The Bible Is Unique #17 (New Testament is True Based on Historical Confirmation) One of the tests for any document of history to see if internally it is trustworthy and accurate is this: Are there references literary, historical, or archaeological, apart from the document under investigation, that confirms the inner testimony of it? I would like to go to Suetonius AD 120. Suetonius wrote, “He expelled the Jews from Rome on account of the riots in which they were constantly indulging at the instigation of Christus [referring to Christ].” Suetonius text is very significant for this reason. Because it shows that within in a few decades, the movement of He, the Christ, spread all the way from Jerusalem to Rome. And this is confirming the existence of Christ and the Christian message totally apart from the Scriptures. And then Tacitus. Many people consider Tacitus one of the best and most accurate of Roman historians who wrote the Annals. Tacitus says this, now a Roman historian totally apart from the Scriptures, “Therefore to squelch the rumor, Nero created scapegoats and subjected them to the most refined tortures those whom the common people call Christians. They were hated for their abdominal crimes. The author of this name Christ, during the rein of Tiberius had been executed by the procurator, Pontius Pilot, suppressed for the moment, the deadly superstition broke out again not only in Judea, but in the land which originated this evil, but also in the city of Rome where all sorts of horrendous and shameful practices from every part of the World converged and are fervently cultivated.” Wow, that is what people consider one of the most accurate Romans historians confirming the inner testimony of the Scriptures about Christ, about when He lived, who crucified Him, everything. Folks, when it comes to the external evidence test of any historiography, the principles that determine authenticity, the New Testament stands strong. I can hold the New Testament in my hand and say, “What I have is what was written down, and second, what was written down was true. Jesus actually did that, and he actually said that.” Folks, that is just a little tip of the iceberg of all the historical confirmations of the New Testament. Summary: The writings of Suetonius and Tacitus, both eminent Roman historians, add further credence for the trustworthiness of the New Testament. They provide evidence, apart from the Bible, about the existence of Jesus and his influence in the world. Suetonius documents how quickly Christianity spread from Jerusalem to Rome within a few decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tacitus, author of Annals, and one of Rome’s most accurate historians, describes how Nero tortured Christians, hoping to suppress Jesus’ influence from Judea all the way to Rome and beyond. Josh states that based on the external evidence test, the New Testament stands strong and the Scriptures are accurate and true in what is written about Jesus. Questions: 1. How do Suetonius and Tacitus help prove the truth of what the Scriptures state about Jesus and the spread of Christianity? 2. How does the New Testament measure up when put to the external evidence test? 3. Have we exhausted all of the historical confirmations for the New Testament? 4. Did Jesus actually do and say what the Bible says. 5. How does Josh know that? .