So, I'm in /r/badhistory a lot, and I notice that they are constantly on about the "Jesus don't real" bit, disputing people saying that Jesus never existed. So, since Easter is just around the corner, I figured I would be the person brave (or stupid) enough to ask the question.

What first hand evidence is there that he existed? From my understanding (which may be horribly flawed, which is why I'm asking here) there is no actual first hand account of his life. The Gospel Of Mark is supposed to be, but from what I understand it also references things that happened after Mark died, meaning he couldn't have been the author. I know about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the recent "Jesus Wife" scroll, but aren't they both dated hundreds of years after he was crucified? I know I could be very wrong about all this, so I would really appreciate some expert information. Thanks in advance!

I have read (sorry, don't have reference) that Judea was a minor province, and Pontius Pilate was Equestrian, not Patrician. Both of these meant that Pilate did not have the rank to have had any actual Legionaries under his command. His soldiers were therefore actually Auxiliaries (possibly Samaritans, which could have interesting consequences as garrison soldiers of a Jewish province). The nearest Legions were in Damascus under the command of the Legate of Syria.

This sounds intriguing, but implausible: the Bible is of course very specific about there being a Centurion at the crucifixion. Might Auxiliaries have had a Centurion as commander? Or is it just more likely that Pilate had a detachment of Legionaries given to him from Damascus? Thoughts from the Historians?

Question on the Reformation. Need some blanks filled on regarding a radical sect that came up during the reformation.

I remember hearing about a sect that grew out of the reformation (most likely anabaptists) who took to some pretty radical ideas such as collectivisation and what we would call free love, liberal interpretation of marriage (if it was thought of at all) and developed the doctrine of Sin is good because what is important about the Christian experience is that forgiveness, so go sin so you can be forgiven again.

I know the anabaptists were persecuted by both Catholic and Protestants and I think/assume these guys were too. I vaguely remember hearing that the town that this heresy developed in was simply destroyed or at least everyone in it was killed because of the danger of the heresy.

Can anyone point me in the right direction or clarify any of this? Or am I thinking of something that never happened.

As the Roman empire was slowly collapsing, did any significant remnant of the empire remain while Medieval Kings were the primary power in Europe? Did they ever meet? If so, what was the relationship like?

The Jews were targeted in the Crusades, the pogroms in Russia in the early 1900s, and the Holocaust - not to mention dozens of other massacres, and the hate crimes that continue to this day.

Why have the Jews been targeted so many times throughout history? Did any particular event set it off? When did it start, and why?

It just strikes me as odd that the war against Germany is seen as a necessary (and righteous) response to its expansionism, whereas the USSR was ignored and then treated as an ally of convenience. Did the Soviet Union as the lesser of two evils, or was a war against both considered infeasible, or what?

If it wasn't for the French's substantial assistance during the War for Independence, there may be no America. The United States' help in WW1 and WW2 returned the favor for France.

Many Americans ridicule the French for being cowardly and pretentious snobs while many French think Americans are devoid of culture, inferior, brutish and crass.

I'm seriously wondering , what happened during the time America was colonised that made it that they didn't take what is now Canada aswell?

From my European perspective and if you don't consider the French community in Quebec, they seem like very similar countries and culture and they share more or less the same land. What made the split between these countries?

Thanks !

I looked through /u/bemonk's big AMA and some of his later posts, so sorry if I missed an obvious answer.

I've found plenty of information on the various calendars used by the Romans. The thing I'm lookng for, though, is where was the start of the calendar was. I'm trying to date something in roman years and I cant.

Is it a post-colonial thing or does it have a longer precedent?

Was he the rightful heir or was this just a way to get out of paying the French homage or both?