In the book of Acts, Luke records the words of the mob at Thessalonica claiming that the new Christian Movement was upsetting the world order: These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus (17.6b-7 NIV). Therefore, it is clear that Christianity became notorious and radical. Jesus, and His movement in history, was radical in the sense that it found its roots from the earliest pages of scripture as a fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption. Not only was Jesus a king, he was also a high priest and sacrifice.

The notoriety of His new movement was Jesus’ prediction in the parables of The Mustard Tree and The Leavened Dough (Mt. 13.31-33). What started out as a group of a few disciples in Galilee, in a few years, became the talk of the Roman Empire. Here are some mostly extra-biblical references of the historicity of Jesus.

Top Ten Historical References to Jesus Outside of the Bible — Bible Archaeology Report