Leftist psychologist claims God did not get Mary's consent so Christ is a rape baby

[rolltide]

hoping he voices his opinions of the polygamist, Muhammad. that should go well for him as Muslims are typically comfortable in having their leader insulted publicly
Shush()*

<header class="entry-header" style="box-sizing: border-box;">[h=1]Psych professor points out the absence of consent in the story of Christmas[/h]Posted at 4:43 pm on December 5, 2018 by Brett T.
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One thing we see a lot of on Twitter is trolling of Christians; plenty are willing to jump into the comments to make fun of their “invisible friend” and pass judgment on just how Christian they really are (after all, Jesus certainly was no Republican).
But there’s really not much to say about this tweet from associate professor Eric Sprankle, aside from the fact that Christians have heard it plenty of times before, and it’s not that clever and certainly not “edgy.” No, the best part is Sprankle’s Twitter bio:
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Joe Gabriel Simonson
✔@SaysSimonson





• Sex workers’ rights • Cats • Secularism • Poe • Manson •
Eric Sprankle, PsyD



✔@DrSprankle


The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.




18
4:10 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Senzuran@Senzuran




Replying to @SaysSimonson

The entire modern left in one bio

11
4:11 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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</twitter-widget>No kidding. Anyway, here’s his tweet to blow your mind just in time for the holidays:
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Eric Sprankle, PsyD
✔@DrSprankle





The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.

732
1:55 PM - Dec 3, 2018
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I'm a woman, and I'm mad as Hell@nowhere_nh





Aaaaaaand THERE it is. Your annual "The Christ Child is a rape baby" analogy from Woke Blue Check Twitter.

Get a new schtick.
Eric Sprankle, PsyD
✔@DrSprankle


The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays.




41
4:01 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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J.G. Petruna@jgpetruna




Replying to @DrSprankle

As far as trolls go, this is kinda lazy.

And hackneyed.

NEXT

6
10:42 AM - Dec 5, 2018
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Amico di una tigre@spacemanspiff76




Replying to @DrSprankle

Cool story, bro.

4
4:06 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Posidonius@Posidonius_of_R




Replying to @DrSprankle @EWErickson

The intellectual equivalent of running into a room, screaming gibberish, and running out of it before anyone rebuts it.

13
3:42 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Mookie Foofus@jacobdegrowth




Replying to @DrSprankle

Ah, this will be what takes down the church

7
10:38 AM - Dec 5, 2018
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</twitter-widget>

trending​

• Former/current advisers UNLOAD on Sen. Elizabeth Warren in NY Times article over her DNA test
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• HOLY S*IT: Xavier Becerra blamed the victim in the $400,000 hush money payment to settle sex harassment claim against Sen. Kamala Harris' aide
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Wait, he’s not done. Even though Mary did give her consent, she really had no choice as God is all powerful and fond of punishment, so it wasn’t really consent.
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Mark Mansfield@manzy114




Replying to @DrSprankle @EWErickson

Incorrect. Mary said yes. See the Magnificat memorialized in Luke.

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3:32 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Licensed Phrenologist, Krampus Division @mlfoley




Replying to @DrSprankle


1
10:42 AM - Dec 5, 2018


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Linda Billson@LindaJester




Replying to @DrSprankle @EWErickson

This might be the stupidest thing I read today. What a complete misuse and misunderstanding of the text. Did you read the part where Mary said "let it be to me as you have said"?

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4:00 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Benjamin Sanchez@BeHumbleWithGod




Replying to @DrSprankle

A psych degree does not equal Biblical competency. First, Mary consented to becoming the mother of Jesus. Second, no early Christian believed the Holy Spirit had physical relations with Mary. The emphasis is Jesus, the incarnation of the eternal Son of God, has only one Father.

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3:48 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Joseph Ronaldson@J_Ronaldson




Replying to @DrSprankle

The fruit of all your education: getting it wrong & being insulting about it.

5
4:10 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Madam I'm Adam@Adam_J_Harris




Replying to @DrSprankle

Like 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word"

But I guess you'd have to actually read the book to know, huh?

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12:37 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Mike Batley@mbatley1




Replying to @DrSprankle

Not only did she give consent: "Be it done unto me, just as you have said." But then she worshiped. Read, Luke 1:46-55

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3:29 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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blue@blue_prop




Replying to @DrSprankle

Luke 1:38
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

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4:15 PM - Dec 5, 2018
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Tom Cleary@believeandobey3




Replying to @DrSprankle

Sorry. LK 1 26:38 states clearly that the angel communicated God's plan for Mary and in verse 38 she agreed. Whether you believe or disbelieve, it helps if you actually read the text.

258
3:08 PM - Dec 4, 2018
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Eric Sprankle, PsyD
✔@DrSprankle




Replying to @believeandobey3

The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying “no” negates her “yes.” To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst.

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5:32 PM - Dec 4, 2018
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Insolent Puppy@InsolentPuppy




Replying to @DrSprankle @believeandobey3

Keep digging, poindexter.

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10:26 AM - Dec 5, 2018
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carey helmick@careyhelmick




Replying to @DrSprankle

there's literally a huge part of our doctrine based on her Fiat my dude

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11:36 AM - Dec 5, 2018
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Billy Swagspeare@bswagspeare




Replying to @DrSprankle

Ummm...

One of the MAJOR points of Christian theology is that Mary could have refused the Incarnation and doomed us all.

But she didn't. That's why Christians (especially Catholics) exult in the Magnificat, Mary's song of acceptance and joy that she will bring about the Messiah

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[KCMogul]

This is typical thinking, push your narrative in any way shape or form.

 

[StevieRay]

Another loser at life that needs a real job and better understanding

 

[Crvsades]

Another communist jew trying to debase Christian morals and beliefs. These two legged rats are in your institutions teaching your kids.

 

[WoodStool]

This gets you upset? The whole story makes no rational sense of what a "god" would do....but it does make sense if you consider it to be fictional and written by people during that time.

The virgin birth was a story written long before the palagriaized story of Christ for many "gods" of previous time periods.

 

[Willie99]

it's genetics

 

[niltes]

there are some articles, framing of those articles, and reponses both on social media and here;
that make me scratch my head.

 

[Michelangelo]

This gets you upset? The whole story makes no rational sense of what a "god" would do....but it does make sense if you consider it to be fictional and written by people during that time.

The virgin birth was a story written long before the palagriaized story of Christ for many "gods" of previous time periods.

"palagriazed"?

I don't think I'm going to give credence to your opinion.

 

[Crvsades]

This gets you upset? The whole story makes no rational sense of what a "god" would do....but it does make sense if you consider it to be fictional and written by people during that time.

The virgin birth was a story written long before the palagriaized story of Christ for many "gods" of previous time periods.

Yes, very much so.

This particular example is a just a smaller part of the big picture. These Canaanite mongrels are, and have been throughout history, race murderers and thieves of heritage. This is just another example. If you’re not aware of who the perpetrators of anti-Christian (Marxist) thought are, and what their goals are, then you’re on the periphery and it won’t matter to you.

 

[festeringZit]

This gets you upset? The whole story makes no rational sense of what a "god" would do....but it does make sense if you consider it to be fictional and written by people during that time.

The virgin birth was a story written long before the palagriaized story of Christ for many "gods" of previous time periods.

ROFL. You are one of those ignorant noobs that mindlessly buy into the narrative that the Jesus story was plagiarized from Horus.

You read it on the internet right? Must be true.

hno:

 

[StevieRay]

Good grief

 

[WoodStool]

ROFL. You are one of those ignorant noobs that mindlessly buy into the narrative that the Jesus story was plagiarized from Horus.

You read it on the internet right? Must be true.

hno:

Haha...Horus along with numerous others. Also no, I didn't read about it, I am just born knowing things. Good Grief with you old guys.

 

[festeringZit]

Haha...Horus along with numerous others. Also no, I didn't read about it, I am just born knowing things. Good Grief with you old guys.

Have you ever done real research in your life? Hint: Googling some tin-foil-hat zeitgeist site doesn't count.

 

[WoodStool]

Have you ever done real research in your life? Hint: Googling some tin-foil-hat zeitgeist site doesn't count.

Of course I have, went to catholic schools all the way through High School. There is actually very little evidence that Jesus existed at all...

You will have to explain to me how you can believe in Jesus in which I would then assume you would believe in following his teachings(even if I don't believe the man existed I see value in the teachings) then also have your take on immigrants and minorities. Wouldn't you say those contradict each other...wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

 

[festeringZit]

Of course I have, went to catholic schools all the way through High School. There is actually very little evidence that Jesus existed at all...

You will have to explain to me how you can believe in Jesus in which I would then assume you would believe in following his teachings(even if I don't believe the man existed I see value in the teachings) then also have your take on immigrants and minorities. Wouldn't you say those contradict each other...wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

Very little evidence Jesus existed at all? BWHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAH

If you knew anything about the subject you'd know that there are 0 reputable scholars that hold to that position any more.

There is a lot more material than the following, but what follows are the classical and Jewish writings:


Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible

Lawrence Mykytiuk’s feature article from the January/February 2015 issue of BAR with voluminous endnotes



Lawrence Mykytiuk • <abbr title="09/05/2017T09:00" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-color: initial; cursor: help; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; font-family: Georgia, serif;">09/05/2017</abbr>

Read Lawrence Mykytiuk’s article “Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible” as it originally appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 2015. The article was first republished in Bible History Daily in 2014.—Ed.

---

THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. Did Jesus of Nazareth exist as a real human being? Outside of the New Testament, what is the evidence for his existence? In this article, author Lawrence Mykytiuk examines the extra-Biblical textual and archaeological evidence associated with the man who would become the central figure in Christianity. Here Jesus is depicted in a vibrant sixth-century C.E. mosaic from the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy. Photo: Sant’Apollinare Nuovo Ravenna, Italy/Bridgeman Images.​

After two decades toiling in the quiet groves of academe, I published an article in BAR titled “Archaeology Confirms 50 Real People in the Bible.”a The enormous interest this article generated was a complete surprise to me. Nearly 40 websites in six languages, reflecting a wide spectrum of secular and religious orientations, linked to BAR’s supplementary web page.b Some even posted translations.I thought about following up with a similar article on people in the New Testament, but I soon realized that this would be so dominated by the question of Jesus’ existence that I needed to consider this question separately. This is that article:1
Did Jesus of Nazareth, who was called Christ, exist as a real human being, “the man Christ Jesus” according to 1 Timothy 2:5?
The sources normally discussed fall into three main categories: (1) classical (that is, Greco-Roman), (2) Jewish and (3) Christian. But when people ask whether it is possible to prove that Jesus of Nazareth actually existed, as John P. Meier pointed out decades ago, “The implication is that the Biblical evidence for Jesus is biased because it is encased in a theological text written by committed believers.2 What they really want to know is: Is there extra-Biblical evidence … for Jesus’ existence?”c
Therefore, this article will cover classical and Jewish writings almost exclusively.3




Tacitus—or more formally, Caius/Gaius (or Publius) Cornelius Tacitus (55/56–c. 118 C.E.)—was a Roman senator, orator and ethnographer, and arguably the best of Roman historians. His name is based on the Latin word tacitus, “silent,” from which we get the English word tacit. Interestingly, his compact prose uses silence and implications in a masterful way. One argument for the authenticity of the quotation below is that it is written in true Tacitean Latin.4 But first a short introduction.

Roman historian Tacitus. Photo: Bibliotheque nationale, Paris, France / Giraudon / Bridgeman Images.​

Tacitus’s last major work, titled Annals, written c. 116–117 C.E., includes a biography of Nero. In 64 C.E., during a fire in Rome, Nero was suspected of secretly ordering the burning of a part of town where he wanted to carry out a building project, so he tried to shift the blame to Christians. This was the occasion for Tacitus to mention Christians, whom he despised. This is what he wrote—the following excerpt is translated from Latin by Robert Van Voorst:

TACIT CONFIRMATION. Roman historian Tacitus’s last major work, Annals, mentions a “Christus” who was executed by Pontius Pilate and from whom the Christians derived their name. Tacitus’s brief reference corroborates historical details of Jesus’ death from the New Testament. The pictured volume of Tacitus’s works is from the turn of the 17th century. The volume’s title page features Plantin Press’s printing mark depicting angels, a compass and the motto Labore et Constantia (“By Labor and Constancy”). Photo: Tacitus,Opera Quae Exstant, trans. by Justus Lipsius (Antwerp, Belgium: Ex officina Plantiniana, apud Joannem Moretum, 1600). Courtesy of the Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Co. (PRB&M).​

[N]either human effort nor the emperor’s generosity nor the placating of the gods ended the scandalous belief that the fire had been ordered [by Nero]. Therefore, to put down the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits and punished in the most unusual ways those hated for their shameful acts … whom the crowd called “Chrestians.” The founder of this name, Christ [Christus in Latin], had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate … Suppressed for a time, the deadly superstition erupted again not only in Judea, the origin of this evil, but also in the city [Rome], where all things horrible and shameful from everywhere come together and become popular.5
​

Tacitus’s terse statement about “Christus” clearly corroborates the New Testament on certain historical details of Jesus’ death. Tacitus presents four pieces of accurate knowledge about Jesus: (1) Christus, used by Tacitus to refer to Jesus, was one distinctive way by which some referred to him, even though Tacitus mistakenly took it for a personal name rather than an epithet or title; (2) this Christus was associated with the beginning of the movement of Christians, whose name originated from his; (3) he was executed by the Roman governor of Judea; and (4) the time of his death was during Pontius Pilate’s governorship of Judea, during the reign of Tiberius. (Many New Testament scholars date Jesus’ death to c. 29 C.E.; Pilate governed Judea in 26–36 C.E., while Tiberius was emperor 14–37 C.E.6)
Tacitus, like classical authors in general, does not reveal the source(s) he used. But this should not detract from our confidence in Tacitus’s assertions. Scholars generally disagree about what his sources were. Tacitus was certainly among Rome’s best historians—arguably the best of all—at the top of his game as a historian and never given to careless writing.
Earlier in his career, when Tacitus was Proconsul of Asia,7 he likely supervised trials, questioned people accused of being Christians and judged and punished those whom he found guilty, as his friend Pliny the Younger had done when he too was a provincial governor. Thus Tacitus stood a very good chance of becoming aware of information that he characteristically would have wanted to verify before accepting it as true.8

CHRESTIANS OF CHRIST. Book XV of Tacitus’s Annals is preserved in the 11th–12th-century Codex Mediceus II, a collection of medieval manuscripts now housed in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, Italy, along with other manuscripts and books that belonged to the Medici family. Highlighted above is the Latin text reading “… whom the crowd called ‘Chrestians.’ The founder of this name, Christ, had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate …” Photo: Codex Mediceus 68 II, fol. 38r, the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence, Italy.​

The other strong evidence that speaks directly about Jesus as a real person comes from Josephus, a Jewish priest who grew up as an aristocrat in first-century Palestine and ended up living in Rome, supported by the patronage of three successive emperors. In the early days of the first Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–70 C.E.), Josephus was a commander in Galilee but soon surrendered and became a prisoner of war. He then prophesied that his conqueror, the Roman commander Vespasian, would become emperor, and when this actually happened, Vespasian freed him. “From then on Josephus lived in Rome under the protection of the Flavians and there composed his historical and apologetic writings” (Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz).9 He even took the name Flavius, after the family name of his patron, the emperor Vespasian, and set it before his birth name, becoming, in true Roman style, Flavius Josephus. Most Jews viewed him as a despicable traitor. It was by command of Vespasian’s son Titus that a Roman army in 70 C.E. destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple, stealing its contents as spoils of war, which are partly portrayed in the imagery of their gloating triumph on the Arch of Titus in Rome.10 After Titus succeeded his father as emperor, Josephus accepted the son’s imperial patronage, as he did of Titus’s brother and successor, Domitian.
Yet in his own mind, Josephus remained a Jew both in his outlook and in his writings that extol Judaism. At the same time, by aligning himself with Roman emperors who were at that time the worst enemies of the Jewish people, he chose to ignore Jewish popular opinion.
Josephus stood in a unique position as a Jew who was secure in Roman imperial patronage and protection, eager to express pride in his Jewish heritage and yet personally independent of the Jewish community at large. Thus, in introducing Romans to Judaism, he felt free to write historical views for Roman consumption that were strongly at variance with rabbinic views.

Jewish historian Josephus is pictured in the ninth-century medieval manuscript Burgerbibliothek Bern Codexunder the Greek caption “Josippos Historiographer.” Photo:Burgerbibliothek Bern Cod. 50, f.2r.​

In his two great works, The Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities, both written in Greek for educated people, Josephus tried to appeal to aristocrats in the Roman world, presenting Judaism as a religion to be admired for its moral and philosophical depth. The Jewish Wardoesn’t mention Jesus except in some versions in likely later additions by others, but Jewish Antiquities does mention Jesus—twice.The shorter of these two references to Jesus (in Book 20)11 is incidental to identifying Jesus’ brother James,12the leader of the church in Jerusalem. In the temporary absence of a Roman governor between Festus’s death and governor Albinus’s arrival in 62 C.E., the high priest Ananus instigated James’s execution. Josephus described it:

Being therefore this kind of person [i.e., a heartless Sadducee], Ananus, thinking that he had a favorable opportunity because Festus had died and Albinus was still on his way, called a meeting [literally, “sanhedrin”] of judges and brought into it the brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah … James by name, and some others. He made the accusation that they had transgressed the law, and he handed them over to be stoned.13
​

James is otherwise a barely noticed, minor figure in Josephus’s lengthy tome. The sole reason for referring to James at all was that his death resulted in Ananus losing his position as high priest. James (Jacob) was a common Jewish name at this time. Many men named James are mentioned in Josephus’s works, so Josephus needed to specify which one he meant. The common custom of simply giving the father’s name (James, son of Joseph) would not work here, because James’s father’s name was also very common. Therefore Josephus identified this James by reference to his famous brother Jesus. But James’s brother Jesus (Yehoshua) also had a very common name. Josephus mentions at least 12 other men named Jesus.14 Therefore Josephus specified which Jesus he was referring to by adding the phrase “who is called Messiah,” or, since he was writing in Greek, Christos.15This phrase was necessary to identify clearly first Jesus and, via Jesus, James, the subject of the discussion. This extraneous reference to Jesus would have made no sense if Jesus had not been a real person.

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JAMES, BROTHER OF JESUS. In Jewish Antiquities, parts of which are included in this mid-17th-century book of translations, Josephus refers to a James, who is described as “the brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” Josephus’s mention of Jesus to specify which James was being executed by the high priest Ananus in 62 C.E. affirms the existence of the historical Jesus. Photo: Josephus, Famovs and Memorable Works of Josephvs, trans. by Thomas Lodge (London: J. L. for Andrew Hebb, 1640).​

Few scholars have ever doubted the authenticity of this short account. On the contrary, the huge majority accepts it as genuine.16 The phrase intended to specify which Jesus, translated “who is called Christ,” signifies either that he was mentioned earlier in the book or that readers knew him well enough to grasp the reference to him in identifying James. The latter is unlikely. First-century Romans generally had little or no idea who Christus was. It is much more likely that he was mentioned earlier in Jewish Antiquities. Also, the fact that the term “Messiah”/“Christ” is not defined here suggests that an earlier passage in Jewish Antiquities has already mentioned something of its significance.17 This phrase is also appropriate for a Jewish historian like Josephus because the reference to Jesus is a noncommittal, neutral statement about what some people called Jesus and not a confession of faith that actually asserts that he was Christ.This phrase—“who is called Christ”—is very unlikely to have been added by a Christian for two reasons. First, in the New Testament and in the early Church Fathers of the first two centuries C.E., Christians consistently refer to James as “the brother of the Lord” or “of the Savior” and similar terms, not “the brother of Jesus,” presumably because the name Jesus was very common and did not necessarily refer to their Lord. Second, Josephus’s description in Jewish Antiquities of how and when James was executed disagrees with Christian tradition, likewise implying a non-Christian author.18
This short identification of James by the title that some people used in order to specify his brother gains credibility as an affirmation of Jesus’ existence because the passage is not about Jesus. Rather, his name appears in a functional phrase that is called for by the sense of the passage. It can only be useful for the identification of James if it is a reference to a real person, namely, “Jesus who is called Christ.”
This clear reference to Jesus is sometimes overlooked in debates about Josephus’s other, longer reference to Jesus (to be treated next). Quite a few people are aware of the questions and doubts regarding the longer mention of Jesus, but often this other clear, simple reference and its strength as evidence for Jesus’ existence does not receive due attention.
The longer passage in Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities (Book 18)19 that refers to Jesus is known as the Testimonium Flavianum.
If it has any value in relation to the question of Jesus’ existence, it counts as additionalevidence for Jesus’ existence. The Testimonium Flavianum reads as follows; the parts that are especially suspicious because they sound Christian are in italics:20

Around this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man.21 For he was one who did surprising deeds, and a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah.When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who in the first place came to love him did not give up their affection for him, for on the third day, he appeared to them restored to life. The prophets of God had prophesied this and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, have still to this day not died out.22
​

All surviving manuscripts of the Testimonium Flavianum that are in Greek, like the original, contain the same version of this passage, with no significant differences.
The main question is: Did Flavius Josephus write this entire report about Jesus and his followers, or did a forger or forgers alter it or possibly insert the whole report?23 There are three ways to answer this question:24
Alternative 1: The whole passage is authentic, written by Josephus.Alternative 2: The whole passage is a forgery, inserted into Jewish Antiquities.
Alternative 3: It is only partly authentic, containing some material from Josephus, but also
some later additions by another hand(s).

Regarding Alternative 1, today almost no scholar accepts the authenticity of the entire standard Greek Testimonium Flavianum. In contrast to the obviously Christian statement “He was the Messiah” in the Testimonium, Josephus elsewhere “writes as a passionate advocate of Judaism,” says Josephus expert Steve Mason. “Everywhere Josephus praises the excellent constitution of the Jews, codified by Moses, and declares its peerless, comprehensive qualities … Josephus rejoices over converts to Judaism. In all this, there is not the slightest hint of any belief in Jesus”25 as seems to be reflected in the Testimonium.
The bold affirmation of Jesus as Messiah reads as a resounding Christian confession that echoes St. Peter himself!26 It cannot be Josephus. Alternative 1 is clearly out.
Regarding Alternative 2—the whole Testimonium Flavianum is a forgery—this is very unlikely. What is said, and the expressions in Greek that are used to say it, despite a few words that don’t seem characteristic of Josephus, generally fit much better with Josephus’s writings than with Christian writings.27 It is hypothetically possible that a forger could have learned to imitate Josephus’s style or that a reviser adjusted the passage to that style, but such a deep level of attention, based on an extensive, detailed reading of Josephus’s works and such a meticulous adoption of his vocabulary and style, goes far beyond what a forger or a reviser would need to do.
Even more important, the short passage (treated above) that mentions Jesus in order to identify James appears in a later section of the book (Book 20) and implies that Jesus was mentioned previously.

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THE TESTIMONY OF JOSEPHUS. This 15th-century manuscript, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, contains the portion of Josephus’s Testimonium Flavianum that refers to Jesus (highlighted in blue). The first sentence of the manuscript, highlighted in green, reads, from the Greek, “Around this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man.” The majority of scholars believe this passage of the Testimonium is based on the original writings of Josephus but contains later additions, likely made by Christian scribes. Photo: Codex Parisinus gr. 2075, 45v. Courtesy Bibliothèque Nationale de France.​

The best-informed among the Romans understood Christus to be nothing more than a man’s personal name, on the level of Publius and Marcus. First-century Romans generally had no idea that calling someone “Christus” was an exalted reference, implying belief that he was the chosen one, God’s anointed. The Testimonium, in Book 18, appropriately found in the section that deals with Pilate’s time as governor of Judea,28 is apparently one of Josephus’s characteristic digressions, this time occasioned by mention of Pilate. It provides background for Josephus’s only other written mention of Jesus (in Book 20), and it connects the name Jesus with his Christian followers. The short reference to Jesus in the later book depends on the longer one in the earlier (Book 18). If the longer one is not genuine, this passage lacks its essential background. Alternative 2 should be rejected.Alternative 3—that the Testimonium Flavianum is based on an original report by Josephus29 that has been modified by others, probably Christian scribes, seems most likely. After extracting what appear to be Christian additions, the remaining text appears to be pure Josephus. As a Romanized Jew, Josephus would not have presented these beliefs as his own. Interestingly, in three openly Christian, non-Greek versions of the Testimonium Flavianum analyzed by Steve Mason, variations indicate changes were made by others besides Josephus.30 The Latin version says Jesus “was believed to be the Messiah.” The Syriac version is best translated, “He was thought to be the Messiah.” And the Arabic version with open coyness suggests, “He was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.” Alternative 3 has the support of the overwhelming majority of scholars.
We can learn quite a bit about Jesus from Tacitus and Josephus, two famous historians who were not Christian. Almost all the following statements about Jesus, which are asserted in the New Testament, are corroborated or confirmed by the relevant passages in Tacitus and Josephus. These independent historical sources—one a non-Christian Roman and the other Jewish—confirm what we are told in the Gospels:31
1. He existed as a man. The historian Josephus grew up in a priestly family in first-century Palestine and wrote only decades after Jesus’ death. Jesus’ known associates, such as Jesus’ brother James, were his contemporaries. The historical and cultural context was second nature to Josephus. “If any Jewish writer were ever in a position to know about the non-existence of Jesus, it would have been Josephus. His implicit affirmation of the existence of Jesus has been, and still is, the most significant obstacle for those who argue that the extra-Biblical evidence is not probative on this point,” Robert Van Voorst observes.32 And Tacitus was careful enough not to report real executions of nonexistent people.2. His personal name was Jesus, as Josephus informs us.
3. He was called Christos in Greek, which is a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, both of which mean “anointed” or “(the) anointed one,” as Josephus states and Tacitus implies, unaware, by reporting, as Romans thought, that his name was Christus.
4. He had a brother named James (Jacob), as Josephus reports.
5. He won over both Jews and “Greeks” (i.e., Gentiles of Hellenistic culture), according to Josephus, although it is anachronistic to say that they were “many” at the end of his life. Large growth
in the number of Jesus’ actual followers came only after his death.
6. Jewish leaders of the day expressed unfavorable opinions about him, at least according to some versions of the Testimonium Flavianum.
7. Pilate rendered the decision that he should be executed, as both Tacitus and Josephus state.
8. His execution was specifically by crucifixion, according to Josephus.
9. He was executed during Pontius Pilate’s governorship over Judea (26–36 C.E.), as Josephus implies and Tacitus states, adding that it was during Tiberius’s reign.

Some of Jesus’ followers did not abandon their personal loyalty to him even after his crucifixion but submitted to his teaching. They believed that Jesus later appeared to them alive in accordance with prophecies, most likely those found in the Hebrew Bible. A well-attested link between Jesus and Christians is that Christ, as a term used to identify Jesus, became the basis of the term used to identify his followers: Christians. The Christian movement began in Judea, according to Tacitus. Josephus observes that it continued during the first century. Tacitus deplores the fact that during the second century it had spread as far as Rome.
As far as we know, no ancient person ever seriously argued that Jesus did not exist.33Referring to the first several centuries C.E., even a scholar as cautious and thorough as Robert Van Voorst freely observes, “… [N]o pagans and Jews who opposed Christianity denied Jesus’ historicity or even questioned it.”34
Nondenial of Jesus’ existence is particularly notable in rabbinic writings of those first several centuries C.E.: “… f anyone in the ancient world had a reason to dislike the Christian faith, it was the rabbis. To argue successfully that Jesus never existed but was a creation of early Christians would have been the most effective polemic against Christianity … [Yet] all Jewish sources treated Jesus as a fully historical person … [T]he rabbis … used the real events of Jesus’ life against him” (Van Voorst).35
Thus his birth, ministry and death occasioned claims that his birth was illegitimate and that he performed miracles by evil magic, encouraged apostasy and was justly executed for his own sins. But they do not deny his existence.36

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Lucian of Samosata (c. 115–200 C.E.) was a Greek satirist who wrote The Passing of Peregrinus, about a former Christian who later became a famous Cynic and revolutionary and died in 165 C.E. In two sections of Peregrinus—here translated by Craig A. Evans—Lucian, while discussing Peregrinus’s career, without naming Jesus, clearly refers to him, albeit with contempt in the midst of satire:

It was then that he learned the marvelous wisdom of the Christians, by associating with their priests and scribes in Palestine. And— what else?—in short order he made them look like children, for he was a prophet, cult leader, head of the congregation and everything, all by himself. He interpreted and explained some of their books, and wrote many himself. They revered him as a god, used him as a lawgiver, and set him down as a protector—to be sure, after that other whom they still worship, the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world.37
For having convinced themselves that they are going to be immortal and live forever, the poor wretches despise death and most even willingly give themselves up. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshiping that crucified sophist himself and living according to his laws.38
​

Although Lucian was aware of the Christians’ “books” (some of which might have been parts of the New Testament), his many bits of misinformation make it seem very likely that he did not read them. The compound term “priests and scribes,” for example, seems to have been borrowed from Judaism, and indeed, Christianity and Judaism were sometimes confused among classical authors.
Lucian seems to have gathered all of his information from sources independent of the New Testament and other Christian writings. For this reason, this writing of his is usually valued as independent evidence for the existence of Jesus.
This is true despite his ridicule and contempt for Christians and their “crucified sophist.” “Sophist” was a derisive term used for cheats or for teachers who only taught for money. Lucian despised Christians for worshiping someone thought to be a criminal worthy of death and especially despised “the man who was crucified.”
▸ Celsus, the Platonist philosopher, considered Jesus to be a magician who made exorbitant claims.39
▸ Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor and friend of Tacitus, wrote about early Christian worship of Christ “as to a god.”40
▸ Suetonius, a Roman writer, lawyer and historian, wrote of riots in 49 C.E. among Jews in Rome which might have been about Christus but which he thought were incited by “the instigator Chrestus,” whose identification with Jesus is not completely certain.41
▸ Mara bar Serapion, a prisoner of war held by the Romans, wrote a letter to his son that described “the wise Jewish king” in a way that seems to indicate Jesus but does not specify his identity.42
Other documentary sources are doubtful or irrelevant.43
One can label the evidence treated above as documentary (sometimes called literary) or as archaeological. Almost all sources covered above exist in the form of documents that have been copied and preserved over the course of many centuries, rather than excavated in archaeological digs. Therefore, although some writers call them archaeological evidence, I prefer to say that these truly ancient texts are ancient documentary sources, rather than archaeological discoveries.
Some ossuaries (bone boxes) have come to light that are inscribed simply with the name Jesus (Yeshu or Yeshua‘ in Hebrew), but no one suggests that this was Jesus of Nazareth. The name Jesus was very common at this time, as was Joseph. So as far as we know, these ordinary ossuaries have nothing to do with the New Testament Jesus. Even the ossuary from the East Talpiot district of Jerusalem, whose inscription is translated “Yeshua‘, son of Joseph,” does not refer to him.44
As for the famous James ossuary first published in 2002,d whose inscription is translated “Jacob, son of Joseph, brother of Yeshua‘,” more smoothly rendered, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” it is unprovenanced, and it will likely take decades to settle the matter of whether it is authentic. Following well established, sound methodology, I do not base conclusions on materials whose authenticity is uncertain, because they might be forged.45Therefore the James ossuary, which is treated in many other publications, is not included here.46
As a final observation: In New Testament scholarship generally, a number of specialists consider the question of whether Jesus existed to have been finally and conclusively settled in the affirmative. A few vocal scholars, however, still deny that he ever lived.47

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<small style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">“Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible” by Lawrence Mykytiuk originally appeared in the January/February 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. The article was first republished in Bible History Daily on December 8, 2014.</small>

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Lawrence Mykytiuk is associate professor of library science and the history librarian at Purdue University. He holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Semitic Studies and is the author of the book Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200–539 B.C.E. (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2004).

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[festeringZit]

Of course I have, went to catholic schools all the way through High School. There is actually very little evidence that Jesus existed at all...

You will have to explain to me how you can believe in Jesus in which I would then assume you would believe in following his teachings(even if I don't believe the man existed I see value in the teachings) then also have your take on immigrants and minorities. Wouldn't you say those contradict each other...wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

Jesus never addressed the issue, but why would he? Do you close and lock the door to your house at night?

 

[WoodStool]

wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

Jesus never addressed the issue, but why would he? Do you close and lock the door to your house at night?

@)

 

[road2perdition]

Of course I have, went to catholic schools all the way through High School. There is actually very little evidence that Jesus existed at all...

You will have to explain to me how you can believe in Jesus in which I would then assume you would believe in following his teachings(even if I don't believe the man existed I see value in the teachings) then also have your take on immigrants and minorities. Wouldn't you say those contradict each other...wouldn't Jesus actually believe in open borders?

He's not a real christian. It's ok cause christianity, islam, hinduism etc is all a joke anyways. I can't comprehend the fact that people believe crap about 40 virgins in heaven or a guy called jesus that could turn water into wine or came back to life after being nailed to a cross.

Just stop and think about some of the nonsense religious people believe in that defies all logic and science and common sense and it really makes you wonder what kind of ignorant and clueless, desperate people are walking this earth.

 

[road2perdition]

 

[road2perdition]