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THE WRITINGS OF A ROMAN TACTITUS
The context of the passage is the six-day Great Fire of Rome that burned much of the city in AD 64 during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. The passage is one of the earliest non-Christian references to the origins of Christianity, the execution of Christ described in the canonical gospels, and the presence and persecution of Christians in 1st-century Rome.
There are two points of vocabulary in the passage. First, Tacitus may have used the word "Chrestians" (Chrestianos) for Christians, but then speaks of "Christ" (Christus) as the origin of that name. Second, he calls Pilate a "procurator", even though other sources indicate that he had the title "prefect". Scholars have proposed various hypotheses to explain these peculiarities.
The scholarly consensus is that Tacitus's reference to the execution of Jesus by Pontius Pilate is both authentic, and of historical value as an independent Roman source.However, Tacitus does not reveal the source of his information. There are several hypotheses as to what sources he may have used.
Tacitus provides non-Christian confirmation of the crucifixion of Jesus. Scholars view it as establishing three separate facts about Rome around AD 60 that there was a sizable number of Christians in Rome at the time, that it was possible to distinguish between Christians and Jews in Rome, and that at the time pagans made a connection between Christianity in Rome and its origin in Roman Judaea.
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
GALILEE BOAT
In 1986, a severe drought in Israel resulted in the water level of the Sea of Galilee dropping several meters. Two brothers went searching along the northwest shoreline for archaeological objects and discovered the outline of an ancient boat in the mud. The fragile wood, exposed for the first time 2000-years, required immediate attention to remove it safely. It was submerged in a chemical preservative for 11 years before it was put on display in a local museum.
The Galilee Boat, or the “Jesus Boat” as it is popularly called, is approximately 27 ft long, 7.5 ft wide and 4 ft. deep, and would have accommodated a crew of up to 15 men.5 Carbon-14 testing dated it to 40 BC, plus or minus 80 years (120 BC to AD 40).6 In short, the boat may have been in use during the time of Jesus, and was certainly typical of the style of vessel that fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James and John would have used (Mk 1:16-20). In the New Testament, we read of Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee such boats (Lk 8:22), and even teaching from a boat when the shore became too crowded with listeners (Mt 13:2-3). The Galilee boat is the only ancient boat ever discovered at the Sea of Galilee and helps us understand the types of boats Jesus and his disciples traveled in.
SOLOMONS COPPER MINE
The remains of an ancient copper mining and smelting center lie near the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan. One of the largest of its kind, it may be one of the legendary mines belonging to King Solomon. Many modern scholars reject this possibility, considering it to be later than Solomon's time. But recent carbon dating has upended the "long-accepted dates" for the site, lending strength to the historicity of Israel's wisest ruler.
CAPERNAUM (PETERS HOME TOWN)
(Luke 10:15) has long since been excavated. But in 1968, a very old church was found, built over a house believed to be that of St. Peter. Moreover, in 1981, beneath the beautiful white limestone synagogue, a black basalt building dating from the first century was discovered: the synagogue where Jesus preached (Luke 4:31-36).
POOL OF SHILOAM
THIS NOT A HATE OR DEBATE THREAD IN ANY FORM ITS JUST INFORMATIVE
The context of the passage is the six-day Great Fire of Rome that burned much of the city in AD 64 during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. The passage is one of the earliest non-Christian references to the origins of Christianity, the execution of Christ described in the canonical gospels, and the presence and persecution of Christians in 1st-century Rome.
There are two points of vocabulary in the passage. First, Tacitus may have used the word "Chrestians" (Chrestianos) for Christians, but then speaks of "Christ" (Christus) as the origin of that name. Second, he calls Pilate a "procurator", even though other sources indicate that he had the title "prefect". Scholars have proposed various hypotheses to explain these peculiarities.
The scholarly consensus is that Tacitus's reference to the execution of Jesus by Pontius Pilate is both authentic, and of historical value as an independent Roman source.However, Tacitus does not reveal the source of his information. There are several hypotheses as to what sources he may have used.
Tacitus provides non-Christian confirmation of the crucifixion of Jesus. Scholars view it as establishing three separate facts about Rome around AD 60 that there was a sizable number of Christians in Rome at the time, that it was possible to distinguish between Christians and Jews in Rome, and that at the time pagans made a connection between Christianity in Rome and its origin in Roman Judaea.
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
GALILEE BOAT
In 1986, a severe drought in Israel resulted in the water level of the Sea of Galilee dropping several meters. Two brothers went searching along the northwest shoreline for archaeological objects and discovered the outline of an ancient boat in the mud. The fragile wood, exposed for the first time 2000-years, required immediate attention to remove it safely. It was submerged in a chemical preservative for 11 years before it was put on display in a local museum.
The Galilee Boat, or the “Jesus Boat” as it is popularly called, is approximately 27 ft long, 7.5 ft wide and 4 ft. deep, and would have accommodated a crew of up to 15 men.5 Carbon-14 testing dated it to 40 BC, plus or minus 80 years (120 BC to AD 40).6 In short, the boat may have been in use during the time of Jesus, and was certainly typical of the style of vessel that fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James and John would have used (Mk 1:16-20). In the New Testament, we read of Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee such boats (Lk 8:22), and even teaching from a boat when the shore became too crowded with listeners (Mt 13:2-3). The Galilee boat is the only ancient boat ever discovered at the Sea of Galilee and helps us understand the types of boats Jesus and his disciples traveled in.
SOLOMONS COPPER MINE
The remains of an ancient copper mining and smelting center lie near the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan. One of the largest of its kind, it may be one of the legendary mines belonging to King Solomon. Many modern scholars reject this possibility, considering it to be later than Solomon's time. But recent carbon dating has upended the "long-accepted dates" for the site, lending strength to the historicity of Israel's wisest ruler.
CAPERNAUM (PETERS HOME TOWN)
(Luke 10:15) has long since been excavated. But in 1968, a very old church was found, built over a house believed to be that of St. Peter. Moreover, in 1981, beneath the beautiful white limestone synagogue, a black basalt building dating from the first century was discovered: the synagogue where Jesus preached (Luke 4:31-36).
POOL OF SHILOAM
THIS NOT A HATE OR DEBATE THREAD IN ANY FORM ITS JUST INFORMATIVE
