Tacitus on Christ and the Christians (Annals XV.44)
Context
Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56 — ca. 120 AD) was a Roman senator and historian, widely regarded as one of the greatest historians of the Roman Empire. His major works — the Annals and the Histories — cover Roman history from the death of Augustus to the First Jewish-Roman War. He was not sympathetic to Christians.
What Was Written
The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus, writing ca. 116 AD, describes Nero's persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. In explaining who the Christians were, he states that their name derives from 'Christus, from whom the name had its origin, [who] suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.' This is one of the earliest non-Christian references to the historical Jesus, attested in one of Rome's most respected historians.
The Text Itself
Such indeed were the precautions of human wisdom. The next thing was to seek means of propitiating the gods, and recourse was had to the Sibylline books, by the direction of which prayers were offered to Vulcanus, Ceres, and Proserpina. Juno, too, was entreated by the matrons, first, in the Capitol, then on the nearest part of the coast, whence water was procured to sprinkle the fane and image of the goddess. And there were sacred banquets and nightly vigils celebrated by married women. But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. 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. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.— Tacitus, Annals Book XV, Chapter 44 (Loeb Classical Library edition, tr. John Jackson)
Why This Matters
Provides independent Roman confirmation that Christ was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius, and that a movement of followers persisted after his death. As a hostile witness with access to Roman imperial records, Tacitus had no motivation to fabricate or embellish Christian claims.
Acceptance Assessment
Widely Accepted
The authenticity of the passage in Tacitus and its reference to the historical Jesus is overwhelmingly accepted; a fringe minority have argued for interpolation but the argument has not persuaded mainstream classicists.
What Scholars Debate
Scholars generally affirm the authenticity of Tacitus's reference to Christians, but some debate the source of his information and whether it involved hearsay.