Issues, Etc. First Century Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus on Jesus – Dr. T.C. Schmidt, 4/10/26 (1002)
Apr 10, 2026
T.C. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and author of Josephus and Jesus, studies early Christianity and ancient historiography. He explores who Flavius Josephus was and the contested Testimonium Flavianum. He discusses his computer-assisted linguistic findings, manuscript evidence, links between Josephus and Jerusalem leaders, and how Josephus may corroborate Gospel details.
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Statistical Evidence Counters Style Objection
- Statistical analysis shows the Testimonium's vocabulary frequency mirrors Josephus's broader corpus, undermining the style-of-authority objection.
- Josephus commonly uses unique words and would be expected to use one in a 90-word passage.
Early Christians Read Testimonium As Mundane
- Early Christian quotations of the Testimonium do not react as if it's an overtly pro-Christian paragraph, suggesting later readers also saw it as neutral.
- Schmidt collated ~20 quotations showing ancient authors emphasize chronology or disciples rather than miracles or a confession.
Translations Preserve A Qualified Christ Claim
- Textual variants in Jerome's Latin and Jacob of Edessa's Syriac renderings read 'believed to be the Christ' rather than 'he was the Christ,' implying the original likely qualified the claim.
- This aligns with Josephus's separate reference to Jesus as 'called the Christ' when mentioning James.
