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The Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the Great Fire of Rome, in his Annals (c. AD 116): For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation) The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine...
A historian is a person who studies history. ...
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. ...
The Great Fire of Rome erupted on the night of 18 July, in the year AD 64 , among the shops clustered around the Circus Maximus. ...
The Annals, or, in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the 4 Roman Emperors succeeding to Caesar Augustus. ...
Events Roman Emperor Trajan completes his invasion of Parthia by capturing the cities of Seleucia, Ctesiphon and Susa, marking the high-water mark of the Roman Empires eastern expansion. ...
- Sed non ope humana, non largitionibus principis aut deum placamentis decedebat infamia, quin iussum incendium crederetur. Ergo abolendo rumori Nero subdidit reos et quaesitissimis poenis adfecit, quos per flagitia invisos vulgus Christianos appellabat. (15.44.2) Auctor nominis eius Christus Tibero imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat; repressaque in praesens exitiabilis superstitio rursum erumpebat, non modo per Iudaeam, originem eius mali, sed per urbem etiam, quo cuncta mundique atrocia aut pudenda confluunt celebranturque. (15.44.3.)
The following is a translation of the above Latin text: Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production, in another language, of a new, equivalent text — the target text, or translation. ...
Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...
- But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, 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.
Some scholars, such as Gordon Stein, have suggested that this could be a later textual interpolation by Christian scribes. The 19th-century scholar John Wilson Ross suggested that the Annals themselves had been forged by the Renaissance humanist Poggio Bracciolini, but his thesis has found no support among classicists and palaeographers.[1] Unlike the case with Josephus on Jesus, however, there is less clear evidence for doubting the authenticity of this text; debate focuses rather on the nature of Tacitus's sources[2]. A statue of Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37–June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50–54) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ...
Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!), Antonio Ciseris depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus of Nazareth to the people of Jerusalem Pontius Pilate (Latin Pontius Pilatus) was the governor of the Roman province of Judea from AD 26 until around AD 36. ...
A bust of younger Emperor Tiberius For the city in Israel, see Tiberias. ...
Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (February 11, 1380 - October 30, 1459), was one of the most important Italian Renaissance humanists. ...
Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ...
Palaeography (British) or paleography (American) (from the Greek palaiós, old and graphein, to write) is the study of ancient and medieval manuscripts, independent of the language (Koine Greek, Classical Latin, Medieval Latin, Old English, etc. ...
In AD 93, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus published his work Antiquities of the Jews. ...
Tacitus is considered the most reliable scholar of his time. He had access to Roman archives, and his only mistakes arose from occasional reliance on secondary sources. In this case he could have been using either Christian sources or Roman archives. It is argued that if he had been using Roman archives, he should have identified Pontius Pilate as a "prefect" rather than a "procurator," but that is disputable. The more serious criticism is that the records would have identified Jesus by his given name rather than "Christus." Although Tacitus was Roman rather than Jewish and might have believed that was part of the name, it is unlikely he would have selected it alone from the archives. In addition, Christian accounts were readily available while centuries of inquiry have turned up only a few Roman documents related to a historical Jesus.
Because of his unflattering descriptions of Christianity (quoted above) and Judaism (Hist., V.iii, iv), Christians have impugned his credibility since at least the 3rd century: Tertullian called him "ille mendaciorum loquacissimus" (Apologeticus 16), and the Catholic Encyclopedia mentioned "the credulity with which he accepted the absurd legends and calumnies about the origin of the Hebrew people ." [3] This hardly does him justice as an historian: his shrewd understanding of the political age which preceded him is virtually unparalleled. He was not particularly interested in the Jews or the Christians, both of whom were marginal troublemakers to the Roman aristocracy of the day. However, the text does mention that Christians existed, which is not generally in doubt, and that they had founding in "Christ" who was executed by Pilate, a statement trustworthy, from a reliable historian who investigated vigorously. The Histories (Latin: Historiae) is a book by Tacitus, written c. ...
// Overview Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east, 230 - 232 Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire Emperor Valerian I is taken captive by the Persian King of Kings Shapur I, 260 End of Yayoi era and beginning of...
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicized as Tertullian, (ca. ...
The Catholic Encyclopedia (also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia today) is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the The Encyclopedia Press, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. // History The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11...
Where did Tacitus get his information of Christ then? Ancient historians generally felt no obligation to reveal their sources. (Dudley [Dud.Tac, 28] writes in this regard:
- "...an ancient historian was under no obligation to give his sources in detail, nor even to mention them at all,"'
and Grant [Gran.Tac, 20] adds that: - "systematic, careful references are a modern invention."
Tacitus could have gotten his information from the work of historians whom he trusted, and whose work is now lost to us. Suggestions have also been made that Tacitus got his information from Josephus, but this is rejected by Tacitean scholars: Mendell, for example, says that: - Tacitus "clearly knew nothing" about Josephus [Mende.Tac, 217 - see also Hada.FJos, 223] )."
A common suggestion is that Tacitus got his information from Rome's imperial archives - perhaps from a letter or account written by Pilate. H._G._Wells and others object that it is unlikely that Tacitus accessed official documents or had access to the imperial archives. In the cite noted by Harris from Tacitus' Histories, the Senate asks the Emperor Domitian for permission to consult the imperial archives - and Tacitus indicates that permission was granted. But what of Tacitus himself? Nothing from Tacitus' own works tell us anything about whether Tacitus himself needed special permission to consult the imperial archives. He does not tell us how difficult it was to get permission, or that he himself received (or did not receive) such permission, or how often he did get or needed to get access. However, a look at Tacitus' background suggest that if anyone would be able to get that very special permission to consult the imperial archives, Tacitus would be an excellent candidate. H. G. Wells at the door of his house at Sandgate Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946) was a British writer best known for his science fiction novels such as The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Time Machine. ...
The qualifications Tacitus attained, according to Hutchins[Hutch.Tac, v] , Benario [Benar.Tac, 12-4, 19] , Grant [Gran.Tac, 7] , Dorey [Dor.Tac, 5-7] , and Mellor [Mell.Tac, 8-9] :
- Tacitus was well-respected, a man who "won renown quickly," and "seemed of all the eminent men then active the most worthy of imitation." His reputation was such that in a letter of recommendation for a particular young man, Pliny indicates that being a friend of Tacitus is considered to be a sign of high quality. He won great fame as an orator, and progressed rapidly through the offices of Rome, ending up as proconsul of Asia, which was considered a "prestigious" office to hold, one of two "jewels in the administrative cursus under senatorial control" (the other being Africa). He was made a member of a body of priests "who had charge of the Sibylline books and many of the special festivals of the Roman state," at a time when this priestly body was "of the utmost importance." He reached the consulship, "Rome's highest office," in 97 A.D. - possibly having been nominated by Domitian prior to the latter's assassination.
- His personal contacts were impressive as well: He married a daughter of Julius Agricola, the governor of Britain, whose biography he also wrote, and would have had to have had "the acquaintance of some of the foremost men of the state" for Agricola to have noticed him. Agricola himself was highly favored, having held office in Britain longer than any other governor there in spite of competition, possibly because of his extensive military success there. Tacitus may have advanced in part because of the influence of his father-in-law.
Also Tacitean scholars agree that the historian did indeed access governmental and public records, and did indeed consult original documents: :Speeches of the emperor are discussed also in (Annals) 1.81, obviously as accessible. Of letters sent to Tiberius and of others attacking Nero and Agrippina he speaks (5.16 and 5.3) as though they might still be consulted. This is certainly true of the one to Tiberius." [Mende.Tac, 204] In Annals 15.74, Tacitus cites the records of the Roman Senate from Nero's time [ibid., 21] and cites Senate records elsewhere (5.4) [ibid., 212] The acta Senatus included letters from emperors, governors of provinces (like Pilate!), allies, and client kings. Tacitus also probably made use of Rome's public libraries. [Dud.Tac, 28] This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
A bust of younger Emperor Tiberius For the city in Israel, see Tiberias. ...
A statue of Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37–June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50–54) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ...
Several notable women of Ancient Rome bore the name Agrippina. ...
The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ...
Tacitus also consulted the Acta Diurna, a daily public gazette (3.3, 12,24, 13.31, 16.22), and private journals and memoirs, which presumably :"were preserved in large numbers, especially in the older aristocratic families." [Mende.Tac, 212] Syme [Sym.Tac, 278] writes: :"The straight path of inquiry leads to the archives of the Senate...the first hexad of Annales (which is not where the Jesus passage is) contains an abundance of information patently deriving from the official protocol, and only there to be discovered." Regarding an incident in Africa: "That Tacitus consulted the Senate archives is proved by the character of the material, by its distribution..." (ibid., 281) Relative to Book 4 of Tacitus' Historiae: :"required constant access to the register of the Senate." (ibid.)
Mellor [Mell.Tac, 19-20] says of the Histories that Tacitus :"used the records of the Senate for detailed accounts of speeches and debates..." as well as the works of earlier historians. He consulted :"reminisces, biographies, autobiographies, letters, and speeches of the time, as well as...the Acts of the Senate." (ibid., 33) Mellor adds that Tacitus' :"archival research is especially notable in the early books of the Annals" (not where the Jesus cite is) and may have been innovative for his time."
Benario [Benar.Tac, 80-7] highlights Tacitus' use of the works of previous historians (including some otherwise unknown to us), private records, the acta senatus, and the acta diurna. He observes that Tacitus, by his own accounting, was :"heavily involved in research" and that he :"sought out material which others, perhaps, had ignored or of which they were unaware." Momigliano [Momig.CFou, 110-1] asserts that Tacitus made wide use of Senate records for the period of Domitian, and lesser use of them for the time from Tiberius to Titus; for that era, Momigliano tells us, Tacitus probably used the works of Senate historians more often. Arnaldo D. Momigliano (1908-1987) was an Italian historian known for his work in historiography, characterized by Donald Kagan as the world’s leading student of the writing of history in the ancient world. He became professor of Roman history at the University of Turin in 1936, but as a...
A bust of younger Emperor Tiberius For the city in Israel, see Tiberias. ...
This article is about the emperor of ancient Rome. ...
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