Extra-Biblical Reference to Jesus – Josephus Testimonium Flavianum

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Beaten, Christ, crucifixion, evidence, extra-biblical, Faith, Jesus, Josephus

I have heard a lot of people ask if there is any extra-biblical (somewhere outside the Bible) reference to Jesus Christ in any historical manuscript. Well, this post is for all such people who seek such evidences and for people who are simply interested in history and archaeology.

In the year 93 AD, hardly 60 years from the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the Jewish historian Josephus published his work Antiquities of the Jews. Josephus was not Christian but a credible historian. His writings contain two passages about Jesus. These 2 passages are of great significance as it provides an extra-biblical testimony about the existence, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Some say that the 2 passages are too little to be given significant importance, however, the contents of the two passages are pretty interesting and relevant to the truth of the gospels. Here they are…

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles.

He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day”

- Antiquities of the Jews 3.3: (Translated to English)

And again in another place he writes,

“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”

-Antiquities of the Jews 20:9(Translated to English)

In his writings, Josephus mentions about Jesus, John the Baptist and James as well as the Romans and High Priests.

Just How Bad Was Jesus Really Beaten?

Josephus has also mentioned how brutally people were beaten before crucifixion (in general, not with respect to Jesus Christ alone). His writing agrees with the  “Passion of Christ” movie portrayal of Christ’s suffering.

“At this the multitude had great indignation; and when Pilate was come to Jerusalem, they came about his tribunal, and made a clamor at it. Now the Jews were so badly beaten, that many of them perished by the stripes they received, and many of them perished as trodden to death, by which means the multitude was astonished at the calamity of those that were slain, and held their peace.”

– Josephus – The Wars of the Jews- Book 2 Chapter 9

Well the extra-biblical evidence is here but it takes more than evidence to accept somethings, it takes faith… after all what is Christianity without faith!

Faith Matters Most

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Apologetics, evidence, Faith

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is a Sunday school staple. Three followers of Christ are to be thrown into a fiery furnace by the evil King Nebuchadnezzar for worshiping God. While in the burning pit, the Angel of the Lord appears and saves them from the flames. But there’s a line in the story that is often overlooked. Before being thrown into the furnace, the Bible says that the trio said this to the king:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then He will deliver us from the blazing furnace and from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18, TNIV, emphasis mine).

It’s easy to forget about that statement “even if He does not.” Of course, God does rescue the three faithful worshipers, but there are plenty of times in the Bible where God doesn’t “show up” (at least in the way we expect Him to). We become all the more frustrated, and in some cases, fall away from our faith in Christ. Interestingly, with all of its miraculous stories and accounts of supernatural events, the Bible also showcases why it’s important to have a rooted faith.

We learn that of the 12 men originally called by Christ, 11 of them (not including Judas who killed himself) died violent deaths, and the 12th died in exile. God could have come down and rescued the apostles (like he had many other times throughout the scripture), but his physical absence did not shake their faith. Because their faith was based on more than physical proof and the things we can see.

Today, people ask for archeological evidence, evidence for the reliability and authenticity of God’s word, evidence for God Himself. Science and various archeological evidence continuously show up proving many things. My blog itself features a lot of Christian apologetics information for non believers and believers to gain more faith through science and history. Christian apologetics has helped prove the Christian faith in many ways. It’s important to know apologetics (Evidence for Christian faith) and understand why you believe what you believe (especially in light of research that shows a stark lack of knowledge of doctrine among professed Christians), but as the old adage goes, “18 inches” (the distant from your head to heart) is an important distant when it comes to faith.

It’s likely that we’ll see more news stories about archeological discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and new interpretations of history. But being grounded in faith requires a balance of knowledge (and seeing how science and history actually confirm what you believe) and that intangible element that draws the line between belief and faith.

Know that God will show up in your life, but remember His ways are not ours. So “even if He does not” appear like you think He should (whether it be through a personal sign, a “groundbreaking” news story or just in daily situations), know that He is there. And all that takes is a little bit of faith.

The Caiphas Ossuary

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bone box, caiphas, crucifixion, evidence, facts, high priest, history, ossuary

Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests

Matthew 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas

Matthew 26:57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

There has always been this debate that the crucifixion of Jesus is a mere story and a bunch of lies. There have always been skeptics about the death and resurrection of Christ. Skeptics say that the Bible records fictional stories and the incidents in the Bible are not historically true. I am not here to try to convince anybody to believe the Bible but I thought why not share the stuff that I came to know recently in the field of archaeology.

I believe that the Bible records facts and history. The Bible is the most reliable historical book in the history of mankind ever… and remember, this statement is not something that I make blindly but it has been accepted by non-christian scholars as well. Although the intention of this post is not to cover everything about the credibility of the Bible, I could not resist from sharing with you the details about one very stunning archaeological evidence that points directly to tell that the people in the Bible are not fictional characters but were truly historic people.

The above mentioned scriptures talk about a person called Caiphas. He was the chief priest when Jesus was crucified. In December of 1990, an exciting discovery rocked the world of archaeology! In the Peace Forset section of Jerusalem, a first century Ossuary, or “bone box,” was discovered. Inscribed on the ossuary were the words “Yehosef bar Kayafa,” translated as “Joseph, son of Caiaphas.” Excavator Zvi Greenhut of the Israeli Antiquities Authority recovered the artifact, which is currently on display at the Isael Museum in Jerusalem.

I don’t want to crowd you with too many information about this archeological discovery. I am sure a little bit of google would help you find more details about this bone box. All I can tell is that -

The Caiaphas Ossuary, Pontius Pilate’s Caesarea inscription, evidence of crucifixion, and historians also naming Pilate and Caiaphas confirm that the story of Christ’s crucifixion is by no means a fairy tale. The Bible records history and events that really took place. There are many such archaeological evidences to prove the authenticity of the Bible. If God willing I will share them with you every now and then. For now I will leave you with these picture of the bone box itself. By the way, I did not take these pictures

Inscription reads “Yehosef bar Kayafa,” translated as ” Joseph, son of Caiaphas. Israel Museum.

A frontal view of the ossuary. Israel Museum.

Pontius Pilate – Archaelogical Evidence – Part 1

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Archaeology, evidence, Jesus, pontius pilate

Who was this Pontius Pilate? Pontius Pilate was the governer of Judea, who ordered the death of Jesus.  You can read about him in Luke 3:1. There was much debate if a person called Pontius Pilate really existed. In June 1961 Italian archaeologists led by Dr. Frova were excavating an ancient Roman amphitheater near Caesarea-on-the-Sea (Maritima) and uncovered an interesting limestone block. It had the inscription – “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judaea“. The original inscription is currently preserved in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Scientist have dated the inscription to 26–37 AD, approximately the time when Jesus was crucified.