Surprisingly I don't believe this question has been asked yet in this sub.

I know that some Christian literature predates the suspected birth of Christ, while most well-known accounts of jesus of nazareth were written by people who indirectly knew of, or heard stories of a man people claimed was the messiah, but date after his death.

Is there not even a single appearance of this character in any writings that coincide with the years he lived, from authors who claim to have been in his presence? Or even any statements from figures who don't allege to have personally known or been in direct contact with him, written during this short period — or does he not appear in any preserved literature until after the date of his presumed death?