Which statement about Pliny the Younger is correct?

• A. Pliny the Younger was a Roman governor who wrote about early Christians' practices, providing non-Christian testimony to their existence.
• B. Pliny the Younger authored the Gospel of Matthew.
• C. Pliny the Younger was a Jewish high priest.
• D. Pliny the Younger was a Greek poet.

Answer: (A)

Pliny the Younger is significant here because, as a Roman governor, his letters to Emperor Trajan provide one of the best early, non-Christian attestations of Christians and their practices. While governing in Bithynia and Pontus around 112 CE, he describes Christians meeting on a fixed day, singing hymns to Christ as a god, and making pledges not to commit wrongdoing. This testimony shows that Christians existed and had recognizable worship and gatherings, even from a non-Christian source. The Gospel of Matthew is attributed to Matthew, not Pliny; Pliny was not a Jewish high priest; he was not a Greek poet. So the statement that he was a Roman governor who wrote about early Christians’ practices, offering non-Christian testimony to their existence, is the accurate choice.