zhugin

... and according to Suetonius.

spamandham

True, but they both seem to be referring to the same persecution.

"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, ...

He devised a new form for the buildings of the city and in front of the houses and apartments he erected porches, from the flat roofs of which fires could be fought;44 and these he put up at his own cost. He had also planned to extend the walls as far as Ostia and to bring the sea from there to Rome by a canal.

2 During his reign many abuses were severely punished and put down, and no fewer new laws were made: a limit was set to expenditures; the public banquets were confined to a distribution of food; the sale of any kind of cooked viands in the taverns was forbidden, with the exception of pulse and vegetables, whereas before every sort of dainty was exposed for sale.45 Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition. He put an end to the diversions of the chariot drivers, who from immunity of long standing claimed the right of ranging at large and amusing themselves by cheating and robbing the people.

Notice the similarity between Tacitus and Seutonius in regards to Nero's persecution of the mischievous/pernicious superstition? More importantly, notice another group explicitly referred to as robbers who were also persecuted by Nero - the chariot drivers.

So I suppose it's possible that Nero persecuted Christians and chariot drivers throughout the kingdom. Seems odd though.

spin

The Suetonius was a poorly chosen one for the christian interpolator.

We have a list of sundry acts by Nero aimed at maintaining public order. 1) Public banquets were scenes of riots so control was placed upon them. 2) Taverns were places where the public brewed up trouble, so restraints were placed upon them. 3) Chariot drivers were known for frequent trouble because of exemptions, so their activities were curtailed. 4) Pantomimes were the scenes of further public disorder, so they were curtailed as well.

Into this is inserted a comment about the execution of christians, which is so far out of context that its presence makes little sense. (I don't know why older translations mistranslate the fact that they are executed.) This is a rather short comment but features a phrase similar to that in Tacitus indicating execution. Given the treatment of public order one is left to ask what these christians did that caused them to be executed and the lack of provided response is problematic. The phrase also refers to christians as a superstition as the Tacitus passage does (as pointed out above by spamandham). These two philological connections regarding mistreatment under Nero make one think that there is a literary relationship between the Tacitus passage and the phrase about christians in Nero 16.

Hegemony strikes again.


spin

Minimalist

You're right, of course. But when the emperor gives you the power to kill anyone who dissents does it really matter?

Roger Viklund

Although I do not know Latin, I could still make a try. The Latin ”suppliciis” means ”with punishment”. Normally, but not always, this means capital punishment. Suppliciis is in the ablative and in the plural. The ablative stands for the means, the method, the starting point and so on and it is normally translated with prepositional phrases such as to, from, by, etc.

judge

This (that it refers to xtians) seems to most reasonable solution.....unless of course anyone else has a better alternative...?

judge

Do you have an alternative as to whom the inscription might refer to if not christians?
In the absence of any alternatives christians is the best fit.

spin

Umm, "supplicio" used for Jesus as found in Tacitus is also ablative, just singular.


spin

stephan huller

the Jews were noted as a superstitious race, if we believe Horace (Credat Judoeus Apella, I, Sat., v, 100); The cause of the Jewish War is unknown but Josephus connects it to a superstitious interest in astronomy

judge

So are you suggesting that Nero persecuted the Jews because the Jews introduced a new superstition?
If not then what are you suggesting?
Thanks