Josephus on Jesus (Testimonium Flavianum)
Context
Flavius Josephus (born Yosef ben Matityahu, 37 — ca. 100 AD) was a first-century Jewish historian and military leader. Born into a priestly family in Jerusalem, he commanded Jewish forces in Galilee during the revolt against Rome before surrendering and becoming a client of the Flavian emperors. His major works — The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews — are among the most important surviving accounts of first-century Judea. He was not a Christian.
What Was Written
A passage in Book XVIII of Flavius Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews (ca. 93–94 AD) that references Jesus, his crucifixion under Pilate, and his followers. As preserved through Christian transmission, the passage contains phrases — such as 'He was the Christ' — that scholarly consensus attributes to later Christian interpolation. A majority of scholars, however, hold that Josephus did originally write about Jesus, and reconstruct a plausible pared-down core reference that pre-dates the Christian additions.
The Text Itself
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.— Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews XVIII.3.3; Louis Feldman, Josephus and Modern Scholarship (de Gruyter, 1984)
Why This Matters
Contains the earliest known reference to Jesus by a non-Christian Jewish historian, written within 60 years of the crucifixion. Also contains a separate, undisputed passage referencing James "the brother of Jesus who is called Christ" (Antiquities XX.9.1).
Acceptance Assessment
Debated Among Scholars
The full received text is considered partially interpolated. The existence of a Josephan reference to Jesus in some form is widely accepted; the exact original wording is debated.
What Scholars Debate
The full received text (Testimonium Flavianum) is considered partially interpolated — phrases like "He was the Christ" and "he appeared to them alive again the third day" are widely attributed to later Christian scribes. However, a majority of scholars hold that Josephus did originally reference Jesus, and several reconstructions of the original text have been proposed. The separate reference to James (Antiquities XX.9.1) is nearly universally accepted as authentic.