Primary source
Annals 15.44
Roman historical reference to Christus suffering under Pontius Pilate.
- Author
- Tacitus
- Tradition
- Roman history
Citation
Tacitus, Annals 15.44.
Where this source is used
- Jesus died on a stake, not a crossThe New Testament never settles the shape of the stauros, hints at a crossbeam, and puts all its weight on Jesus' death rather than on the wood.
- Jesus never existedHistorians across belief, including the agnostic scholar Bart Ehrman, agree that Jesus lived and was crucified under Pilate. The open question is who he was.
- Jesus was not crucifiedJesus' crucifixion is recorded within years by his followers and later by hostile Roman and Jewish writers; no historical record before the Qur'an says otherwise.
- The crucifixion of JesusPaul's early sources, the movement's beginnings in Jerusalem, hostile Roman and Jewish writers, and the embarrassment of a crucified Messiah all point to a real execution under Pilate.
- The reliability of the New TestamentPaul's letters preserve a summary of belief from within a few years of Jesus' death, the Gospels were written within living memory, and the text can be recovered with confidence.