[T]he Roman historian, Tacitus (who was born in a.d 55), wrote in his Annals (
15:44) an explanation of how Nero, the emperor (who died in a.d 68) blamed Christians for the great fire of Rome in order to deflect rumors that he had started the blaze. In this passage Tacitus alludes to a fact which no one disputed: Christ had been crucified under Pontius Pilate:
It was common and undisputed knowledge in the second half of the first century that
Jesus Christ had been crucified. If there were any question that he had died in this way, it would have been eagerly disputed wherever Christians preached. But it wasn't. The fact of his death by crucifixion was not questioned.
Taken from "The Great Offense: Was Jesus Really Crucified?" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org (used by permission).
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