Issib min jemmen li Ġesu’ qatt m’eżista.
Minkejja li wieħed jista’ jħares lejn it-Testment il-Ġdid bħala xhieda mingħand diversi awturi dwar l-eżistenza ta’ Ġesu’, nistgħu inħarsu lejn evidenza minn sorsi esterni mill-Bibbja. Wieħed minnhom huwa dan:
Tacitus (c.56-117AD) kien membru tal-klassi għolja provinċjali Rumana b’edukazzjoni formali. Fix-xogħol famuż tiegħu ‘Annals’ huwa kiteb dwar ħruq kbir li seħħ f’ Ruma, fis-sena 64 AD. Neruni, l-imperatur Ruman f’dak iż-żmien, kien suspettat minn ħafna li ordna li l-belt tingħata n-nar imma waddab it-tort fuq Kristjani u u ttorturhom tant li kien iqabbad l-iġsma tagħhom matul il-lejl bħala mezz ta’ lluminazzjoni! Tacitus kiteb hekk:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 by the populace. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐬, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬… Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.” Annals, Book no.15
Tacitus kien jobgħod kemm lill-Kristu kif ukoll lill-Kristjani. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮, 𝐱-𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐝𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐠ħ𝐮 𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢 𝐥𝐢 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮, 𝐛ħ𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐥-𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠̇𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐥-𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐳̇𝐦𝐮, 𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐮 𝐭𝐚’ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐚, 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢 𝐬𝐚ħ𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐠̇𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐥-𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐣𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐭𝐚𝐥-𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐬𝐮!