Opinion of Jesus

[afleitch]

He's not here to defend himself against what his supporters say about him so I won't comment.

[afleitch]

It is worth stressing that there is no evidence outside the New Testament that a man called Jesus existed.

I am not suggesting of course because there is no evidence outside the NT that Jesus existed that he did not therefore in fact exist, however his existence is certainly not settled.

What’s all the more curious is that he should be mentioned. For all Jesus’ bombastic preaching and all the events associated with him were somehow not important enough or disruptive enough to prick the ears of anyone who cared to write about him. Yet we know of other’s messianic claimants. Simon of Peraea, a former slave of Herod the Great and rebel leader killed by the Romans in 4BC is mentioned by Flavius Josephus. He died some 41 years before Josephus was even born, yet had such a legacy to be mentioned by Josephus. We know lots about Simon; Josephus even writes that he was a ‘comely person, of a tall and robust body’. We know of his campaign. We know the manner of his death; the commander of the Roman army, Gratus cut off his head. We know of Athronges, a shepherd rebel leader and contemporary of Jesus. Josephus describes the rebellion in detail and the defeat of Athronges’ four brothers, but is curiously silent on Athronges’ own demise.

Jesus is mentioned in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews written around 93-94AD but is merely inferred; his life story, his physical attributes, his campaign which grace the descriptions of Simon and Athronges are not there. It is worth noting at this point, that the works of Josephus mentions at least twenty different people with the name Jesus (including Jesus son of Damneus for example) The Jesus people are interested in, is mentioned as (the) ‘Jesus who is called Christ’, which is undoubtedly helpful in distinguishing from the different Jesus’. The deaths of James and John the Baptist are mentioned and differ from the New Testament versions of the same which while giving historical credence to these figures existing, goes against the NT narrative. 

(You cannot have it both ways if you seek historical evidence of Jesus yet dismiss the inevitability that this might not dovetail with what the NT tells you.)

Jesus as being ‘Christ’ is inferred through Josephus’ description of the death of James who is called the ‘brother of Jesus who is called Christ’. There is some speculation, that ‘Christ’ may also be a redaction given the fact that Jesus of Damneus who is mentioned in the text also has a brother named James.

The reference to Jesus’ execution by Pilate, the Testimonium Flavium. is generally accepted as not authentic in its entirety with a strong element of later Christian redaction within the text. It was first recorded by the fourth century Christian, Eusebius. In it, Josephus calls Jesus ‘the Messiah’, yet the Christian writer Origen specifically states that Josephus did not consider Jesus to be the Messiah. Furthermore, Jerome’s Latin version does not have ‘the Messiah’ but  ‘He was believed to be the Christ’ which is a far more neutral stance for the Pharisaic Jew to take.