List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources

Biblical figures that are identified in artifacts of questionable authenticity, for example the Jehoash Inscription and the bullae of Baruch ben Neriah, or who are mentioned in ancient but non-contemporary documents, such as David and Balaam,[n 1] are excluded from this list.

[2] In the following centuries a small number of local Hebrew documents, mostly seals and bullae, mention biblical character.

Coins featuring the names of rulers had become widespread and many of them were inscribed with the year number in the Seleucid era, allowing them to be dated precisely.

Apart from Josephus, information about some New Testament figures comes from Roman historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius and from ancient coins and inscriptions.

These are Biblical figures for which tentative but likely identifications have been found in contemporary sources based on matching names and credentials.