Keep in mind, Jesus putatively died about CE 27 to CE33. That would be contemporary.
AD 70.... not so much.
Imagine if there was noone who had ever written about G. Washington until 1825. What a loss that would be.
Imagine if there was noone who had ever written about G. Washington until 1825. What a loss that would be.
***Julius Caesar’s writings are dated several hundred years after his death. Do you throw him out as a historical figure? Historians don’t.
Paul’s letters began circulating within perhaps 20 years of the departure of Christ. Historians know when Paul died.