Bill is floundering around badly here, so i figured he needs some help.
The evidence for Alexander III of Macedon (usually referred to as Alexander "the Great") is to be found in numerous contemporary references--no such contemporary references exist for the putative Jesus. A dozen cities were founded named Alexandria by him and in his own honor--no such events pertain to the putative Jesus. Near contemporary biographies of him exist, which do not disagree in anything other than that some contain detail which others do not--the "gospels" contradict one another in more than one place, most notoriously in the matter of the "genealogy" of the putative Jesus. The biographies of Alexander do no violence to any other historical accounts of the period, where as the "gospels" and early church history are full of an incredible amount of historical horseshit--c.f. the alleged census of Caesar Augustus, which is flatly contradicted by the extant account which Augustus himself provided of each census and lustrum which he conducted in his reign. There are monumental inscriptions dedicated to Alexander which date to immediately after the monumental inscriptions dedicated to the Achaemenid Persian emperors, especially those dedicated to Darius III, the last Persian emperor whom he defeated. There are no contemporary or even near contemporary monumental inscriptions dedicated to the putative Jesus. There are, of course, contemporary portraits of Alexander III of Macedon--no such portraits of the putative Jesus exist.
But i would be at pains to point out that i have no idea of whether or not the putative Jesus actually existed--only that there is no reliable contemporary evidence that he existed. The evidence for the existence of Alexander III of Macedon is overwhelming by comparison.
A silver tetradrachma (four drachma coin) minted in 323 BCE, the year of Alexander's death.
Silver tetradrachma minted in Macedonia between 325 and 323 BCE, which is to say, in Alexander's lifetime.
Silver tetradrachma mined in Asia Minor circa 333 to 327 BCE, which is to say, in Alexander's lifetime.
Silver tetradrachma minted in Egypt circa 332 to 323 BCE, which is to day, in Alexander's lifetime.
Gold stater mined in Asia Minor circa 328 to 323 BCE, which is to say, in Alexander's lifetime.
A bronze hemiobol (half an obol) minted in Madeconia circa 336 to 323 BCE, which is to say, in Alexander's lifetime.
A bronze hemiobol minted in Asia Minor circa 336 to 323 BCE, which is to say, in Alexander's lifetime.
All of these coins are inscribed "of Alexander," meaning that they were minted and issued under Alexander's authority.
