Chrestiani, Christiani, Χριστιανοί: a Second Century Anachronism?

Brent D. Shaw has questioned the historicity of the Neronian persecution based on two arguments from silence: Tacitus’s use of the term “Christians” is an anachronism; and Suetonius knows of no connection between the fire in Rome and Nero’s police actions against the Christians. Both of these untest...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Chrestiani, Christiani, Christianoi$da Second Century Anachronism?
Main Author: Cook, John Granger 1955- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Vigiliae Christianae
Year: 2020, Volume: 74, Issue: 3, Pages: 237-264
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
KBJ Italy
Further subjects:B Neronian persecution
B Christiani
B Chrestiani
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Brent D. Shaw has questioned the historicity of the Neronian persecution based on two arguments from silence: Tacitus’s use of the term “Christians” is an anachronism; and Suetonius knows of no connection between the fire in Rome and Nero’s police actions against the Christians. Both of these untestable arguments from silence are inherently weak logically. One can make a good case for the claim that Chrestianus, Christianus, and Χριστιανός are not creations of the second century and that Roman officials were probably aware of the Chrestiani in the 60s. Tacitus’s and Suetonius’s accounts of the persecution are fundamentally reliable.
ISSN:1570-0720
Contains:Enthalten in: Vigiliae Christianae
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341410