Historical Evidence for Jesus
Evidence from Ancient Non-Christian Writings
Jesus is mentioned in a number of notable non-Christian authors who lived in the 1st century A.D. including Tacitus, Josephus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger. He is also mentioned by Lucian of Samosa from the 2nd century A.D., and the Babylonian Talmud. From these references, all from non-Christians with no bias towards Jesus (if not outright bias against him), we learn that he was a 1st century Jew, who was alledged to be the Christ, and was executed by crucifixion under Pontious Pilate. We also learn that even after his death, the followers of Jesus worshiped him as God and continued to spread his teachings. We have a probable reference to the belief in the resurrection, and we know that Christians refused to worship pagan gods, receiving persecution and even the death penalty in reward.
Evidence from Ancient Christian Writings
Jesus is also mentioned in many Christian writings. The earliest of these, mostly letters to various churches or individuals, but also including four narrative accounts of Jesus' life, were written by his close companions mere decades after he lived, and together constitute the New Testament. We also have lots of Christian writings from the 2nd century A.D. by church fathers such as Clement, Papias, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Irenaeus, and many more.
Evidence from Archaeology
The accounts in the Bible are further verified by the findings of archaeology, which has time and time again identified specific places mentioned in the Bible which were previously unknown. These include the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7), the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2), Jacob's well (John 4:5-6), the Capernaum synagogue (Luke 4:33), an inscription dedicated to Pontius Pilate at Caesarea, the temples and palaces of Herod, the temple to Artemis at Ephesus (Acts 19:27), and the foundations of the Jerusalem temple. Excavations have revealed the probable tombs of Lazarus in Bethany, Simeon (Luke 2:25) and the high priest Caiaphas in Jerusalem, and the disputed grave of James the brother of Jesus.
Do the Dead Sea Scrolls dis-prove Christianity?
The Dead Sea Scrolls do not actually mention Jesus or Christianity. They consist of a collection of religious and literary writings composed by an isolated Jewish community at Qumran, written between 200 B.C. and 68 A.D. While they do not have any direct bearing on the life of Jesus, they have been a monumental aid to learning about Jewish culture and religious thought at the time of Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls also include some of the oldest copies of parts of the Old Testament in our posession, confirming the incredible accuracy with which the Bible manuscripts have been copied over time. In short, far from proving an embarrassment to Christianity, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has caused a massive leap ahead in Biblical scholarship and understanding.