Recording of The Crucifixion by Contemporary Historians.

Recording of The Crucifixion by Contemporary Historians

Cornelius Tacitus

The Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was noted by Cornelius Tacitus who was a Roman historian, born in 52-54 A.D. Tacitus stated that Jesus had been crucified by Pontius Pilate.

Flavius Josephus

Josephus was born in 37A.D. and was a Jewish Pharisee. He wrote: "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works ..... Pilate ... condemned him to the Cross ... he appeared to them alive again on the third day."

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was widely accepted and discussed by a great many ancient writers

The fact is that the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was accepted as fact by a great number of ancient writers. The Crucifixion was widely discussed as a fact by both Christian and secular writers, many of whom wanted to discuss the three hour period of darkness during the Crucifixion, which obviously greatly alarmed the ancient world.

Amongst such writers are:

- Tertullian who lived at the beginning of the 3rd century.

- Lucian, who died in A.D. 312.

- Thallus, a historian writing in AD. 52,

- Julius Africanus writing about A.D. 221

- Origen.

- Phlegon of Tralles was a first century Greek historian born not long after the Crucifixion.

- Philipon.

- Joannes Philoponus.

- Malelas.

- Eusebius.

- Maximus.

This large number of historians makes the Crucifixion among the best-attested events in ancient writing.