Expert: Jim Miller - 8/7/2008

Question
Are their any historical or legendary figures who would have existed at the same time as Jesus Christ but in a separate part of the world, like say perhaps Buddha or Muhammed?

Answer
   During the 5th century BC there were potentially several major figures living at the same time across Eurasia.  Greece was having its golden age with most of the Classical writers and sculptors, and around the same time (maybe) there was Zoroaster in Persia or Media, Buddah and Jain in India and Confucius and Lao Tzu in China.  However, in the 1st century AD outside the Roman Empire there were few figures of any lasting stature.  China saw the re-establishment of the Han dynasty, preceded and followed by civil wars and a divided empire.  India also was a series of small states and minor "empires" with no major figures.  Persia was moving from the Parthian Empire to the Sassanid Empire, again with no major figures.  
   The Roman Empire was still expanding and producing a growing environment for literature and art, including Ovid and Vergil.  During this period some important Jewish figures (other than Jesus) rose up and spread their influence down through the centuries.  Within the Rabbinic tradition Hillel and Shammai flourished just before the time of Jesus, and Gamaliel soon after.  Two important Jews who wrote in Greek came from the 1st century, Philo of Alexandria, a Platonic philosopher and an older contemporary of Jesus, and Josephus, a younger contemporary of Paul.  Because they wrote in Greek their influence was felt in the church instead of the synagogue.  If it wasn't for Jesus and his church, Josephus and Philo would have been forgotten and their writings lost.  It would be another 5 centuries until Moahmmed.
   This is a long-winded way of saying that, no, there were no major figures who had the influence that Jesus had in the 1st century.  The nearest competitor is possibly Quetzalcoatl, the light-skinned god that abandoned Mexico with a promise to return.  If Quetzalcoatl was once a historical figure, and not entirely legend, he probably dates to sometime between 200 BC and AD 500.  But that is iffy.  His story passed from the Olmecs to the Toltecs to the Aztecs with unknown elaborations along the way.
   I hope this is helpful,
Jim Miller