JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Ancient manuscripts detailing events during the Roman Empire contain ” firsthand ” evidence about Jesus Christ’s life and death, investigators said Thursday.
The Annals were written by the Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus just 91 years after Jesus’s death and resurrection. The manuscripts begin with Emperor Augustus’s death in 14ADand end with Nero’s suicide 54 years later.
In Book 15, the historian discusses the Great Fire of Rome in 54AD, shortly before Nero’s death, which the emperor blamed on a class “called Christians.”
The second sentence reads: “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.”
The Latin version of ‘Christus’ means ‘the Anointed One’ or ‘the Messiah,’ which comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach (Messiah).
The Bible’s New Testament states that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.
Tacitus discusses the persecution of Christ’s followers, who were spreading into Rome from Judaea, writing how “an arrest was made of all who pleaded guilty to being Christian.”
“Covered with the skins of wild 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,” the passage reads.
Yet despite these sufferings, they kept their faith in Christ till death.
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I like this. There were other letters as well during that time about Jesus.
There are no known writings from Jesus himself or contemporary writings from his lifetime (approximately 4 BCE – 30 CE) that explicitly mention him. However, there are several historical references to Jesus from shortly after his death, written by both Roman and Jewish historians, as well as early Christian writers. Some of the most significant sources include:
Non-Christian Sources:
Flavius Josephus (c. 37–100 CE)
A Jewish historian, Josephus wrote Antiquities of the Jews (c. 93–94 CE), which contains two references to Jesus.
The most famous passage is the Testimonium Flavianum, though parts of it are believed to have been later edited by Christian scribes.
Another passage mentions Jesus' brother James, calling him "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ."
Tacitus (c. 56–120 CE)
A Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote in Annals (c. 116 CE) about Emperor Nero blaming Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE.
He refers to Christ (Christus), who was executed by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.
Pliny the Younger (c. 61–113 CE)
A Roman governor, Pliny wrote a letter (c. 112 CE) to Emperor Trajan describing early Christians and their worship of Christ as a deity.
Suetonius (c. 69–122 CE)
A Roman historian, Suetonius mentions a figure called "Chrestus" in his Lives of the Twelve Caesars, possibly referring to Jesus or early Christians.
Christian Sources:
The New Testament Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John)
Written between roughly 65–100 CE, these accounts describe Jesus' life, teachings, and crucifixion.
Paul’s Letters (c. 50–60 CE)
The earliest Christian writings, Paul's letters reference Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
While none of these writings come from Jesus’ own lifetime, the relatively short gap between his death and the earliest sources suggests that his existence was well known and accepted among early Christians and even some non-Christian historians.