Today is the 24th day of Lent as we prepare to recognize the execution of Jesus Christ and celebrate his resurrection.

Within 7 years of the execution, Emperor Tiberius wrote back and forth with one of his governors about the problems Pontius Pilates execution of Christos was causing for Rome. The governor wanted to know what he should do. Tiberius told him he was making no official stance unless the followers of Christos that were starting to spread everywhere were pushing sedition against Rome. The governor said they weren’t, but he was killing them anyway.

Within 70 years of the execution of Christos by Pontius Pilate, 5 Roman emperors would refer to him in similar official correspondence. Three contemporary emperors would make persecution of Christos’ followers official through written laws. One official Roman senate scribe made documentation on Christos and followers. Two official Roman historians included documentation of the problems Pilate caused for Rome by executing Christos and actions the subsequent emperors took to deal with the rapidly spreading range and influence of Christos’ followers. 1 Jewish general documenting the Roman-Jewish wars also wrote about the execution. Though he was prone to exaggerating his own war contributions.

4 first hand eyewitnesses and 1 secondhand eyewitness who was a Hebrew official also documented during this time frame.

Claudius and Caligula enacted laws against Christos followers. Claudius calling them a troublesome sect of the Jews and Caligula mad at them because they would worship him as God. But Caligula killed everyone who wouldn’t declare him God.

Just 34 years after Christos’ execution, Emperor Nero blamed Romes great fire on the followers of Christos who had grown numerous in the city. It was just a coincidence that the area that burned, Nero had previously requested the Senate give him for a new project but the Senate had refused. Nero got his real estate cheap after the fire, and enacted specific written laws for official persecution of Christos’ followers.

After 70 years of documentation is the cutoff for contemporary documentation of the execution by Pilate of Christos, as there were no more eyewitnesses of the events living after that cutoff.