Category: Historical

  • The Nazareth Decree

    — by

    Matthew Frisbee
    in

    📝 Summary The Nazareth Decree is a marble inscription containing a Roman legal order against disturbing graves or moving bodies. Dated broadly to the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD, the decree’s most striking feature is its prescription of capital punishment for such offenses—a rare penalty in Roman law. Some scholars believe…

  • Pliny the Younger

    — by

    Matthew Frisbee
    in

    📝 Summary In 111–113 AD, Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia and Pontus, wrote to Emperor Trajan asking for guidance on how to handle trials of individuals accused of being Christians. The preserved correspondence provides valuable insight into the legal status of Christians, their worship practices, and the imperial policy toward them in the early…

  • Tacitus on Jesus

    — by

    Matthew Frisbee
    in

    📝 Summary Tacitus, a Roman historian writing in 116 AD, provides one of the most important non-Christian references to Jesus Christ. In Annals 15.44, he confirms that Christus (Jesus) was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and documents the brutal persecution of early Christians under Nero. This source is widely accepted…

  • The Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus

    — by

    Matthew Frisbee
    in

    🧭 Introduction The historical figure of Jesus Christ is frequently discussed not only within Christian theological circles but also among secular historians. One of the most compelling arguments for the historical existence of Jesus is the documentation from non-Christian sources. Chief among these is the work of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, particularly his extensive…

  • Dead Sea Scrolls

    — by

    Matthew Frisbee
    in

    Often hailed as the greatest archeological discovery of the 20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls not only bridge a historical gap of over a thousand years in biblical documentation, but they also demolish the common narrative that the Bible has been tampered with over time. Instead, they show careful preservation, predictive prophecy, and deep insight…