Editing Tacitus on Jesus (section)

== Sources used by Tacitus ==
The majority of scholars consider the passage to be genuinely by Tacitus. However, he does not reveal the source of his information. For this reason, some scholars have debated the historical value of the passage.<ref>{{cite book |first=F. F. |last=Bruce |title=Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament |location=Grand Rapids |publisher=Eerdmans |date=1974 |page=23}}</ref>

[[Gerd Theissen]] and Annette Merz argue that Tacitus at times had drawn on earlier historical works now lost to us, and he may have used official sources from a Roman archive in this case; however, if Tacitus had been copying from an official source, some scholars would expect him to have labelled Pilate correctly as a ''prefect'' rather than a ''procurator''.{{sfn|Theissen|Merz|1998|p=83}} Theissen and Merz state that Tacitus gives us a description of widespread prejudices about Christianity and a few precise details about "Christus" and Christianity, the source of which remains unclear.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Theissen |first1=Gerd |last2=Merz |first2=Annette | title=The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZU97DQMH6UC&pg=PA83| year=1998 | publisher=Fortress Press | location=Minneapolis  | isbn=978-0-8006-3122-2 | page=83}}</ref> However, Paul Eddy has stated that given his position as a senator, Tacitus was also likely to have had access to official Roman documents of the time and did not need other sources.{{sfn|Eddy|Boyd|2007|p=181}}

Scholars have also debated the issue of hearsay in the reference by Tacitus. Charles Guignebert argued that "So long as there is that possibility [that Tacitus is merely echoing what Christians themselves were saying], the passage remains quite worthless".<ref>''Jesus'', University Books, New York, 1956, p.13</ref> R. T. France states that the Tacitus passage is at best just Tacitus repeating what he had heard through Christians.<ref>{{Cite book|author-link=R. T. France|last=France|first=R. T.|title=Evidence for Jesus (Jesus Library)|publisher=Trafalgar Square Publishing|year=1986|isbn=978-0-340-38172-4|pages=19–20}}</ref> However, Paul Eddy has stated that as Rome's preeminent historian, Tacitus was generally known for checking his sources and was not in the habit of reporting gossip.{{sfn|Eddy|Boyd|2007|p=181}}

Tacitus was a member of the ''[[Quindecimviri sacris faciundis]]'', a council of priests whose duty it was to supervise foreign religious cults in Rome, which as Van Voorst points out, makes it reasonable to suppose that he would have acquired knowledge of Christian origins through his work with that body.<ref name=Handbook>{{cite book|last=Van Voorst|first=Robert E.|title=Handbook for the Study of the Historical Jesus|date=2011|publisher=Brill Publishers|location=Leiden|isbn=978-9004163720|page=2159}}</ref>