“With respect to Jesus, we have numerous, independent accounts of his life in the sources lying behind the Gospels (and the writings of Paul) -- sources that originated in Jesus' native tongue Aramaic and that can be dated to within just a year or two of his life (before the religion moved to convert pagans in droves). Historical sources like that are pretty astounding for an ancient figure of any kind. Moreover, we have relatively extensive writings from one first-century author, Paul, who acquired his information within a couple of years of Jesus' life and who actually knew, first hand, Jesus' closest disciple Peter and his own brother James.” - Bart Ehrman
Bart Ehrman is the author of ‘Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth.’ He is also a distinguished biblical scholar, and an atheist.
99.99% of all of the history books that any of us have ever read were written long after the described events. The view (meant to be derogatory) that “the Gospels were written long after the described events” founders on its own premises. The reality…as unwelcome or unpleasant as some clearly find it…is that the New Testament documents are reliable accounts.
There's far more supporting documentation for Jesus than for Aristotle.
