Goranson on Schmidt and Schwartz on the Testimonium Flavianum

THE NT BLOG (Mark Goodacre): What, Exactly, Did Josephus Write About Jesus? Guest Post by Stephen Goranson.

Two new books address this question, whether Flavius Josephus, who wrote Antiquities of the Jews, or Judean Antiquities, in about the year 94 of the first century CE, mentioned Jesus of Nazareth. This most famous portion of his book eventually came to be called the Testimonium Flavianum, often abbreviated as the TF. Both books conclude that Josephus did indeed mention this Jesus, though they arrive at that conclusion via somewhat different paths. They significantly differ as to exactly what Josephus wrote about Jesus, as far as we can tell, which may have been partially altered in later manuscripts. Though all available manuscripts of Josephus’ book include the passage about Jesus, there are at least three different camps of thought that interpret this fact: either Josephus wrote it all, or nearly all of it; or Josephus wrote something, but the Jesus section was considerably rewritten and expanded; or Josephus wrote none of it, because it was all added, fully interpolated, later.

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I noted the publication of Schmidt's book here, also noting early comments by Roger Pearse and in this essay by Stephen Goranson, which he had shared with me in advance. And I give my own assessment there.

The other new book which deals with the Testimonium Flavianum is published by Brill:

Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary, Volume 8: Judean Antiquities, Books 18-20

Series:
Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary, Volume: 8

Author: Daniel R. Schwartz

These last three books of Josephus’s Antiquities detail Jewish history between the establishment of direct Roman rule in Judea in 6 CE and the outbreak of the Judean rebellion against Rome in 66 – a rebellion that culminated in 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. Along the way, these books also constitute the main source for the context in which Christianity was born. This volume offers a translation of Josephus’s Greek text, along with a commentary that aims to clarify the history to which Josephus testifies and also its meaning for him as an exiled Jerusalemite and rebel-turned-historian.

Copyright Year: 2025

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-70368-1
Publication: 28 Nov 2024
EUR €180.00

Cross-file under New Book.

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