
This book brings to light an extraordinary connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jewish historian Josephus. Writing in 93/94 CE, Josephus composed an account of Jesus known as the Testimonium Flavianum. Despite this being the oldest description of Jesus by a non-Christian, scholars have long doubted its authenticity due to the alleged pro-Christian claims it contains. This book, however, authenticates Josephus' authorship of the Testimonium Flavianum and reveals a startling observation: Josephus was directly familiar with those who put Jesus on trial. Consequently, Josephus would have had access to highly reliable information about the man from Nazareth. The book concludes by describing what Josephus tells us about the Jesus of history, his miracles, and his resurrection.An open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.
This book investigates the historical authenticity of the Testimonium Flavianum, a passage in the works of the Jewish historian Josephus that describes Jesus of Nazareth. T. C. Schmidt, a scholar of early Christian history, utilizes textual analysis and historical context to argue that the passage is a genuine account written by Josephus. By situating Josephus within the social and political landscape of first-century Judea, the author posits that the historian possessed direct access to information regarding the trial and execution of Jesus.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and readers note that this work provides a focused, technical argument regarding a long-debated passage in ancient historiography. The text is recognized for its specific contribution to the ongoing academic discourse surrounding the reliability of Josephus as a source for early Christian history.
Page Count:
336
Publication Date:
2025-08-22
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192866788
ISBN-13:
9780192866783
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