No, we don’t have Jesus’ mugshot from a Roman archive. Also no, that’s not how ancient history works. We track the real markers: Paul’s letters, Gospel tradition layers, two grumpy non-Christians (Josephus and Tacitus) who mention him, and archaeology that matches the story’s stage. Then we run the historian playbook—embarrassment, dissimilarity, coherence, context—and the scorecard lights up. Historians across the spectrum agree, but what do they conclude?
No, we don’t have Jesus’ mugshot from a Roman archive. Also no, that’s not how ancient history works. We track the real markers: Paul’s letters, Gospel tradition layers, two grumpy non-Christians (Josephus and Tacitus) who mention him, and archaeology that matches the story’s stage. Then we run the historian playbook—embarrassment, dissimilarity, coherence, context—and the scorecard lights up. Historians across the spectrum agree, but what do they conclude?