This present study sets out to identify non-Christian authors of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or early 4th centuries who make some reference to the early Christians. The historicity of the early Christians is assured by masses of Christian authors. But what do the non Christian authors have to say about the Christians, or the New Testament, or the early church? Or did they say absolutely nothing at all? And the church industry could not help but to fill in the gaps?
This list is supposed to be comprehensive. Who’s missing from it?
DATE --- Non-Christian Author and text,
BCE-BCE Erythraean Sibyl
106-043 Cicero translates Sibyl’s acrostic
040 BCE Virgil - advent of Christ predicted
BCE-100 Dead Sea Scrolls - theories?
030-033 King Abgar of Edessa - the letter
030-033 Letter from Herod Antipas to Pilate
034-034 Letter from Pilate to Tiberius
034-037 Report of Tiberius to the Senate
093-094 Josephus Flavius - TF18
093-094 Josephus Flavius - Antiquity 20
050-065 Seneca - correspondence with "Paul"
054-305 Nero to Diocletian: Persecutions
101-112 Pliny the Younger Ep 10:97
101-112 Emperor Trajan - Dear Pliny
115-116 Tacitus - Annals 15:44
117-138 Hadrian - Letter to Servianus
118-119 Suetonius - (Nero 16)
118-119 Suetonius - (Claudius 25)
122-122 Hadrian - Letter to Minicius Fundanus
125-125 Aristides the Philosopher - Apology
150-150 Antoninus - Epistle to assembly of Asia;
100-160 Fronto - Against; Minucius Felix
170-180 Marcus Aurelius - Letter to Senate
170-180 Marcus Aurelius - Meditations 11:3
170-180 Lucian - Life of Peregrine
170-180 Lucian - Alexander the Prophet
170-180 Lucian - The Patriot
170-180 Lucian - The Timarion
175-177 Celsus - True Discourse
180-200 Galen - Greek: "On the Pulse" 2 refs
180-200 Galen - Arabic: "On the Prime Mover"
180-200 Galen - Arabic: "Platonic Dialogues"
160-350 Talmud = Babylonian; Jerusalem
230-235 Cassius Dio - Epitome by Xiphilinus
240-270 Mani - Various writings
260-270 Plotinus
270-275 Aurelian - Letter about Sibylline Books
280-303 Porphyry = Against the Christians; VP
290-303 Sossianus Hierocles - Lover of Truth
280-380 Historia Augusta = 10 further refs
DISCUSSION
The provisional conclusion of this study is that all of the above references are best explained as either interpolations or forgeries undertaken by the Nicene church industry of the 4th and subsequent centuries. The implication is that the early Christians may not have existed in history and that the Nicene Church industry fabricated for itself a pseudo-historical origin.
Or are some of these references genuine and authentic? How do we know? Not everyone will agree with the interpretation of the evidence that it has been systematically corrupted. This is part of a larger study of evidence concerning the terminus ad quem (latest possible date) for Christian origins. A map of the evidence in a schematic form is available. [2]
[1] The Witnesses to the Historicity of Jesus (1912) by Arthur Drews, translated by Joseph McCabe
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Witn ... y_of_Jesus
[2] Evidence Map: Chronology of the components of Christian Literature
https://www.academia.edu/78665273/Evide ... Literature