Christian Texts and History • Re: Does Suetonius refer to someone generally known as Chrestus?

Here is a poem by Martial (found in Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism, Vol.1 p.526, item 242):

Nulli munera, Chreste, si remittis, nec nobis dederis remiserisque: credam te satis esse liberalem. Sed si reddis Apicio Lupoque 5 et Gallo Titioque Caesioque, linges non mihi — nam proba et pusilla esi — sed quae de Solymis venit perustis damnatam modo mentulam tributis. If you give presents in return to no man, Chrestus, give and return none to me either: I will believe you to be generous enough. But if you give them to Apicius, and Lupus and Gallus and Titius and Caesius, you shall assault, not my person (for that is chaste and petty), but the one that comes from Solyma now consumed by fire, and is lately condemned to tribute. (trans. W.C.A. Ker, LCL)

(Solyma is a Roman reference to Hierosolyma, ie Jerusalem)

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to who this Chrestus is?

Chrestus is probably not Jewish, the poem is making fun of Jewish practices. (Either Jews in general or a specific Jew of their aquaintance.) See the translation here

Andrew Criddle

Statistics: Posted by andrewcriddle — Sat Dec 07, 2024 3:28 am

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