"Christus" executed by Pilate
AuthenticityAuthentic
The Roman historian Tacitus, a senator writing about 116 CE and openly hostile to Christians, explains where the Christians got their name: "Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus." The "mischievous superstition", he adds, broke out again, in Judaea and in Rome itself. A hostile Roman thus confirms the founder's execution under Pilate in the reign of Tiberius, and a movement named after him already present in Rome by 64.
Authentic, in the general view of scholars. It establishes, from a hostile Roman source, the execution of "Christus" by Pilate under Tiberius and a movement named after him in Rome by 64. These facts are also supported by other evidence; Tacitus strengthens their sourcing.
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Where Tacitus got his information is debated. He may have used Roman records, general knowledge in Rome, or what Christians themselves said. He calls Pilate "procurator", whereas the inscription known as the Pilate stone shows his title as "prefect", which suggests he did not copy an official record. He wrote about 85 years after the events.