Rome Trip: Part I--Chrestus and Christos

Rome was wonderful! Door-to-door it was a 48-hour trip. It took me a few days to recover.

In the coming days (perhaps weeks) I will give you a few nuggets and photos from the trip. The first installment comes from our walk along the Appian Way.
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We arrived at Rome's Ciampino airport from Glasgow at around 10 AM, exited the building, crossed the highway and immediately found ourselves walking down the Old Appian Way towards Rome (who needs a taxi?). This was the main way into Rome from the east and the south of the empire. Many well-known events have occured on the road. For example, in 71 BC 6,000 slaves affiliated with Spartacus' revolt were crucified along the Via Appia (Appian Way) from Capua to Rome (some 200 miles). Some Roman Christians met Paul along the Appian Way as he made his way to Rome in order to appeal to Caesar (read Acts 28.15-16; Three Taverns is on the Appian Way, near where we started our journey).

We walked about five miles along the Via Appia to a catacomb just outside the walls of Rome called San Sebastian (more on that in another day). Along the first leg of the journey I saw two very interesting 'Chrestus' inscriptions (see photos).

These inscriptions are interesting because Suetonius, an early second century Roman historian, in The Life of Claudius 25.4, explains that Claudius expelled Jews and Christians from Rome in 49 AD 'at the instigation of Chrestus'.

Who is Chrestus? Most scholars believe this is a reference to christos, which was the Greek word for Christ or Messiah. Jews and Jewish Christians were arguing over whether Jesus was the Christ. Rome didn't like instability, so Claudius expelled them all.

Other scholars, however, argue that Chrestus was simply a common name in Rome at this time and that the reference is more likely to a Jew bearing that common name who started a dispute.

The two inscriptions posted here can aid either interpretation of the Suetonius remark. One could say, 'See, Chrestus is indeed a common name, it was even on inscriptions on the Appian Way! Suetonius' comment does not refer to Christ'. However, one could equally argue that these inscriptions help explain why Suetonius mistook Christos for Chrestus.