Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ

by T. C. Schmidt

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192692160
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	05/11/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

T. C. Schmidt (Yale PhD) has broad interests that touch upon the historical Jesus, the formation of the New Testament, the history of Christianity in Syriac and Arabic contexts, and the origin of Christmas. Notably, Professor Schmidt has produced peer-reviewed translations from Latin, Greek, Syriac, and Arabic texts. These include works from ibn Katib Qaysar (a twelfth-century Arabic Christian writer), Isho'dad of Merv (a ninth-century Syriac Bishop), and Hippolytus of Rome (a third-century theologian). His books have been published with academic presses such as Cambridge, Fordham, Catholic University, and Gorgias. He currently teaches at Fairfield University.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION1. The Authenticity of the Testimonium Flavianum1. The Greek Reception2. The Western and Eastern Reception3. An Authorial Commentary on the Testimonium Flavianum4. Authenticity and Possible Translations of the Testimonium Flavianum2. The Sources of Josephus and the Meaning of the Testimonium Flavianum5. Josephus’ Sources: Clues in His Background6. Identifying the ‘First Men among Us’: Possible Candidates7. Summary and Conclusion: The Jesus of HistoryAppendix 1. Eusebius, His Citational Practices, and the Testimonium FlavianumAppendix 2. James the Brother of Jesus: Antiquities 20.200Appendix 3. The Trial of Jesus and PassoverAppendix 4. Ananus II and the Trial of JesusAppendix 5. The Great Sanhedrin and Its Records of the Trial of JesusAppendix 6. Josephus’ Silence Regarding Jesus in the War

Editorial Reviews

"An extraordinary scholarly achievement, this book has the potential of redefining the discussion of the Testimonium Flavianum and its value as a source of historical information. With impressive philological acumen, Schmidt suggests a compelling reading of the text that confirms its authenticity. His argument for the existence of a surprisingly close connection between Josephus and those involved in Jesus' execution should be taken seriously by all historical Jesus scholars." — Tobias Hägerland, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg

"Schmidt's book makes an astonishingly new intervention into what had seemed to be a settled consensus on Josephus and Jesus. On the one hand, his erudite study models what it means to take reception seriously. On the other hand, he powerfully demonstrates the value of bringing such perspectives back to bear on our reconstruction of original meanings and settings. Scholars and students of the Jesus movement and early Jewish/Christian relations will need to grapple with his compelling argument and its ramifications." — Annette Yoshiko Reed, Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity and Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, Harvard Divinity School

"Prof. Schmidt offers a thorough and sophisticated analysis of the Testimonium Flavianum, a first-century report about Jesus whose authenticity has often been doubted. Schmidt convincingly shows that for students of the early reaction to Jesus, Josephus can no longer be ignored." — Harold Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, Dean of Yale Divinity School (2002-2012), President of the Society of Biblical literature (2001)

"In this fascinating and subtly provocative work, Schmidt patiently deploys enormous erudition to make a compelling case for the authenticity of the famous Testimonium Flavianum. The result is a gripping read and triumph of careful philology that will change views of the importance and reliability of this long-debated passage. It certainly changed mine." — Jack Tannous, Associate Professor of History and Hellenic Studies at Princeton University; Chair, Center for the Study of Late Antiquity

"The argument of this book is potentially of greater significance for the study of the historical Jesus than the announcement of any of the apocryphal gospels that have made headlines. Here we have a bold new argument undergirded by meticulous research on a well-known text. How could Josephus in his Antiquities sound so Christian when describing the life of Jesus Christ? Schmidt not only makes a strong case for the authenticity of Josephus' testimony to Jesus, but also shows that we have been misreading it. Earlier interpreters were less inclined to view Josephus' words as entirely positive. To cap it all, Schmidt argues that Josephus probably received information about Jesus from those who were at his trial. This book should be widely read and discussed." — Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge

From the Publisher