Tiberius
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Luke 3:1)—Roman emperor from AD 14 to 37 and successor, not another name, of Augustus. John the Baptist began preaching in the fifteenth year of his reign, and the public ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus occurred during it. Josephus’s account of Jesus, known as the Testimonium Flavianum, survives in a form whose wording has been debated because it appears to contain later Christian additions; the source’s assertion that its complete authenticity is beyond doubt cannot be sustained. Later stories that Tiberius proposed recognizing Christ among Rome’s gods depend on Christian apologetic tradition rather than secure imperial records.