The Roman historian and botanist Pliny the Elder, who recommended frankincense as an antidote to hemlock poisoning, wrote in the first century A.D. that … It also seems clear that Pliny thinks Christ isn’t some other pagan deity. Betty Radice, Letters of the Younger Pliny (Viking Press 1976) Betty Radice, Pliny Letters and Panegyricus (Harvard Univ Pr 1969) Pliny thought Jesus was a historical person, and we know that Tacitus said Jesus was a human being – … Youth Portrait of a Roman man (c.70-100 CE) Gaius Plinius Secundus - or, to use his English name: Pliny - was born in 23 or 24 CE in Novum Comum (modern Como), a small city in the region known as Gallia Transpadana. Pliny the Elder or Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79): Roman officer and encyclopedist, author of the Natural History. Twenty thousand workers where chosen to pull on the ropes and activate the hoisting apparatus. This group was described by Pliny the Elder as one living near the Dead Sea who did not marry, had no money, and had renounced all pleasure. Pliny's report might be useful in documenting the religion, but not the historic Jesus. There was … Part 2. Pliny and the Christians (Latin and English) Offsite Links. That they sang to Christ as unto a god means that the God that Christians worship was once a human being. According to Pliny, the Essenes lived “on the west of Asphaltites (i.e. Part 1. Pliny The Elder is a American Imperial IPA style beer brewed by Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA. Arguments about the number of second-century believers and martyrs is therefore beside the point. Pliny's dates are pinned to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in AD 23 or 24.. Pliny was the son of an equestrian Gaius Plinius Celer and his wife Marcella. (On Pliny the Younger by Jeffery Jay Lowder) Books. Pliny the Elder, Natural History book 12, chapters 31-32 (frankincense) and 33-35 (myrrh), available online. “A Wise Man’s Cure: Frankincense and Myrhh.” Also see the detailed (and entertaining) documentary by Kate Humble, “The Frankincense Trail,” a … A mythical Jesus and a historical Jesus would be indistinguishable to those living in the second century. Pliny was confident the superstition could be curbed, and spoke glowingly of how once-deserted temples were again filled and the food offered to sacrifices once again had buyers. Answer: Pliny the Younger (c. 61—113), a Roman administrator, was the nephew of Pliny the Elder and a friend of the historian Tacitus. Neither the younger nor the elder Pliny mention the names. Cohen, Jennie. Score: 100 with 15,312 ratings and reviews. Pliny and Trajan on the Christians by Darrell Doughty; Josh McDowell's "Evidence" for Jesus: Is It Reliable? Trajan’s reply to Pliny is preserved in Epistulae X.97. He told a story of the setting of an obelisk, which when erect would stand 99 feet tall. His primary historical significance is in the letters that he wrote, which provide an intimate window into the inner workings of the Roman Empire at its strongest. Pliny on the Essene Way of Life . the Dead Sea), and sufficiently distant to escape its noxious exhalations.” The Roman author adds that “Below this people was formerly the town of Engadda.” Pliny also provides some information about the Essene way of life. Pliny the Elder, was a Roman writer who lived during the same time period as Jesus. Last update: 06-14-2020.