In honor of Good Friday, I would like to read again those quotes from Josephus and Tacitus to consider the “Roman view” on the day’s significance. Yes, I consider Josephus a “Roman,” given the nature of his writings and his status among the Flavian household. First, Tacitus:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. 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, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. [Tacitus, Annals 15.44]

Josephus’ text obviously presents a problem. It is widely acknowledged that what our manuscripts of Josephus say about Jesus are not what Josephus himself said. Christian scribes later inserted little Christian goodies, like about Jesus being the Messiah and raising from the dead. So, I will use one scholar’s (Meier’s) reconstruction of a “neutral tone” version of Josephus’ mention of Jesus.

At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. And although Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. And up until this very day the tribe of Christians (named after him) has not died out. [See J. P. Meier, "Jesus in Josephus : A Modest Proposal," CBQ 52 (1990), 76-103]

Jesus had clearly done something to threaten the Judean and Roman authorities to justify public execution on a Roman cross–an execution method the Romans used for “making an example.” For Tacitus and Josephus, though, this did not quash the movement behind him. The cross was not the end of the story. Going against traditional logic, this movement did not die with its leader but only exploded into a world-wide phenomenon.

Have a blessed and contemplative Good Friday, particularly if you are among the “tribe of Christians” who follow Christ. Remember that “we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:23-24).

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”