Did Jesus Die On The Cross?
Did Jesus Die on The Cross?
One of the most important doctrines in Christianity is that Jesus, God in the flesh of man, died on the cross for our sins. So, does this crucial doctrine have evidence to stand behind it? Well, totally we will adventure through this exact topic.
There are many ancient historians who spoke of Jesus' death. One of these Historians is a man named Tacitus. In his book, The Histories and the Annals, he wrote this, " Christus, 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 Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center 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."
This book was finished around 105 AD which perhaps seems quite long, but it must be noted that he was born in the year 56 AD. Modern scholars usually date Jesus' crucifixion anywhere from 28 to 33 AD, so not very far from his birth.
Works Cited:
McDonald, A. Hugh (2022, January 1). Tacitus. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tacitus-Roman-historian.