Writing circa 120, Suetonius made one statement that may refer to "Christ": [Iudaeos, impulsore Chresto, assidue tumultuantes Roma expulit.] "As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [ Claudius ] expelled them from Rome." Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (75 AD – 160 AD), commonly known simply as Suetonius, was a Roman writer. ... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Drusus (August 1, 10 BC - October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24th 41 to his death in 54. ...
"Chrestus," as Suetonius spells it, is the correct Latin form of a true Greek name. "Chrestus" translates as "Useful One" or even "Good One", which was a common appelation given to slaves, however, some choose to translate it as Christ.
Suetonius was writing later than Tacitus and may have been influenced by the latter. The aspect that makes this passage interesting is that it probably refers to the expulsion of the Jews commonly dated at 48-50 CE. If there were Christians in Rome at that time, it would arguably be evidence for the existence of Jesus. Four assumptions are involved: Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. ...
The "Chrestus" causing disturbance in Rome refers to a "Christ" who actually resided some years earlier in Palestine.
The information is not secondhand via Christian sources.
The presence of Christians in Rome by 49 implies the existence of an actual "Christ" rather than a developing legend.
"Chrestus" means "Christ", rather than its translation "Useful One" or "Good One".
The historicity of Jesus (i.e., his existence as an actual historical figure), is accepted as a theological axiom by three world religions, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith, based on their respective scriptures.
Jesus is also a large factor in New Testament apocrypha, works that some early Christians, notably in the Council of Laodicea, chose to exclude from the canon, based on judgments regarding whether or not they were inspired by God.
The absence of any mention of Jesus by writers such as Philo, Seneca the Elder, and Plutarch seems to indicate that if Jesus had existed, he must have been a relatively minor figure since these writers mention many people who are of much lesser historical significance.
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