Tacitus Mentions Christ in His Annals

Writing around 116 CE, Tacitus describes Nero's persecution of Christians after the Great Fire and notes that the movement's founder, 'Christus,' was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Tacitus is no fan of Christians — he calls their beliefs a 'mischievous superstition' — which makes his testimony more credible, not less. As a Roman senator with access to imperial archives, his brief mention provides independent confirmation of Jesus' existence, his execution under Pilate, and the rapid spread of the movement to Rome itself.