Is Jesus a real historical figure?

I want to give further detail to a point made in a previous post, that there is significant reliable non-Christian records supporting that Jesus not only walked among us as a true human but that He was viewed as the Son of God from the beginning of His ministries.  I want to acknowledge the source for the vast majority of the knowledge and research comes from The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh D. McDowell, Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, 1999.   I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to be able to intelligently and historically defend their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Scriptures or for those who are questioning their faith and are willing to do honest research on such.

As quoted in McDowell, The New Evidence page 60,

Michael Wilkins and J.P. Moreland conclude that even if we did not have ay Christian writings, "we would be able to conclude from such non-Christian writings as Josephus, the Talmud, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger that: (1) Jesus was a Jewish teacher; (2) many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms; (3) he was rejected by the Jewish leaders; (4) he was crucified under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius; (5) despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed that he was still alive, spread beyond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by A.D. 64; (6) all kinds of people from the cities and countryside - men and women, slave and free - worshiped him as God by the beginning of the second century." (Wilkins, Michael J., and J.P. Moreland, eds.  Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. page 222)

I would like first to show how the Jews recorded the life of Jesus in the words of the Jewish general and historian Flavius Josephus.

Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.  He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles.  He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him.  For he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day. (Josephus, Flavius. The Antiquities of the Jews.  New York: Ward, Lock, Bowden & Co., 1900 18.3.3)

Now keep in mind that Josephus was a Jew and did not believe Jesus was the Christ, but was hear stating the belief of the Christians, in a sarcastic "if it be lawful to call him a man."  However, we gain some historical knowledge of Jesus from this writing.

Now, in a writing of Justin Martyr, quoting The Acts of Pontius Pilate, a work which no longer exist, states,

And the expression, 'They pierced my hands and my feet,' was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in his hands and feet.  And after he was crucified, they cast lots upon his vesture, and they that crucified him parted it among them.  And that these things did happen you can ascertain from the 'Acts' of Pontius Pilate. (Martyer, Justin.  First Apology.  A.D. 150)

 Further support for the once existence of and further details of The Acts of Pontius Pilate can be found written by Saint Epiphanius of Salamis in Against Heresies, and by Tertullian in Apology.  Now, I find this very fascinating that this document by Pontius Pilate would confirm not only the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, but also collaborate the Biblical text involving the events surrounding His crucifixion.

I feel as I should continue, but I could continue on at length citing sources revealing the historically accurate account of Jesus, but I feel I would lose many readers with the multitude of quotes being written in this format.  Instead, I encourage those who wish to know more or have more questions either to ask in the comments section here and I will answer to the best of my ability or follow the links provided to purchase the reading material I have sourced.  However, I do believe I have supplied sufficient extra-Biblical evidence here, however brief, to defend the fact that Jesus was indeed a living historical figure who was crucified by Pilate and was looked upon as the Christ by the earliest of Christians.