Historical Sources

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 The first secular author to mention Jesus is the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (born Yosef ben Matityahu), who wrote a history of Judaism in about the year 93, the famed "Antiquities of the Jews". He was primarily a Roman historian who grew up Jewish.  In his writings he mentions a number of figures from the New Testament, including Jesus, John the Baptist, and Jesus’ “brother” James.

Some of Josephus passages are controversial and scholars believe  later transcribers added content and flavor to his descriptions of  the early Christians, though the changes are viewed as additions to existing text and not original stories.  The primary reason for this belief is the style of writing changes, not because there is any contradictions with other historical records. Josephus does record multiple accounts about the Jews who followed Jesus as the Messiah.  

Other passages are not as controversial.  The following passage, in which Josephus mentions Jesus and his “brother” James, firmly establishes the existence of Jesus and the reality which his brother believed:

Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he [Ananus] assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned (Antiquities 20:9:1).

James, the brother of Jesus and an early Christian leader went to his death as a martyr.  The probable date of death was 62, when Josephus was 25.  Most likely, he had first person accounts of the event or could have viewed it himself.  Paul in the Bible records that James actually saw his brother after the crucifixion.  Wikipedia also provides other historical references to James.  

The only offense in the historical record is James promoting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.  Christian records say that he was both persuasive and highly respected.   His words and actions angered the Jewish authorities greatly and when the politics were favorable, they killed him.   Eight years later, the Romans 

The writings of a Roman governor in Asia Minor, Pliny the Younger, establish that early Christians worshiped Jesus as a god. Here he is, summing up what he learned after interrogating Christians:

They (Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food, but of an ordinary and innocent kind (Epistles 10.96).

The historical record shows that Pliny was known for putting Christians to death for no other reasons than being Christians.  Emperor Trajan provided qualified approval of his actions and Christians were sent to Rome for trial.  Again, this is within one generation of the death of Jesus and the Christians were willing to die for following "weird superstitions" -- nothing morally wrong.

The historical narrative confirms the following Emperor (Hadrian) responding to a provincial governor and directing them to not prosecute Christians for being Christians.  

Scholars point to the Roman historian Tacitus for confirmation that the crucifixion of Jesus actually took place. Writing in his Annals, he records the death of Jesus at the hands of Pontius Pilate:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

from the Catholic website:  aleteia.org 

A number of works of classical Jewish rabbinic writing (the Babylonian Talmud in particular) contain references to Jesus.

Summarizing these allusions in his book Jesus of Nazareth, historian Joseph Klausner, writes:

There are some reliable theories regarding the fact that his name was Yeshua (Yeshu) of Nazareth; that he practiced sorcery (that is to say that he performed miracles, as was common in those days) and seduction and led Israel astray; that he mocked the words of the wise and discussed Scripture in the same way as the Pharisees; that he had five disciples; that he said he had not come to revoke the Law, nor to add anything to it; that he was hung upon a piece of wood (crucified) as a false authority and seducer on the eve of the Passover (which fell on a Saturday); and that his disciples cured diseases in his name (J. Klausner, Jesus of Nazareth, p.44)

from the Catholic website:  aleteia.org 

The pagan author Lucian of Samosata, while ridiculing Christians, accepted that Jesus actually existed:

The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. … You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains their contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property. (Lucian, The Passing of Peregrinus)

from the Catholic website:  aleteia.org 

Note he specifically mentions how the early followers showed "contempt of death,"