WHAT HISTORY SAYS ABOUT JESUS
The New Testament references to Jesus:
There are over 13000 manuscript copies of the New Testament
dating from early days, the earliest dating from 130 AD. By comparison,
the first available copies of Plato, Aristotle and Caesar date from more
than 1000 years after they were written.
Tacitus, a Roman historian writing when Nero was Emperor:
“Christus, the founder of the Christians, was put to death by Pontius Pilate,
Procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius”
Suetonius, (120 AD): “As the Jews were making constant disturbances
in Rome over one Chrestus, Hadrian expelled them from Rome”
Pliny the Younger (112 AD) forced Christians to bow down to the statue
of the Emperor “and curse Christ, which a genuine Christian cannot be
induced to do.”
Thallus, a Samaritan historian(52 AD), quoted by Julius Africanus:
“At Christ’s crucifixion, an unusual darkness was caused by an eclipse
of the sun”. “Unreasonable, it seems to me”, said Africanus, “because a
solar eclipse can not take place at the time of the full moon, as it was
at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died”
Josephus, a Jewish historian:
“At this time there was a wise man called Jesus. His conduct was good,
and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and other
nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and die.
But his followers reported that he had appeared to them alive three days
after his crucifixion”
There are over 13000 manuscript copies of the New Testament
dating from early days, the earliest dating from 130 AD. By comparison,
the first available copies of Plato, Aristotle and Caesar date from more
than 1000 years after they were written.
Tacitus, a Roman historian writing when Nero was Emperor:
“Christus, the founder of the Christians, was put to death by Pontius Pilate,
Procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius”
Suetonius, (120 AD): “As the Jews were making constant disturbances
in Rome over one Chrestus, Hadrian expelled them from Rome”
Pliny the Younger (112 AD) forced Christians to bow down to the statue
of the Emperor “and curse Christ, which a genuine Christian cannot be
induced to do.”
Thallus, a Samaritan historian(52 AD), quoted by Julius Africanus:
“At Christ’s crucifixion, an unusual darkness was caused by an eclipse
of the sun”. “Unreasonable, it seems to me”, said Africanus, “because a
solar eclipse can not take place at the time of the full moon, as it was
at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died”
Josephus, a Jewish historian:
“At this time there was a wise man called Jesus. His conduct was good,
and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and other
nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and die.
But his followers reported that he had appeared to them alive three days
after his crucifixion”
