You claim there are references within five years of his death? What are they? You can't make such a self-assertion. I've followed the "historical Jesus," the actual person and not the church teachings, since the mid 1970s. Every academic books I have ever read, from believer or nobelievers, highlights the total lack of contemporary evidence.
I don't believe five years is a credibles source or I would have found it decades ago.
Despite the paucity of evidence, almost all "historical Jesus" scholars believe a Jesus existed. They are at a loss, however, to figure out what he actuall preached. It would be easier for us to view if we were Hindu or Buddhist.
The graffito of the donkey on the cross is universally cited as one of the first signs of the beliefs concerning Jesus.
Most of those who believe in Christ, as the church teaches, will deny any historical record or insights. Regardless of what I have studied, I have a vivid Christ in my mind. A Christ of my own construct, aided by a life enveloped by a traditionally Christian tradition. Who hasn't seen Michealangelo's Sistine Chapel or Da Vinci's Last Supper in prints? I don't know if we can ever confront Jesus of Nazareth, who died a Jew.
From my personal perspective, I don't see any clue that his apostles understood him. Something powerful happened at Pentecost, according to church tradition. These meek, clueless apostles became fiere defenders of the faith, according to tradition. Paul emerged and challenged them. Also, who here can rid themselves of countless generations of Jesus portrayls to accurately perceive the historical Jesus. I was young when JFK was assassinated. When the news reporters reported Catholic legend, I believed it was absolute truth. Some generations see a fearsome Jesus, others such as the Victorians, a meek lover of children. Yet the "historical Jesus" can be only one person.
It is possible to put faith in temporary suspension and read experts in the field. Scholars who know Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. People who understand the culture of the MIddle East and Rome during this period. I am an enthusiast b/c of the Witnesses. I have a plethora of text books. Some of the books are popularized for a mass market. Learning these items increased my faith. Now I can see a "historical Jesus" who is truly human. He was perfect in the older English sense of complete. If a less magical version of Jesus existed, Christ can be present in my daily, run of the mill life. Also, such a Jesus would have no foreknowledge of today's events. Of course, one can also view that Jesus may have existed but he was no Messiah. My belief is a choice. If people have read Life of Pi, I choose the story with the zoo animals.
I will leave a list later today or this evening. Perhaps a few people are not threatened by the truth, as now defined by academics.
