In the recent course I’ve been
teaching on New Testament and Early
Christianity, I did a survey of the handful of extra-biblical historical
references to Christianity in the first few centuries of the Christian
movement. One comes from around the year
115 A. D. in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus (in his Annals, xv.44). In describing the reign of the Emperor Nero
he includes a reference to how this cruel and profane man blamed and persecuted
Christians for a fire in Rome c. 64 A. D.:
Consequently,
to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted
the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their
abominations, called Christians by the populace. 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 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.
This brief reference is important
on many levels. First, it provides a
historical reference to Jesus (“Chrestus”) outside of (and consistent with) the
Gospels, including his death under Pontius Pilate while Tiberius was Emperor. This is useful information to rebut the
occasional quack who comes along and claims that Jesus was only a mythical
figure and not a historical reality.
Second, it tells us how some pagans saw Christianity as “a most
mischievous superstition” and as “haters of mankind.” It also reminds us that many of our spiritual
forebears were willing to place their lives on the line for their faith. When Hebrews 11 describes the believing
martyrs it calls them those “of whom the world was not worthy” (v. 38).
Next week we will celebrate the
Independence Day of our nation. We can
thank the Lord that for more than two centuries this nation has provided a safe
haven of religious liberty for many. May
the Lord be pleased to extend our freedom, despite the church’s and our
nation’s many faults and struggles, even as he prepares us to be willing to
lose all for him, when we are called upon to do so.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
Thank you for this post, Pastor Jeff. We ought to be reminded of how blessed we are to worship freely in America. In saying that, I pray that we resist the temptation of making patriotism into an idol. The American church has shown itself to engage in that form of idolatry from time to time.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth noting that our Baptist forefathers here in Virginia suffered at the hands of an establishment which practiced "toleration." Living in the shadow of Mr. Jefferson there in Charlottesville, you probably know the whole story behind that. We've come a long way since even colonial times.
Given the way things are going, I often wonder whether we are slipping away from religious liberty and back into a state of religious toleration. I'm not sure if America will experience something akin to Nero, but there's no doubt that things will be increasingly difficult for those who wish to remain faithful to the Gospel.
It's so good to see a nation that can whorship God and preach the gospel freely (like in Brazil). We need be thankful to the Lord for this wonderful blessing. But we need also pray for the nations that don't have this privilege, and for our brothers in these countries.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you pastor Riddle and have a good 4th July!