Pliny the Younger on Christ
Encyclopedia
Pliny the Younger
's evidence for the historical existence of Christ
and early Christians is found in one of his collected letters
. Pliny (Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born 61 AD) was a governor
of the Roman province
of Bithynia and Pontus
, as well as a priest (augur
) of the traditional religion of ancient Rome
and a jurist
. His hundreds of surviving letters are an invaluable historical source for the Roman Empire
in the late 1st and early 2nd century.
Pliny was a friend of the historian Tacitus
and employed the biographer Suetonius
in his staff. Pliny also came into contact with many other well-known men of the period, including the philosophers Artemidorus
and Euphrates
during his time in Syria
.
, a lifetime priesthood of Rome's official religion
concerned with interpreting the will of the gods and demarcating sacred space. Roman priesthoods were held by the same men of the elite classes who could hope to attain political office. In his early career, Pliny was president of the curators of the Tiber
, the public works board who oversaw the maintenance of waterways and the sewer system. As a member of the Imperial administration, he had skills in finance, management, and law
. His abilities allowed him to advance to a provincial governorship, in which capacity he sought to respect local tradition, including religious traditions.
The largest body of Pliny's surviving literary work is his Epistulae (Letters), a collection of correspondence with his friends and associates. In one letter (10.96), he asks the emperor Trajan
for instructions regarding official policy concerning Christians.
(see Epistulae (Pliny)
) included a report on his actions against the followers of Christ. In an extended explanation to his supervisor, Pliny explained that he forced Christians to curse Christ. He also described their actions and practices thusly:
Pliny then records how Christians were tortured and put to death.
Pliny had certain unique qualifications that makes his references to Christ valuable to modern historians. It is important to remember that Pliny, prior to being a governor, held the position of State Priest - the same position held somewhat earlier by Cicero. His job as state priest included acting as an overseer in the state religion and would bring him into contact with other religions and sects. In order to "safeguard the wise conduct of religion," he was expected to be knowledgeable about Christ and his followers. In light of the fact that Christianity was recognized as a threat to public order, it is therefore likely that, while his knowledge of Christianity itself was largely second-hand, he also had firsthand knowledge of basic beliefs such as Jesus' existence.
More important here, however, is the testimony by Pliny that Christians died for their beliefs. Pliny explains:
was worshiped, and believers in in Christianity could be put to death for their beliefs, in a short period of the early 2nd-century by Roman authorities. Pliny put to death members of what was at the time considered an illegal cult. This could lend circumstantial significance to the writings of early Christians. Part of their belief system was not to bear false witness. More importantly the Sitz im Leben
helps in the discussion of whether Jesus was a historical person at all. Being required to “curse Christ” is evidence that Pliny reported this as a means to force reactions of the suspect Christian members under torture.
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
's evidence for the historical existence of Christ
Historicity of Jesus
The historicity of Jesus concerns how much of what is written about Jesus of Nazareth is historically reliable, and whether the evidence supports the existence of such an historical figure...
and early Christians is found in one of his collected letters
Epistulae (Pliny)
The Epistulae are a series of personal missives by Pliny the Younger directed to his friends and associates. These letters are a unique testimony of Roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. The style is very different from that in the Panegyricus, and some commentators...
. Pliny (Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born 61 AD) was a governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of the Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Bithynia and Pontus
Bithynia et Pontus
Bithynia et Pontus was the name of a province of the Roman empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia . It was formed by the amalgamation of the former kingdoms of Bithynia and Pontus ....
, as well as a priest (augur
Augur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
) of the traditional religion of ancient Rome
Religion in ancient Rome
Religion in ancient Rome encompassed the religious beliefs and cult practices regarded by the Romans as indigenous and central to their identity as a people, as well as the various and many cults imported from other peoples brought under Roman rule. Romans thus offered cult to innumerable deities...
and a jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
. His hundreds of surviving letters are an invaluable historical source for the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in the late 1st and early 2nd century.
Pliny was a friend of the historian Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
and employed the biographer Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
in his staff. Pliny also came into contact with many other well-known men of the period, including the philosophers Artemidorus
Artemidorus
Artemidorus Daldianus or Ephesius was a professional diviner who lived in the 2nd century. He is known from an extant five-volume Greek work the Oneirocritica, .-Life and work:...
and Euphrates
Euphrates the Stoic
Euphrates , was an eminent Stoic philosopher, who lived c. 35-118 AD.According to Philostratus, he was a native of Tyre, and according to Stephanus of Byzantium, of Epiphania in Syria; whereas Eunapius calls him an Egyptian. At the time when Pliny the Younger served in Syria , he became acquainted...
during his time in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Pliny and his letters
Pliny was an augurAugur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
, a lifetime priesthood of Rome's official religion
Religion in ancient Rome
Religion in ancient Rome encompassed the religious beliefs and cult practices regarded by the Romans as indigenous and central to their identity as a people, as well as the various and many cults imported from other peoples brought under Roman rule. Romans thus offered cult to innumerable deities...
concerned with interpreting the will of the gods and demarcating sacred space. Roman priesthoods were held by the same men of the elite classes who could hope to attain political office. In his early career, Pliny was president of the curators of the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
, the public works board who oversaw the maintenance of waterways and the sewer system. As a member of the Imperial administration, he had skills in finance, management, and law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
. His abilities allowed him to advance to a provincial governorship, in which capacity he sought to respect local tradition, including religious traditions.
The largest body of Pliny's surviving literary work is his Epistulae (Letters), a collection of correspondence with his friends and associates. In one letter (10.96), he asks the emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
for instructions regarding official policy concerning Christians.
Christian persecution
His correspondence with the emperor TrajanTrajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
(see Epistulae (Pliny)
Epistulae (Pliny)
The Epistulae are a series of personal missives by Pliny the Younger directed to his friends and associates. These letters are a unique testimony of Roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. The style is very different from that in the Panegyricus, and some commentators...
) included a report on his actions against the followers of Christ. In an extended explanation to his supervisor, Pliny explained that he forced Christians to curse Christ. He also described their actions and practices thusly:
Pliny then records how Christians were tortured and put to death.
Authenticity
There is no evidence to cast doubt about the genuineness of this reference. Van Voorst notes that the "style matches that of the other letters" in the same book.Pliny had certain unique qualifications that makes his references to Christ valuable to modern historians. It is important to remember that Pliny, prior to being a governor, held the position of State Priest - the same position held somewhat earlier by Cicero. His job as state priest included acting as an overseer in the state religion and would bring him into contact with other religions and sects. In order to "safeguard the wise conduct of religion," he was expected to be knowledgeable about Christ and his followers. In light of the fact that Christianity was recognized as a threat to public order, it is therefore likely that, while his knowledge of Christianity itself was largely second-hand, he also had firsthand knowledge of basic beliefs such as Jesus' existence.
More important here, however, is the testimony by Pliny that Christians died for their beliefs. Pliny explains:
Significance
JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was worshiped, and believers in in Christianity could be put to death for their beliefs, in a short period of the early 2nd-century by Roman authorities. Pliny put to death members of what was at the time considered an illegal cult. This could lend circumstantial significance to the writings of early Christians. Part of their belief system was not to bear false witness. More importantly the Sitz im Leben
Sitz im Leben
In Biblical criticism, Sitz im Leben is a German phrase roughly translating to "setting in life".-Origins:The term originated with the German Protestant theologian Hermann Gunkel. The term Sitz im Volksleben was employed for the first time in 1906 and the term Sitz im Leben in 1917...
helps in the discussion of whether Jesus was a historical person at all. Being required to “curse Christ” is evidence that Pliny reported this as a means to force reactions of the suspect Christian members under torture.