Tacitus

A Roman senator and historian widely regarded as the greatest writer of the Roman imperial period. In his Annals (15.44), Tacitus provides one of the most important non-Christian references to Jesus, recording that 'Christus' was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius and that a 'deadly superstition' had spread to Rome. His account of Nero's persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD is the earliest detailed Roman description of Christian suffering. His writings corroborate the biblical timeline of early Christianity's emergence.