important years with respect to the life of Jesus are missing. Jesus, however, is mentioned by Tacitus in his reference to the burning of Rome (A.D. 64) during the reign of Nero. He writes that, in order to squelch the rumor that it was Nero himself who had ordered the fire that ravaged Rome, the emperor placed the blame on the Christians and persecuted them. In the midst of describing Nero’s murder and torture of Christians, Tacitus states (c. 115), Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone