“𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭”: 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
“Jesus Who Is Called Christ”: Jesus in Non-Christian Roman Sources Introduction The historical study of Jesus of Nazareth is based primarily upon early Christian sources, particularly the four canonical Gospels, Acts, the Pauline letters, and other New Testament writings. These sources provide the most extensive evidence concerning Jesus’ ministry, teaching, death, and the emergence of the Christian movement. Nevertheless, the historical investigation of Jesus cannot be restricted to Christian literature alone. Several non-Christian writers of the Roman world refer to Christus , Christians, or circumstances associated with the early Christian movement. Although these references are relatively few and often provide only limited information, they are important because they place Jesus and the Christian movement within the wider political, social, and religious environment of the Roman Empire. The principal Roman sources are Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger. Their testimoni...