources? The answer to both questions is yes. John Dominic Crossan, a critical scholar and participant in the Jesus Seminar, wrote concerning the historicity of Jesus crucifixion in his book Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography , “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.” Among critical scholars like Crossan many of the words and deeds recorded in the gospels are not considered to be historically accurate- yet the resurrection is. This is significant because it demonstrates that liberal theologians and critical scholars of the bible confirm what the gospels tell us- that Jesus was crucified. In addition, and I believe more importantly, there are records from antiquity that confirm the historicity of the crucifixion. 1st century historians Josephus and Tacitus, 2nd century Greek Satirist Lucian, Mara Bar- Serapion, and the Jewish Talmud, testify to the fact that Jesus was crucified. If there was no crucifixion, why would these sources record it? They were not biased Christians that had a vested interest in proliferating this message, but they were secular writers and some were opposed to the message. These multiple, independent sources regarding the account of the crucifixion is one principle historians employ to determine whether a particular account is historical (Licona 36). Another historical principle that these accounts fall under is the “attestation by an enemy”. Historians believe that enemy attestations indicate the authenticity of an account.
These facts confirm and reiterate what the gospels have accurately reported- the crucifixion of Jesus. This was a real historical event attested to and confirmed by independent ancient historians and now by liberal scholars.
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