Some people say Jesus never existed, or that the Gospels are myths. Historians of every belief disagree: nearly all scholars accept that Jesus of Nazareth really lived, preached in Galilee and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. The real question is not whether Jesus lived, but who He is.
Writers who were not Christians mention Him too. The Roman historian Tacitus, writing around the year 116, said that “Christus” had been executed by Pontius Pilate while Tiberius was emperor. The Jewish historian Josephus mentioned Jesus and His relative James. These writers did not believe in Jesus, but they knew He was real.
The Gospels were written within living memory of Jesus: Mark around the years 65 to 70, Matthew and Luke in the decades after, and John near the end of the first century. Luke says he carefully investigated everything, drawing on eyewitnesses. People in that culture were trained to remember teachings accurately, and the apostles were still alive to correct mistakes.
Thousands of ancient handwritten copies of the New Testament survive, some fragments from the second century. No other ancient book comes close. By comparing them, scholars can recover the original text with great confidence.
The Gospels also include details that someone making up a story would have left out: the apostles misunderstanding Jesus, Peter denying Him, and women, whose word carried little weight in court at that time, being the first witnesses of the Resurrection. They tell the truth even when it is embarrassing.
Still, the Gospels are more than history. They are testimonies of faith, written by believers so that others would believe, and the Church holds that they faithfully hand on what Jesus really did and taught. History can bring you to the question; only faith, which is God's gift, can answer it with Peter: “You are the Christ.”