Was the Bible Right?
Written c. 93–94 CE·New Testament·Artifact

Josephus on Jesus and James

Scripture: Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19; Mark 15

Page from a medieval manuscript of Josephus' Jewish Antiquities
Page from a medieval manuscript of Josephus' Jewish Antiquities · Photo: Bibliothèque nationale de France · Public domain · Source

The claim

The Gospels present Jesus as a teacher and wonder-worker, executed under Pilate, whose brother James later led the Jerusalem church.

What archaeology found

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions Jesus twice in his Jewish Antiquities. In Book 18 (the 'Testimonium Flavianum') he describes Jesus as a wise man and doer of 'surprising deeds', condemned to the cross by Pilate, whose followers did not abandon him. In Book 20 he records the stoning of 'James, the brother of Jesus who was called Christ' in 62 CE.

Sources

  1. John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol. 1, Doubleday (1991)
  2. Shlomo Pines, An Arabic Version of the Testimonium Flavianum and Its Implications, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities (1971)

Verdict history

  • ConfirmedInitial verdict.