Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (c. 38-100 A.D.), was an aristocrat from a Jerusalem family that was dispatched to lead Jewish forces in Galilee during the revolt against Rome that took place during A.D. 66-70. His forces defeated, he became convinced there was no way the Jews could win. He surrendered to Vespasian, served as an interpreter for Vespasian's son Titus during the siege of Jerusalem, and then moved to Rome where he composed an historical defense of the Jewish people under Imperial patronage.
In his book, Antiquities of the Jews, book XX.ix.1, he writes:
"But the younger Ananus who, as we said, received the high priesthood, was of a bold disposition and exceptionally daring; he followed the party of the Sadducees, who are severe in judgment above all the Jews, as we have already shown. As therefore Ananus was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good opportunity, as Festus [Roman procurator of Judea who died in office A.D. 61] was now dead, and Albinus [Festus' replacement] was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned."
Another Jewish source, The Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a, (c. 100-200 A.D.) states:
"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu [`Jesus' is actually Greek, his Hebrew name was Yeshu] was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, `He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover."
The Roman historian Tacitus (c. 55-120 A.D.) is considered the last of the great Roman classical historians. In his lifetime he gained a reputation as an impressive orator and served in various governmental posts: Senator, Praetor, Consul, among others. In his noted work Annals, 15.44, he observes:
"Consequently, to get rid of the report, [that he was responsible for the fire that razed Rome] Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus [Latin spelling of the Greek `Christ'] 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."
There is also a passing reference to "Chrestus" (another Latin variant for Christ) in the writings of the Roman historian Suetonius (c. 70-130 A.D.), The Twelve Caesars, V.25. Other sources include Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia (c. 112 A.D.), Letters, X.96, and a letter from a Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapion to his son (c. 73 A.D.) preserved in the British Museum. A 2nd century satirist known as Lucian of Samosata, who served in the court of the Procurator of Egypt, made a jab at Christians:
"The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day--the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account...it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws." [The Death of Peregrine, 11-13.]
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