Jesus in Secular History There is compelling historical evidence for the existence of Jesus outside of the Bible. Among the extra-biblical references to Jesus, Cornelius Tacitus provides the most complete description supporting the biblical accounts of Jesus crucifixion in his Annals 15:44. Regarding Neros mass persecution of Christians in 64 A.D., Tacitus wrote a description of mass Christian persecution. This includes reference to Jesus (Christus, a latin transliteration of Christ, the Greek word for Messiah), being crucified (the extreme penalty) by Pontius Pilate. It also references a most mischievous superstition believed by Christians. This passage from Tacitus Annals is considered authentic by historians. It is noteworthy that it portrays Christians negatively, making it an unlikely forgery of pious Christians. By 64 A.D. Christianity had expanded through the Roman Empire to such a degree that Christians became easy scapegoats for the great fire of Rome and became the brunt of mass persecution. ***Nero fastened the guilt of starting the blaze and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians [Chrestians] 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 center and become popular. (Tacitus, Annals 15:44) The mischievous superstition Tacitus references is most likely the belief of Christians that Jesus returned to physical life again after dying on a cross. This belief was called evil by Tacitus. It appears to have engendered Roman hatred for Christians, and was something the Romans sought to restrain. The early Christians relentless adherence to the belief that Jesus was confirmed to be the Hebrew Messiah by returning to physical life again after brutal torture and crucifixion gave rise to Christianity as a major world religion.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:32:13 +0000
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