The first documented case of imperially supervised persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire begins with Nero (37-68). In 64 A.D., a great fire broke out in Rome, destroying portions of the city and economically devastating the Roman population. Nero himself was suspected as the arsonist by Suetonius, claiming he played the lyre and sang the 'Sack of Ilium' during the fires. Tacitus (who claimed Nero was in Antium at the time of the fire's outbreak), stated that "to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians (or Chrestians).

Suetonius uses the same "e" transliteration of the Greek Krystos / Chrestus.Suetonius, later to the period, does not mention any persecution after the fire, but in a previous paragraph unrelated to the fire, mentions punishments inflicted on Christians, defined as men following a new and malefic superstition. Suetonius listed this fact together with other abuses perpetrated by Nero. It is interesting to note the Jewish link. The "Roman" historian Suetonius, states: "Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Christ, he expelled them from Rome." It would seem at this point in time that Christianity is still viewed as a Jewish sect.

The passages from Suetonius on Christ are likely authentic for two reasons.

The first has to do with the misspelling of Christ's name. This is not the kind of mistake a Christian scribe would make when adding an interpolation at a later date. Rather it would be the type of mistake for Romans like Tacitus and Suetonius to make. It would be natural for a Roman to interpret the word Christus as the similarly-sounding ???????. If this is the case, the passage is authentic, as a Christian scribe would not make such an error.

The second reason supporting authenticity is the reference that Christ was inspiring the Jews to create disturbances. Later Christian scribes would not think of themselves as Jews. Again it was the type of mistake a Roman historian would make, leading to the conclusion of authenticity.

However there is ongoing debate (as in Tacitus' remarks about Christ) as to whether or not we can be sure Chrestus is referring to Christ.

Suetonius was born the son of Suetonius Laetus, who probably came from Hippo Regius (Annaba, Algeria). Laetus was an equestrian who served and took part in the first Battle of Bedriacum for the Emperor Otho and against the future Emperor Vitellius in 69.-Suetonius was a close friend of Senator and letter-writer Pliny the Younger. Pliny describes him as "quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing." Pliny helped him buy a small property in Italy and interceded with the Emperor Trajan to grant Suetonius immunities usually granted to a father of three, the ius trium liberorum, because his marriage was childless. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian.Suetonius may have served on Pliny’s staff when Pliny was Proconsul of Bithynia Pontus (northern Asia Minor) between 110 and 112. Under Trajan he served as secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and director of Imperial archives. Under Hadrian, he became the Emperor's secretary. But, In 119, Hadrian dismissed Suetonius for an affair between him and Empress Vibia Sabina. Suetonius may have later regained imperial favor under Hadrian and returned to his position. This hypothesis is based on the suggestion that Offices of State was one of his last works, and that the subject was chosen to reflect Hadrian's administrative reforms; however, there is no certain evidence for a public career after 120.

Twelve Caesars

He is mainly remembered as the author of De Vita Caesarum, best known in English as "The Twelve Caesars", his only extant work except for the brief lives and other fragments noted below. The Twelve Caesars, probably written in Hadrian's time, is a collective biography of the Roman Empire's first leaders, Julius Caesar (the first few chapters are missing), Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. The book was dedicated to a friend Gaius Septicius Clarus, a prefect of the Praetorian Guard in 119. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar.

Other works

Partly extant

• De Viris Illustribus ("On Famous Men" — in the field of literature), to which belong:
• De Illustribus Grammaticis ("Lives Of The Grammarians"; 20 brief lives, apparently complete)
• De Claris Rhetoribus ("Lives Of The Rhetoricians"; 5 brief lives out of an original 16 survive)
• De Poetis ("Lives Of The Poets"; the life of Virgil, as well as fragments from the lives of Terence, Horace and Lucan, survive)
• De historicis ("Lives of the historians"; a brief life of Pliny the Elder is attributed to this work)
• Peri ton par' Hellesi paidion ("Greek Games")
• Peri blasphemion ("Greek Terms of Abuse")

The two last works were written in Greek. They apparently survive in part in the form of extracts in later Greek glossaries.

Lost works

• Royal Biographies
• Lives of Famous Whores
• Roman Manners and Customs
• The Roman Year
• The Roman Festivals
• Roman Dress
• Offices of State
• On Cicero’s Republic
• Physical Defects of Mankind
• Methods of Reckoning Time
• An Essay on Nature
• Grammatical Problems
• Critical Signs Used in Books

• Barry Baldwin, Suetonius: Biographer of the Caesars. Amsterdam: A. M. Hakkert, 1983.

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