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Jesus and Tiberius: an Examination of Source Reliability

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Jesus and Tiberius: an Examination of Source Reliability Eleutheria Volume 4 Issue 1 Article 2 May 2015 Jesus and Tiberius: An Examination of Source Reliability Timothy B. Chrisman Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Chrisman, Timothy B.. 2015. "Jesus and Tiberius: An Examination of Source Reliability." Eleutheria 4, (1). https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/vol4/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Divinity at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Eleutheria by an authorized editor of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jesus and Tiberius: An Examination of Source Reliability Abstract Since the introduction to the critical method of studying the Old and New Testament in the nineteenth century, doubt has been thrown on the historical reliability of the biblical narrative accounts, especially the four Gospels. Yet, far less scrutiny and denigration have been applied to historical sources written during the time of the Roman Empire. A comparison, then, is proposed. It would be beneficial ot compare the sources that detailed the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the four sources which chronicled the life of Tiberius, emperor of the Roman Empire during the Ministry of Jesus. How do the sources compare as to their composition in proximity to their subject? Do the sources agree with one another? Is there a level of objectivity in the sources that allowed them to present the correct details of their subject? These questions will determine the reliability of the documents in question and whether the four Gospels measure up to critical examination. Keywords Jesus, Tiberius, Gospels, Historiography Cover Page Footnote Timothy B. Chrisman, Ph.D. Candidate, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary This article is available in Eleutheria: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/vol4/iss1/2 Eleutheria 4:1 Spring (2015) 2-17 INTRODUCTION In regards to the search for the Jesus of history, many have asserted that only the scantest of information is available to the modern scholar. Historical skeptics largely base this assertion on the unreliability of the Gospels. John Dominic Crossan, co-founder of the Jesus Seminar, dismissed the four canonical Gospels as predominantly unreliable, claiming that they were “neither histories nor biographies, even within the ancient tolerances for those genres.” 1 In a similar vein, Bart D. Ehrman, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, has regarded them as preservations of traditions “that have been modified over time in their retelling, it is impossible simply to take these stories at face value and uncritically assume that they represent historically accurate information.” 2 However, it appears that other figures of history have lesser demands placed upon them than those demanded of Jesus. Therefore, a comparison is proposed: let the accounts of Jesus be compared to the chronicles about an historical contemporary, whom historians would agree has sound and ample evidence about his life, achievements, and significance. A suitable person for comparison would be the reigning Emperor of Rome during the ministry of Jesus, Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (42 B.C.-37 A.D.), born Tiberius Claudius Nero, was the son Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus Caesar (r. 31 B.C.-14 A.D.). His mother’s marriage provided excellent connections which eventually propelled Tiberius to succeed Augustus as emperor. 3 Tiberius reigned from 14 to 37 A.D. At first taking an active part in government in Rome, Tiberius eventually became disgusted with the various intrigues of the court and his own family. In 26 A.D., Tiberius departed for the island of Capreae at the age of sixty- seven and left the commander of the Praetorian Guard, Lucius Aelius Sejanus in charge of the day-to-day operations of the empire. 4 Sejanus would eventually be replaced by Sutorius Macro in 31 A.D., 5 but Tiberius was never to return to Rome, dying at the villa of Lucullus in March 16, 37 A.D., at the age of seventy-eight. 6 Tiberius’ contemporary lived under entirely different and far less privileged circumstances and died at a young age by crucifixion. He had no political influence or rights, lived in poverty, and spent his entire lifetime within one small region of the world. Yet, this contemporary, Jesus of Nazareth, founded a faith which spread throughout the Roman Empire and, eventually, throughout the world. These two individuals lived vastly different lives. Yet, the question remains, “Is the historical testimony of one more reliable than the other?” The best way to 1 John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1991), xxx. 2 Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 53. 3 David Shotter, Tiberius Caesar , 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2004), 4. 4 Gregorio Maranon, Tiberius: The Resentful Caesar , trans. Warre Bradley Wells (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1956), 210. 5 Shotter, Tiberius Caesar , 54. 6 Frank Burr Marsh, The Reign of Tiberius (New York: Barnes and Noble, 1959), 218. 3 Jesus and Tiberius: An Examination of Source Reliability answer the question is to examine the sources, the approximate dates of their composition, their preservation from antiquity to the modern era, their genre, their accuracy and agreement between one another, and their portrayal of the their subject, namely Tiberius and Jesus. After the comparison is completed, then the sources will be judged on their reliability. THE SOURCES For the historian investigating the lives of Jesus and Tiberius, information in the form of historical chronicles is available. The first was written by Velleius Paterculus, who served in the military under Tiberius and later in the Senate during Tiberius’ reign, eventually rising to the rank of praetor. Paterculus’ history is comprised of two volumes and has a far more personal tone than the other histories concerned with Tiberius. 7 Considered to be the most reliable history of the Roman Empire in the first century is Publius Cornelius Tacitus’ The Annals of Imperial Rome . Describing the events at the end of Augustus’ reign to the death of Nero, Tacitus’ Annals is regarded as his greatest work. Tragically, not all of this work survived, but what remains serves as a valuable resource. Tacitus served as a senator during the Flavian dynasty, primarily during the reign of Domition (81-96 A.D.) and became consul in 97. He also served during the reign of Trajan (98-117) and became governor of the province of Asia fifteen years after his consulship. 8 A third source, the Life of Tiberius , comes from a contemporary of Tacitus, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillis. During a majority of his life, Suetonius held the career of schoolmaster, but during Trajan’s and Hadrian’s reigns, he served in secretarial posts. This gave him access to the records needed for writing his biographies of the emperors. Beginning with Julius Caesar, Suetonius penned the lives of the rulers of the Roman Empire and finished with Domitian. Unfortunately, Suetonius’ privileged status ended when he fell out of favor with Hadrian in 122. Once he lost access to the records of privileged to government officials, Suetonius’ biographies declined in quality. The treatment of Tiberius is considered to be one of the stronger biographies. 9 Cassius Dio Cocceianus, the Greek noble from Nicaea and author of Roman History , had a far more successful career, enjoying two consulships. The family Dio served under was the Severan dynasty, including the erratic and dangerous Caracalla (211-217). His history is composed entirely in Greek. He spent ten years researching his history and another twelve writing it. 10 Concerning Jesus, the sources that provide detail of any significance are the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the epistles of Paul of Tarsus. For the sake of brevity, only the Gospels will be investigated. The Gospel of Matthew has a much disputed origin among experts in the field of the New 7 Shotter, Tiberius Caesar , 82. 8 Michael Grant, “Translator's Introduction,” in The Annals of Imperial Rome , rev. ed. (New York: Penguin Books, 1971), 7-9. 9 Shotter, Tiberius Caesar , 86. 10 Ibid., 88. Eleutheria 4:1 Spring (2015) 4 Jesus and Tiberius: An Examination of Source Reliability Testament. 11 According to the Church father, Papias, the Gospel was written by the apostle and eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry, Matthew. It is considerably longer than the Gospel of Mark and most scholars contend that Matthew relied upon Mark as a source. Also, Matthew is considered as having a better chronological order than Mark. 12 Mark, the associate of Peter, wrote his Gospel from the oral recollections of the Apostle Peter. He therefore provided the Petrine perspective of the ministry of Jesus. This is important to recognize for Peter was an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry and direct recipient of His teachings. 13 As evidence of Peter’s influence upon this Gospel, New Testament professor, Richard Bauckham cites the numerous instances where Peter is present in Mark, which occur throughout the document (Mk. 1:16; 3:16; 8:29; 9:2; 14:66-72). 14 The author of Luke, who most critics also believe wrote the Book of Acts, was an associate of Paul of Tarsus, the apostle. His use of the first person plural in the Acts narrative (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-16; 21:1-18) demonstrates his relationship with Paul. Evidence leans toward Luke the physician as the author.
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