Evidence · Case 01 · Historical Jesus
Thallus
One exhibit from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Thallus was an ancient writer whose own work does not survive. We know of him only because a later Christian writer, Julius Africanus, around 220 AD, refers back to something Thallus wrote. Scholars dispute whether the passage even mentioned the crucifixion.
Sources
Objections & responses
- Why include Thallus at all? The original is lost, we have a Christian quoting a Christian quoting it, and it may not mention Jesus. Isn’t this padding the list?
Thallus is included so that you know how weak it is when you meet it in other apologetics material. It is labeled here as weak, indirect evidence and given no argumentative weight. Leaving it out would invite the charge of hiding a source; including it with an honest rating is the more transparent choice. If you prefer, drop it entirely: the case for non-Christian attestation stands on Tacitus and Josephus without it.