Tacitus on Jesus

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The Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the Great Fire of Rome, in book 15, chapter 44 of his Annals (c. 116):

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 Judaea, 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. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Some scholars have suggested that this passage could be a later addition by Christian scribes[1]. This is supported by the fact that no early Christian writers refer to Tacitus even when discussing the subject of Nero and Christian persecution. Tertullian, Lactantius, Sulpicius Severus, Eusebius and Augustine of Hippo make no reference to Tacitus when discussing Christian persecution by Nero.^[1] Additionally, widespread Christian persecution as described in the passage is not mentioned by Paul in Acts. Also, it is unlikely there were an "immense multitude" of Christians in Nero's Rome.

On the other hand, some argue that the passage is far too critical of Christians to be added by Christian scribes. The passage even implies that the Christians may have been guilty of setting fire to Rome. Additionally, any inaccuracies of the passage (i.e. "immense multitude", "prefect" vs. "procurator" Pontius Pilatus) could be due to exaggeration or mistakes in reporting when written in 116.

The secular historian Suetonius also mentions Christians being harmed during this period by Nero, but there is no connection made with the fire and the reliability of the passage is also questioned.^[2]

[edit] Notes

^ See Tertullian, Apologeticum, lost text quoted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History II.25.4; Lactantius, Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died II; Sulpicius Severus, Chronica II.28; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History II.25.5; Augustine of Hippo, City of God XX.19.3
^ Suetonius, Lives of Twelve Caesars Life of Nero 16