Are There Any Extrabiblical Early Writings Mentioning The Resurrection Of Jesus?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, November 6, 2026 (Donate)
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely
central to Christianity (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). The Bible provides sufficient
proof of the resurrection because it the authoritative Word of God.
Nevertheless, many ask if there are extrabiblical writings
that confirm what the Bible is saying. Yes, there are!
We have early historical testimonies and writings outside
Scripture that indeed confirm that Jesus was crucified and that His
followers proclaimed His resurrection. These sources include Jewish, Roman, and
early Christian authors.
Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100)
Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian who wrote the
famous Antiquities of the Jews around AD 93-94 for his Roman captors. He
discusses Jesus in a passage commonly called the Testimonium Flavianum. The
traditional text includes this statement:
"He appeared to them alive
again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand
other wonderful things concerning him."[1]
This is powerful because Josephus wasn’t a Christian.
Other Early Historical Writings
1. Clement of Rome (c. AD 95). In 1 Clement 24 and 42,
Clement explicitly affirms Christ's resurrection and teaches that the apostles
preached because they were convinced Jesus had risen. Clement was an early
Christian teacher and was even mentioned in Philippians 4:3.
2. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110). In Letter to the
Smyrnaeans 3, Ignatius insists that Jesus physically rose from the dead and
appeared bodily to His disciples. This is an important early testimony against
those denying Christ's physical resurrection. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle
John.
3. Tacitus (c. AD 116). The Roman historian records
that Christus (i.e., Christ) suffered execution under Pontius Pilate during
Emperor Tiberius's reign (Annals 15.44). Although Tacitus doesn’t affirm
the resurrection directly, he independently points out Jesus' execution and the
subsequent growth of Christianity.
4. Pliny the Younger (c. AD 112). Writing to Emperor Trajan,
Pliny describes Christians gathering to worship Christ as divine (Letters
10.96). This reveals a lot. It shows how firmly Christianity had become
established despite persecution.
5. Polycarp of Smyrna (early second century). In Letter
to the Philippians 2, Polycarp affirms that God raised Jesus Christ from
the dead. His testimony showed the importance of the resurrection among early
Christians. He was also an early Christian leader connected to the Apostle John
like Ignatius.
Conclusion
These extrabiblical writings are powerful confirmations that
Jesus was crucified, that His followers proclaimed His resurrection, and that
Christianity spread rapidly regardless of the opposition. Early church
witnesses repeatedly affirmed the bodily resurrection. Meanwhile, non-Christian
historians confirmed the events too whether they realized the significance or
not.
These documents can’t independently establish the miracle
itself but that is irrelevant because God’s Word already did that.
Nevertheless, they reinforce or back up the account in another
way. As Christians, the resurrection remains the capstone of the gospel for eternal
life through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
[1] Josephus,
Antiquities of the Jews, 18.3.3, translated by William Whiston, In Book 18,
Chapter 3, Section 3 (18.63-64), AD 93-94.
