aa5874

Once the writings of Josephus are examined it is found that the authors NT and Church writers appear to have either misquoted him or have even contradicted the writings of Josephus which initially seemed to corroborate the Jesus story.

1. In Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1, considered a forgery where Jesus is called the Christ,, it is found that some Jesus called Christ had a brother called James, now this passage seems to confirm the veracity of Galatians 1.19 but for some unknown reason Church writers, like Papias and Jerome, claimed James the apostle was not the son of the supposed mother of Jesus, Mary.

2. In Antiquities of the Jews 20.5.1-2, Josephus wrote that Theudas the magician came when Fadus was procurator about 35 years AFTER Judas of Galilee who was in the days of the taxing of Cyrenius, yet in Acts of Apostles 5.35-36 Theudas is placed BEFORE Judas of Galilee.

3. In Antiquities of the Jews 19.8.2, Josephus wrote that Herod saw an OWL which he interpreted as a bad omen which signaled his own death, but in Church History 2.10.6 it is claimed that Herod saw an ANGEL and that it was the ANGEL that killed Herod.

4. In Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.3, considered a forgery, it is found that Jesus was called Christ, yet in “Against Celsus”1.47 by “Origen” it is claimed Josephus did NOT believe Jesus was Christ.

5. In “Antiquities of the Jews” 20.9.1, considered to be a forgery where Jesus is called Christ, it is found that a character called James and others were to be stoned to death and there is NO MENTION that the death of James had any bearing on the calamities of the Jews and the Fall of the Temple but in “Against Celsus” 1.47, Origen wrote that Josephus did claim that “ these disasters happened to the Jews as a punishment for the death of James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus (called Christ)”. …

6. In Antiquities of the Jews 18.4.2 Josephus claimed Pilate used “plain clothes” soldiers with daggers to kill and wound Jews and was accused of mass murder of Samaritans and was to appear before Tiberius to answer to the charges but in the Gospels Pilate seemed to be afraid of the Jews.

7. In Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.1, Josephus claimed that Herod the tetrarch eventually got married to Herodias the wife of a brother of a different mother, which brother lived in Rome but yet in the Gospels , Luke 3.1, it is claimed that Herodias was the wife of Philip the tetrarch.

So we have a pattern of what appears to be deliberate attempts to mis-quote or even invent passages not found in Josephus by authors of the NT and Church writers but there is ONE piece of information that was NOT contradicted at ALL and it can be found in “Antiquities of the Jews” 18.3.3.
Mr 9:311Co 15:4 Justin Martyr's "Dialogue with Trypho" XCVII “Church History 1.11.8 "Origen" claimed Josephus did not believe Jesus was the Christ but this is "Origen" on Jesus in the Preface to "De Pricipiis"... "Josephus" finally got something right.

aa5874

It would appear that the authors of the NT and Church writers used the writings of Josephus to invent their Jesus stories with John the Baptist.

Now in gMatthew and gMark it was claimed that the daughter of Herodias asked for the head of John the Baptist.

Mr 6:24-27 But, when the writings of Josephus are examined it is noticed that it was the head of Aretas, the father of Herodias that was asked for by Tiberius.

Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.1 So, Aretas with the help of some soldiers of the tetrarch of Philip destroyed those of Herod and Tiberius ordered that Vitellius, after Herod's letter, either bring Aretas alive or even just send his head.

There is no indication in Josephus that the daughter of Herodias made any request for the head of John the Baptist.

aa5874

The anonymous authors of the NT appeared to have used Josephus to help with the invention of their Jesus stories yet many of the activities of the characters in their Jesus stories did NOT corroborate the writings of Josephus.

Examine Mark 1:1-4 - Now, John did NOT preach that his baptism was for the remission of sins in Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2:

Once John preached that his baptism was for the remission of sins of Jews then he would have been deemed to be a blasphemer and would have been possibly STONED to death perhaps by the very Pharisees.

It must be noted that the words bracketed [or the remission] and [only] may not have been in the original or was added by the translator.

The Baptism of John appears to have ONLY been some kind of "body" purification ritual since "the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness".

The writings of Josephus appear to have been MUTILATED by the anonymous writers of the NT.

aa5874

It is most startling to realize that almost every single piece of information found in the writings of the NT Canon about John the Baptist is contradictory except perhaps only his name and his baptism ritual as found in the writings of Josephus

Josephus gave reasons for the arrest and execution of John the Baptist by Herod in "Antiquities of the Jews" 18.5.2.

The arrest and execution of John the Baptist had NOTHING to do with Herodias in Josephus.

But, now look at Matthew 14.3 Look at Mark 6.14 It would appear that the anonymous authors of the Gospels MUTILATED Josephus.

But, it was an INTERPOLATOR that managed to make the mutilations of Josephus AGREE with the Church when he forged AJ 18.3.3 to be in HARMONY with the Gospels.

AJ 18.3.3The Preface of "De Principiis"

Chili

Correct, it was Eve here called Magdalena who was the mother of James. She was the temple tramp and thus not a virgin and so would never qualify as the mother of God wherefore then Mary was without sin and did her work in good faith as theotokos . . . or no theotokos, to say that it is either heaven or hell with no maybe's in between.