Two Josephus Quotes:
Circa A.D. 91
Josephus, Flavius | ˈjōzefəs | (c.37–c.100),
Jewish historian, general, and Pharisee; born Joseph ben Matthias.
His Jewish War gives an eyewitness account of the events that led up to the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66, in which he was a leader.
The Antiquities by Josephus, Flavius
- Quoted in Video below:
The Flavius Josephus quote about Jesus the Nazarene, commonly known as the **Testimonium Flavianum**, can be found in **Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3** of his work **”Antiquities of the Jews“**. This passage is one of the most debated references to Jesus in Josephus’ writings. [1][4].
Here is the quote:
“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 called from him, are not extinct at this day.”
For a full text of “Antiquities of the Jews,” you can refer to online sources like Project Gutenberg, which provides a digital version of the book[3].
Additionally, there is another reference to Jesus in **Book 20, Chapter 9, Section 1**, which mentions “James the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” This passage is generally considered authentic by scholars[1][2].
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus
[2] https://3dchristianity.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/josephus-on-jesus-evidence-for-jesus-existence/
[3] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm
[4] https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/testimonium.html
[5] https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=evans%3Bidno%3DN18799.0001.001%3Bnode%3DN18799.0001.001%3A91.6%3Brgn%3Ddiv2%3Bview%3Dtext
[6] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/josephusjesus.html
[7] https://josephus.org/compTable.htm
[8] https://josephus.org/testimonium.htm
[9] https://www.ccel.org/ccel/j/josephus/complete/cache/complete.pdf
[10] https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D20%3Awhiston+chapter%3D9
[11] https://www.socinian.org/files/TestimoniumFlavianum.pdf
[12] https://www.cryforjerusalem.com/post/flavius-josephus-describes-jesus-of-nazareth
[13] http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-18.html
[14] https://www.namb.net/apologetics/resource/josephus-and-jesus/
[15] https://www.jonathanmorrow.org/what-did-the-jewish-historian-josephus-really-say-about-jesus/
[16] https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0037-0103,_Flavius_Josephus,_The_Antiquities_Of_The_Jews,_EN.pdf
[17] https://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/complete.toc.html
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Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share
Yes, in addition to the Testimonium Flavianum in Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3), there is one other notable reference to Jesus in Josephus’ writings. This second reference is found in Book 20, Chapter 9, Section 1 of Antiquities of the Jews. It is generally considered authentic and less disputed than the Testimonium Flavianum. Here is the passage:
“Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he [the high priest Ananus] 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.”
Summary of Josephus’ References to Jesus:
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Testimonium Flavianum (Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 3, Section 3): A passage that describes Jesus as a wise man, a miracle worker, and possibly the Messiah. This passage also mentions his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate and his followers’ claim that he rose from the dead. However, this text is controversial because scholars suspect it was altered or interpolated by later Christian scribes.
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Reference to James (Antiquities, Book 20, Chapter 9, Section 1): A brief mention of “James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” This passage is widely regarded as authentic and provides indirect evidence that Jesus was a historical figure known during Josephus’ time.
These are the only two explicit references to Jesus in Josephus’ surviving works. While Josephus does not provide detailed accounts of Jesus’ life or teachings, these passages are significant because they are among the few non-Christian references to Jesus from the first century.