Archaeology exposes the contrast between the values of Christianity and the pagan Roman Empire. From the first century AD to the collapse of the empire in the fifth century, many Romans marked their graves with the inscription nffnsnc. Scholars eventually deciphered the Latin: non fui non sum non curo, “I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care.” Their apathetic outlook contrasts radically with the Christian epitaphs in the catacombs, which express joy in the present life and hope for eternity. Craig Evans devotes the final chapter of his book Jesus and the Remains of His Day to the stark
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