The Testimonium Flavianum (literally ‘The Testimony of Flavius Josephus’) is among the most contested texts to have come to us from the ancient world.
The 90-word paragraph, appearing in book eighteen of first-century historian Flavius Josephus’ opus Antiquities of the Jews, is one of four references to Jesus we have that is both outside the New Testament and within the lifetime of those who may have lived at the same time as him.
Pliny the Younger’s letter to the Emperor Trajan about Christians in the province of Bythinia and Tacitus’s mention of Christians in his Annals are both excellent pieces of evidence for the existence of Christianity by the turn of the 2nd century, and its spread across the Roman Empire.
The other two references come from Josephus. The first is known as the “James the Brother of Jesus” passage:
“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.” Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX
There’s nothing inherently controversial about this passage, and scholars – almost universally – view it as authentic. It’s the reference that comes in Book 18 – the Testimonium Flavianum – that’s caused headaches.
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them, spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII
Three key quotes within this passage have scholars, of whom John Dickson used to be one, suspecting that this was a forgery:
- “If indeed one ought to call him a man”
- “He was the Christ”
- “He appeared to them, spending a third day restored to life”
For a Jewish scholar in the employ of the Romans – as Josephus was – to say any of these would raise more than a few eyebrows.
There are three typical scholarly approaches to the Flavianum: That it’s a complete forgery added in by a later scholar, that it contains a historical core that was later “improved” by a Christian scribe, or that it’s entirely authentic. A majority of Biblical scholars favour the second option. But, new research by T.C. Schmidt in the form of his new book Jesus and Josephus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ makes a compelling case that the Testimonium Flavianum might just have come from the pen of Josephus after all – and he meets these three ‘disqualifying’ quotes in turn.
“If indeed one ought to call him a man”
This is perhaps the easiest of Schmidt’s arguments to understand: That Josephus wasn’t insinuating Jesus was beyond human, but actually below a manly status befitting someone in the first century!
“If you look at the actual Greek of this passage, you can read this as an insult,” Schmidt said, speaking on Undeceptions. “That’s because the phrase ‘If it’s fitting to call him a man’ is used by other Greek authors as a derogatory remark to demean someone’s morals.”
Schmidt goes on to point out that the word used for “man” actually translates to something more akin to ‘manliness’. “Either Josephus isn’t quite sure what to make of Jesus, or he’s having a dig at Jesus – I think it’s one or two of those options.”
“He was the Christ”
In the traditional Testimonium Flavianum, the statement “He was the Christ” is the dead giveaway: There’s simply no way that this could not have come from a non-Christian Jewish writer of the first century. While the phrase “a wise man” earlier in the paragraph fits Josephus’ likely opinion, a declaration of Jesus’ messianic identity always looked out of place.
But Schmidt notes that Latin and Syriac manuscripts of this passage do not have the clear affirmation “He was the Christ,” but instead the more doubtful “He was believed to be [Latin] / thought to be [Syriac] Christ”.
Given the early date of these renditions—the 300s AD—and the unlikelihood that any Latin or Syriac Christian copyist would demote Jesus, it seems reasonable to conclude that this was indeed what Josephus wrote. In the Greek copying tradition, a single verb (legomenos, “called,” perhaps) appears to have dropped out, either by accident or intent.
“He appeared to them, spending a third day restored to life”
Scholars have long agreed that there’s simply no way a non-Christian Jew like Josephus could have said that Jesus actually “appeared alive”. But what if the Greek word Josephus chose for ‘appeared’ – phainō in this context – carries one of its other connotations; to indicate, as Schmidt puts it, “something seeming or appearing to be so (but which may not actually be so)”?
That would mean Josephus isn’t claiming that Jesus was really alive, any more than he declared that Jesus was really the Christ. Instead, he is non-committally reporting that “it seemed (to his followers)” that Jesus was alive, just as he had earlier said that Jesus was “believed/thought to be” the Christ.
What might this all mean?
With all this in mind, here’s T.C. Schmidt’s rendition of the Testimonium Flavianum.
And in this time, there was a certain Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to
call him a man, for he was a doer of incredible deeds, a teacher of men who
receive truisms with pleasure. And he brought over many from among the
Jews and many from among the Greeks. He was thought to be the Christ.
And, when Pilate had condemned him to the cross at the accusation of the
first men among us, those who at first were devoted to him did not cease to
be so, for on the third day it seemed to them that he was alive again given
that the divine prophets had spoken such things and thousands of other
wonderful things about him. And up till now the tribe of the Christians, who
were named from him, has not disappeared.
None of this is to suggest that Josephus was secretly a Christian believer, nor that the Testimonium Flavianum comprehensively proves that Jesus did rise from the dead. However, if Schmidt is correct in his thesis, the Testimonium Flavianum would be a remarkably close witness to the supernatural claims people made about Jesus. What really happened on that fateful weekend in Jerusalem remains a mystery – but what people claimed happened is becoming clearer.
“Scholarship will probably need to reassess the Testimonium Flavianum in light of this work”, John Dickson notes.
“It may not convince everyone, but if I’m any indication, he might partly convince many … but I might owe my former students an apology.”
Adapted by Alasdair Belling from Undeceptions episode 166 ‘Jesus Proof?’ Listen here.
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