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Originally Posted by (Sodfather,) </span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (Section 8,)
4. Ancient historians of the time didn't refer to Jesus in their works.<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
Let me cite some passages from a straightforward yet accurate text (Jesus of History, Christ of Faith by Thomas Zanzig) that should make your source's author and yourself turn red in shame for that comment:<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
I confess I'm not familiar with Zanzig's work (which is surprising having read more than 50 books, periodicals and papers related to biblical studies in addition to moderating the BC&H forum) though I note his publisher is St. Mary's Press. Even so his work should stand on its own merit.
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Originally Posted by (Sodfather,) "Josephus, a Jewish historian, mentioned Jesus in his writings toward the end of the first century C.E., roughly sixty years after Jesus' death...Josephus identifies Jesus as a 'a wise man...a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure,' and he notes that Jesus was later condemned by Pilate to crucifixion."
In the above passage, note Jewish is a separate entity from Christian.<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
First off, as I mentioned in a different post the TF referred to by Zanzig above is still highly controversial. That being said the majority of scholars I've read and corresponded with consider it to be at least partially and possibly entirely an interpolation. There are numerous analyses of the TF available in print and on the web if one is so inclined. Incidentally, it is an anachronism to distinguish between Xians and Jews at the time Josephus was writing. In that period Xianity was simply an eccentric sect of Judaism.
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Originally Posted by (Sodfather,) "The Roman historian Tacitus referred to Jesus in his account of a fire that burned Rome in the year 64 C.E., for which the emperor Nero supposedly blamed the Christians."<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
The reference in Tacitus appears to be second hand knowledge. Even so the reference is so short it gives us no information about the Historical Jesus
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Originally Posted by (Sodfather,) "[Pliny the Younger] wrote to the emperor Trajan for advice on what to do about the Christians The Roman officials were always concerned about the growth of any political or religious sect, and the Christian communities baffled them. Although Pliny's letter mentions Jesus, it offers no new information about him."<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
If I'm not mistaken (I don't have a reference handy), Pliny talks about Xians, but does not talk about Jesus per se. We know Xians existed in the early centuries of the Common Era.
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Originally Posted by (Sodfather,) "In a discussion of the emperor Claudius, Seutonius says that Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because of the riots they were constantly causing, 'on the instigation of Chrestus.' Though there is some debate over the word Chrestus, scholars generall agree it refers to Christ."<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
They do nothing of the sort. Xian apologists agree it refers to Christ. Scholars are more inclined to think it doesn't since Chrestus is a proper Latin name.