Home
Results for: Josephus on Jesus
Wikipedia (1 of 2 sources) Open/Close data Source
Josephus on Jesus
A series of articles on
Jesus
This box:
A page from a 1466 copy of Antiquities of the Jews, the only Josephus work which includes references to Jesus.

The writings of 1st century Romano-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus on Jesus are important non-Christian historical documents that could, if genuine, shed light on the origins of Christianity.[1][2] Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews, written around 93–94 AD, includes two references to Jesus in Books 18 and 20 and a reference to John the Baptist in Book 18.[1][3] These references found in Antiquities have no parallel texts in the other work by Josephus such as The Jewish War.

In Book 20, Chapter 9, 1 of the Antiquities Josephus refers to the death of "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James".[4][5] Some authors who think this passage is authentic also believe the James referred to is most likely James the first bishop of Jerusalem who is also called James the Just in Christian literature[5][6] The majority of scholars consider both the reference to "the brother of Jesus called Christ" and the entire passage that includes it as authentic.[7][1][2][8] Scholars generally consider this passage to have the highest level of authenticity among the references of Josephus to Christianity.[1]

In Book 18, Chapter 5, 2 of the Antiquities Josephus refers to the imprisonment (and death) of John the Baptist by order of Herod Antipas and states that the Jews of that time attributed Herod's defeat (historically established as 36 AD) by Aretas IV of Nabatea to Herod's unjust execution of John.[9][10][11] Almost all modern scholars consider this Josephus passage about John to be authentic in its entirety.[9][12] Given that the death of John also appears in the Christian gospels, this passage is considered an important connection between the events Josephus recorded, the chronology of the gospels and the dates for the Ministry of Jesus.[9]

In Book 18, Chapter 3, 3 of the Antiquities Josephus refers to the execution of Jesus by Pontius Pilate.[13][1] This passage is generally called the Testimonium Flavianum. It is the most discussed passage in all of Josephus' writings and perhaps in all ancient literature.[1] Scholars have differing views on the authenticity of the Testimonium. The general scholarly view is that while the Testimonium Flavianum is most likely not authentic in its entirety, it originally consisted of an authentic nucleus with a reference to the execution of Jesus by Pilate which was then subject to interpolation.[13][14][15][16] A number of scholars suggest a relationship between the Testimonium and the reference to James the brother of Jesus, viewing the Testimonium as the initial reference to Jesus, which is then referred to again in the passage on James in Book 20.[1][2][17]

Contents

James the brother of Jesus

Icon of James, the first bishop of Jerusalem
“ And now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus... Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.[18] ”

In the Antiquities of the Jews (Book 20, Chapter 9, 1) Josephus refers to the stoning of "James the brother of Jesus" by order of Ananus ben Ananus, a Herodian-era High Priest who died c. 68 AD.[4][5] The James referred to in this passage is most likely James the first bishop of Jerusalem who is also called James the Just in Christian literature, and to whom the Epistle of James has been attributed.[5][6][19] The translations of Josephus' writing into other languages have at times included passages that are not found in the Greek texts, raising the possibility of interpolation, but this passage on James is found in all manuscripts, including the Greek texts.[5]

The context of the passage is the period following the death of Porcius Festus, and the journey to Alexandria by Lucceius Albinus, the new Roman Procurator of Judea, who held that position from 62 AD to 64 AD.[5] Because the Albinus' journey to Alexandria had to have concluded no later than the summer of 62 AD, the date of james' death can be assigned with some certainty to around that year.[5][20][4] The 2nd century chronicler Hegesippus also left an account of the death of James, and while the details he provides diverge from those of Josephus, the two accounts share similar elements.[21][8][20]

Modern scholarship overwhelmingly views the entire passage, including its reference to "the brother of Jesus called Christ", as authentic and has rejected its being the result of later interpolation.[7][22][23][24] Moreover, in comparison with Hegesippus' account of James' death, most scholars consider Josephus' to be the more historically reliable.[21] However, a few scholars still question the authenticity of the reference, based on various arguments, but primarily based on the observation that various details in the Jewish War differ from it.[25][26][27]

John the Baptist

The Baptist scolds Herod. Fresco by Masolino, 1435
“ Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man... Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion... Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death.[28] ”

In the Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, Chapter 5, 2) Josephus refers to the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist by order of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea.[9][10] The context of this reference is the 36 AD defeat of Herod Antipas in his conflict with Aretas IV of Nabatea, which the Jews of the time attributed to misfortune brought about by Herod's unjust execution of John.[11][29][30]

Almost all modern scholars consider this passage to be authentic in its entirety, although a small number of authors have questioned it.[9][31][12] Because the death of John also appears prominently in the Christian gospels, this passage is considered an important connection between the events Josephus recorded, the chronology of the gospels and the dates for the Ministry of Jesus.[9] A few scholars have questioned the authenticity of the passage, contending that the absence of Christian tampering or interpolation does not itself prove authenticity.[32][33] While this passage is the only reference to John the Baptist outside the New Testament, it is widely seen by most scholars as confirming the historicity of the baptisms that John performed.[34][35][36]

While both the gospels and Josephus refer to Herod Antipas killing John the Baptist, they differ on the details and the motive. While the gospels present this as a consequence of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias in defiance of Jewish law (as in Matthew 14:4, Mark 6:18) Josephus refers to it as a pre-emptive measure by Herod to quell a possible uprising.[37][38][39][11] Louis Feldman, who believes the passage is authentic, states that Christian interpolators would have been very unlikely to have devoted almost twice as much space to John (163 words) as to Jesus (89 words).[40]

While Josephus identifies the location of the imprisonment of John as Machaerus, southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river, the gospels mention no location for the place where John was imprisoned.[41] However, according to other historical accounts Machaerus was rebuilt by Herod the Great around 30 AD and then passed to Herod Antipas.[41][42][43] The 36 AD date of the conflict with Aretas IV mentioned by Josephus is, however, consistent (and shortly after) the approximate date of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias estimated by other historical methods.[42][44][10]

Testimonium Flavianum

A 1631 Testimonium page with commentary
Main article: Authenticity of the Testimonium Flavianum
“ Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.[45] ”

The Testimonium Flavianum (meaning the testimony of Flavius [Josephus]) is the name given to the passage found in Book 18, Chapter 3, 3 of the Antiquities in which Josephus describes the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of the Roman authorities.[46][13] The Testimonium is likely the most discussed passage in Josephus and perhaps in all ancient literature.[1]

The earliest secure reference to this passage is found in the writings of the fourth-century Christian apologist and historian Eusebius, who used Josephus' works extensively as a source for his own Historia Ecclesiastica. Writing in about 324, Eusebius quotes the passage [47] in essentially the same form as that preserved in extant manuscripts. It has therefore been suggested that part or all of the passage may have been Eusebius' own invention, in order to provide an outside Jewish authority for the life of Christ.[48] However, it is also possible that others, including the third-century patristic writer Origen also knew of the passage. Although Origen makes no direct reference to the Testimonium, the way in which he writes about the passage involving James (see above) suggests he may have been familiar with this passage as well.[49] While this does not furnish direct evidence, it has been used by a number of scholars to argue that the passage is not the product of a Eusebian interpolation.

Of the three passages found in Josephus' Antiquities, this passage, if authentic, would offer the most direct support for the crucifixion of Jesus. The general scholarly view is that while the Testimonium Flavianum is most likely not authentic in its entirety, it originally consisted of an authentic nucleus with a reference to the execution of Jesus by Pilate which was then subject to interpolation.[13][14][15][16] Among other things, the authenticity of this passage would help make sense of the later reference in Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 20, Chapter 9, 1 where Josephus refers to the stoning of "James the brother of Jesus". A number of scholars argue that the reference to Jesus in this later passage as "the aforementioned Christ" relates to the earlier reference in the Testimonium.[1][2][17]

Comparison to the Jewish Wars

These three references found in Antiquities have no parallel texts in the other work by Josephus such as The Jewish War. Some critics believe the passages could have been later Christian interpolations and cite the discovery of a Russian version of The Jewish War, during the beginning of the twentieth century, commonly called the "Slavoic Josephus" or Testimonium Slavianum, that is universally acknowledged by all scholars to contain Christian interpolations.[50] However, the overwhelming majority of scholars consider the reference to "the brother of Jesus called Christ" to be authentic.[7]

See also

Portal icon Christianity portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Josephus, Judaism and Christianity by Louis H. Feldman, Gōhei Hata 1997 ISBN 9004085548 pages 55-57
  2. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Maier285; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
  3. ^ Josephus: The Essential Works by Flavius Josephus and Paul L. Maier 1995 ISBN 082543260X page 12
  4. ^ a b c Early Christian Life and Thought in Social Context by Mark Harding 2003 Sheffield Academic Press ISBN 0826456049 page 317
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition by John Painter 2005 ISBN 0567041913 pages 134-141
  6. ^ a b Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 ISBN 9053565035 page 670
  7. ^ a b c Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence by Robert E. Van Voorst 2000 ISBN 0802843689 page 83
  8. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Bauckham; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
  9. ^ a b c d e f Craig Evans, 2006 "Josephus on John the Baptist" in The Historical Jesus in Context edited by Amy-Jill Levine et al. Princeton Univ Press ISBN 9780691009926 pages 55-58
  10. ^ a b c International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 1982 ISBN 0802837824 pages 694-695
  11. ^ a b c The Emergence of Christianity: Classical Traditions in Contemporary Perspective by Cynthia White 2010 ISBN 0800697472 page 48
  12. ^ a b Louis H. Feldman, "Josephus" Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, pp. 990-1.
  13. ^ a b c d Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature (Vol 2) by H. Schreckenberg and K. Schubert 1992 ISBN 9023226534 pages 38-41
  14. ^ a b The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum and Charles L Quarles 2009 ISBN 0805443657 pages 104-108
  15. ^ a b Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies by Craig A. Evans 2001 ISBN 0391041185 page 316
  16. ^ a b Jesus and the oral Gospel tradition by Henry Wansbrough 2004 ISBN 0567040909 page 185
  17. ^ a b Jesus in the Jewish World by Geza Vermes 2011 ISBN 0334043794 pages 33-44
  18. ^ Josephus: The Antiquities of the Jews Book 20, Chapter 9, 1 Text at Wikisource
  19. ^ A History of the Holy Eastern Church by John Mason Neale 2003 ISBN 1593330456 pages 2-3
  20. ^ a b The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 1: Origins to Constantine by Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young 2006 ISBN 0521812399 page 297
  21. ^ a b John Painter: "Who was James?" in The brother of Jesus: James the Just and his mission by Bruce Chilton, Jacob Neusner 2004 ISBN 0814651526 pages 126
  22. ^ Richard Bauckham states that although a few scholars have questioned this passage, "the vast majority have considered it to be authentic": Richard Bauckham "FOR WHAT OFFENSE WAS JAMES PUT TO DEATH?" in James the Just and Christian origins by Bruce Chilton, Craig A. Evans 1999 ISBN 9004115501 pages 199-203
  23. ^ Louis Feldman states that the authenticity of this Josephus passage has been "almost universally acknowledged": Josephus, Judaism and Christianity by Louis H. Feldman, Gōhei Hata 1997 ISBN 9004085548 pages 55-57
  24. ^ Paul L. Maier states that most scholars agree with Feldman's assessment that "few have doubted the genuineness of this passage": Josephus: The Essential Works by Flavius Josephus and Paul L. Maier 1995 ISBN 082543260X page 285
  25. ^ The Historical Jesus by Gary R. Habermas 1996 ISBN 0899007325 pages 33-37
  26. ^ Jesus in history, thought, and culture: an encyclopedia, Volume 1 by James Leslie Houlden 2003 ISBN 1576078566 page 660
  27. ^ George Albert Wells, Did Jesus Exist?, (1986) Pemberton Publishing Co., p. 11
  28. ^ Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews Book 18, 5, 2 Text at Wikisource
  29. ^ The relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth by Daniel S. Dapaah 2005 ISBN 0761831096 page 48
  30. ^ Herod Antipas by Harold W. Hoehner 1983 ISBN 0310422515 pages 125-127
  31. ^ The new complete works of Josephus by Flavius Josephus, William Whiston, Paul L. Maier ISBN 0825429242 pages 662-663
  32. ^ Léon Herrmann Chrestos, Témoignages païens et juifs sur le christianisme: du premier siècle, (Bruxelles, Latomus, 1970).
  33. ^ Clare K. Rothschild, "Echo of a Whisper": The Uncertain Authenticity of Josephus' Witness to John the Baptist, in David Hellholm, Tor Vegge, A~yvind Norderval, Christer Hellholm (editors), Ablution, Initiation, and Baptism: Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity, pages 257 and 258 (Walter de Gruyter, 2011). ISBN 978-3-11-024751-0
  34. ^ 'John the Baptist: prophet of purity for a new age by Catherine M. Murphy 2003 ISBN 0814659330 page 53
  35. ^ Christianity: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Guide by Glenn Jonas, Kathryn Muller Lopez 2010 ISBN pages 95-96
  36. ^ Studying the historical Jesus: evaluations of the state of current research by Bruce Chilton, Craig A. Evans 1998 ISBN 9004111425 page 187-198
  37. ^ Jesus in history, thought, and culture: an encyclopedia, Volume 1 by James Leslie Houlden 2003 ISBN 1576078566 pages 508-509
  38. ^ Women in scripture by by Carol Meyers, Toni Craven and Ross Shepard Kraemer 2001 ISBN 0802849628 pages 92-93
  39. ^ Herod Antipas in Galilee: The Literary and Archaeological Sources by Morten H. Jensen 2010 ISBN 978-3-16-150362-7 pages 42-43
  40. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Feldman331; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
  41. ^ a b Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 ISBN 9053565035 page 842
  42. ^ a b Herodias: at home in that fox's den by Florence Morgan Gillman 2003 ISBN 0814651089 pages 25-31
  43. ^ Herod the Great by Jerry Knoblet 2005 ISBN 0761830871 pages 15-17
  44. ^ Herod Antipas by Harold W. Hoehner 1983 ISBN 0310422515 page 131]
  45. ^ Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 3, 3 Text at Wikisource
  46. ^ William Whiston, The New Complete Works of Josephus, Kregel Academic, 1999. p 662
  47. ^ McGiffert, Arthur Cushman. "Paragraph 7 of "Chapter XI.—Testimonies in Regard to John the Baptist and Christ" from Book I of Eusebius' "The Church History."". http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vi.xi.html. Retrieved 2007-08-12.  (From the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 1, edited by Philip Schaff.)
  48. ^ Olson, K A. "Eusebius and the Testimonium Flavianum."The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 61.2 (1999): 305
  49. ^ William Whiston, The New Complete Works of Josephus, Kregel Academic, 1999. p 995-996. Origen writes, "It may be questioned whether the Jews thought Jesus a man," which appears to make reference to the language in the Testimonium.
  50. ^ Robert E. Van Voorst, Jesus Outside The New Testament: An Introduction To The Ancient Evidence, page 85 (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000). ISBN 0-8028-4368-9

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Existence
Culture
Christianity
Other views
Part of a series on Christianity
Jesus Christ
P christianity.svg
Foundations
Bible
Theology
History and
tradition
Denominations
(List) and
Movements
Topics

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

logo This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Josephus on Jesus.

Mentioned In Open/Close data Source