Michelle
We are all related
Ginetai de kata touton ton chronon Iêsous sophos anêr, eige andra auton legein chrê: ên gar paradoxôn ergôn poiêtês, didaskalos anthrôpôn tôn hêdonêi talêthê dechomenôn, kai pollous men Ioudaious, pollous de kai tou Hellênikou epêgageto: ho christos houtos ên. kai auton endeixei tôn prôtôn andrôn par' hêmin staurôi epitetimêkotos Pilatou ouk epausanto hoi to prôton agapêsantes: ephanê gar autois tritên echôn hêmeran palin zôn tôn theiôn prophêtôn tauta te kai alla muria peri autou thaumasia eirêkotôn. eis eti te nun tôn Christianôn apo toude ônomasmenon ouk epelipe to phulon.
"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 to this day.
by Flavius Josephus in 93 AD
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From the Antiquities of the Jews
by Flavius Josephus in 93 AD
That appears to be written by a man that believed Jesus was the Son of God and had resurrected from the dead. However Josephus was Jewish and left us his autobiography.
[font=Times New Roman, serif]The words in quotes are direct quotes.[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, serif]He was born (37 CE) "in the first year of the reign of Caius Caesar" into " I am derived is not an ignoble one, but hath descended all along from the priests; and as nobility among several people is of a different origin, so with us to be of the sacerdotal dignity, is an indication of the splendor of a family" [/font]
[font=Times New Roman, serif]His Father was highly respected in Jerusalem . It appears he was gifted intellectually and, by the age of 14, the high priest were consulting him. At the age of 19 he wrote " I began to conduct myself according to the rules of the sect of the Pharisees, which is of kin to the sect of the Stoics, as the Greeks call them"[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, serif]At the age of 26 he sailed to Rome to negotiate the release of some Jewish Priest."I was desirous to procure deliverance for, and that especially because I was informed that they were not unmindful of piety towards God, even under their afflictions, but supported themselves with figs and nuts" He sailed in a ship that held "about six hundred in number". It sank in the Adriatic Sea and they swam all night. As dawn was breaking they saw a ship and he wrote "I and some others, eighty in all, by God's providence, prevented the rest, and were taken up into the other ship. And when I had thus escaped, and was come to Dieearchia, which the Italians call Puteoli". And then he met "Aliturius, an actor of plays, and much beloved by Nero, but a Jew by birth; and through his interest became known to Poppea, Caesar's wife" and was able to secure the release of the Jewish Priest. He then returned to Jerusalem.
[font=Times New Roman, serif]Josephus was Jewish and seemed to be proud of his father and of his roots. I find it hard to believe that a historian of his reputation would have written a short paragraph if he had believed that Jesus was the Son of God. I believe he would have left us an Essay describing in detail when and how he had been converted to Christianity. Origen, an early Christian, stated that Josephus did not believe that Jesus was the Son Of God. Origen also pointed his readers to the Antiquities in a statement about James, Jesus's brother . Why would an Early Christian that had read the Antiquities not mention the testimony of the Son of God?[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, serif]Eusebius, considered the father of the history of the church, quoted the Testimonium Flavianum [font=Times New Roman, serif]in 324. A Lot of Christian scholars point to Eusebius quotation as proof . But Josephus was Jewish and would not have written, He was the Christ, unless he believed it. Some scholars think that Eusebius added the entire phrase or at the very least added the words I have below in caps.[/font][/font]
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[font=Times New Roman, serif]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 wonders, A TEACHER OF SUCH MEN AS RECEIVE THE TRUTH WITH PLEASURE. He drew many after him BOTH OF THE JEWS AND THE GENTILES. HE WAS THE CHRIST. When Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among 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 THEN THOUSAND OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT HIM, and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day .[/font]
[font=Times New Roman, serif]There is also an Arabic version that reads like this found in the tenth century.[/font]
http://members.aol.com/fljosephus/home.htm
Edited to move the links up ..it was wasting space and removed the Published in the by Flavius Josephus in 93 AD.. haha
At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Accordingly they believed that he was the Messiah, concerning whom the Prophets have recounted wonders.
Which supports the theory that the text has been tampered with. How many other documents have been or at the very least could have been tampered with?
http://members.aol.com/fljosephus/home.htm
Edited to move the links up ..it was wasting space and removed the Published in the by Flavius Josephus in 93 AD.. haha
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