Atheist Blog

The Roman/Pagan Historians

Many people dont know that there were actual historians who recorded Christs existence on earth.Keep in mind that they had no reason to do this . They were pagans who did not care much for Christianity . They were professional historians who believed that anything worth doing is worth doing right . Now I will go over some of these historians in this blog .Many atheist will try and tell you that these men never even saw Jesus, however mind you these were professional historians who would rely on documents. Now Jesus would have had an arrest record and a registration record from the censuses carried out by the Romans .

PLINY THE YOUNGER(63AD-113AD) admits to torturing and executing Christians who refuse to deny Christ .
"I asked Them directly if they were Christians those who persisted ,I ordered away ....Those who denied they were or ever had been Christians worshipped both your image and images of the gods and cursed Christ . They used to gather before dawn and sing to Christ as if he were a god .........." (Pliny's letter to Emperor )

CORNELIUS TACTUS (55AD-120AD)1st and 2nd century Roman historian . Verifies the Bible account of Pontius Pilate "Christus ,the founder of the Christian name was put to death by Pontius Pilate ,procuretor of Judea in the reign of Tiberius ,but the pernicious superstition,repressed for a time ,broke out again .Not only through Judea ,where the mischief originated but through the city of Rome."(Annal XV55)

GAIUS SUETONIUS TRANQUILLUS (69-130AD) A Roman Historian. Recorded the lives of Roman Ceasars .SErved as a court official under Hadrian and as an annalist for the Imperial House .Recorded the expulsion of the Christian from Rome . Mentioned in Acts 18:2 and confirms the Christian faith being found .

"As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus ,Claudius expelled them from Rome."(Life of Claudius 25.4 )(some say that since the name was spelled wrong that it may not have been Christ however it is highly unlikely that he is speaking of someone else . The event was recorded in the bible by Luke who was very specific in his writings in both the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles )

Thallus (52AD) On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness .The rocks were rect by an earthquake and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down.This darkness Thallus in the third book of his history ,calls as appears without reason an eclipse of the sun.For the Hebrew celebrate the passover passion of our savior falls on that day before the passover,but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun.And it cannot happen at any other time. Phlegon records that in the time of Tiberius Caesar ,at full moon ,there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth manifestly that are of which have speak,(Chronography XVIII,47 )

MAR BAR SERAPION (70AD)"What advantages did the atheniens gain from putting Socrates to death ? Famine and Plagues came upon them as judgment of their Lord was covered with sand .What Advantages did the Jews gain from executing their wise king?It was just after that their kingdom was abolished .......Nor did the wise king die for good .He lived on in the teachings which he had given .(Letter to his son from prison)

These men above had nothing to gain for their writings about Jesus and Christianity . Yet they were credible historians .They were not Christians . Atheists believe that Alexander The Great existed . His two earliest biographies written by Arrian and Plutarch were more then 400 years after his death in 323BC .Yet historians consider them to be trustworthy .These historians were writing about Jesus and Christianity within 20 years to a century of his life on earth . Many of the most liberal critics of the gospel writings date them the following :Mark in in 70AD Matthew and Luke in 80s and John in the 90s . Atheists yet choose to believe the life of Alexander when the earliest biographies on him came out 400 years after him .The Gospel accounts of Jesus were written within 37-60 years of his life on earth . ( information from Lee Strobels The Case for Christ)That should be something for them to think about .