Indeed, virtually all the Bible's basic historical background, and many of its narrative details, are supported by independent historical sources and/or archaeology.
In this context, it's interesting to note that Bill O'Reilly has claimed of his book "Killing Jesus" that it is written only from independently verified sources.
Well, that's an exaggeration, but it truly is astonishing how much independent material O'Reilly does bring into his interesting rehearsal of the Greatest Story Ever Told.
That is interesting, and I hadn’t heard that about his book, not that I’d heard much of anything about it actually. But I certainly had the impression that it was, how should I put this, basically a fictionalized account.
I once looked up the Popes in an almanac, and sure enough, they went right back to St. Peter.