Regarding the references made by first - and second - century historians to Jesus and the early Christians, the Encyclopædia Britannica, 2002 Edition, says: “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries. ”
येशूला त्याच्या विरोधकांनी अटक केली तेव्हा त्याचे सोबती त्याला सोडून पळून गेले व त्याचा मित्र पेत्र याने घाबरून त्याला ओळखत असल्याचे नाकारले.