|
- In general, we have more echoes of Christians than of Jesus himself.
- An important witness of the time is the Jewish historian Joseph ben Matthias, better known as Flavius Josephus (born around 37/38, died after 100). He wrote two important books: The Jewish War (written around 70, after the destruction of Jerusalem), and Jewish Antiquities (around 93-94).
- The book The Jewish War does not mention Jesus. There is a mention of Jesus in an Old Russian version, but this is due to an interpolation by a Christian copyist, whereas Flavius Josephus speaks of Pilate.
- The book Jewish Antiquities is quite different. Here again we must understand the time when books were copied with a pen and the liberty was taken to make additions. But after having eliminated what seems to be Christian copyists' additions, we find ourselves with two interesting passages:
"Being therefore this kind of person [i.e., a heartless Sadducee], Ananus, thinking that he had a favourable opportunity because Festus had died and Albinius was still on his way, called a meeting 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 stone" (Jewish Antiquities, 20.9.1 #200)
"At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. And up until this very day the tribe of Christians (name after him) has not died out." (Jewish Antiquities 18.3.3 #63-64)
Thus these two texts show that Jesus seems to be a character known to Flavius Josephus, that Pilate is responsible for his death, but without anyone knowing why. This knowledge seems to reflect what most people knew about Jesus and the Christians. And there is something pejorative about the term "group" or "tribe" to refer to Christians.
- Another testimony that confirms the content of the New Testament is the one about John the Baptist. In Jewish Antiquities, 18.5.2 we find:
"Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him."
Three things should be noted. The reasons for John the Baptist's death are quite different from those in the New Testament: it was no longer for moral reasons, i.e. John's denunciation of his affair with his brother's wife, that he was killed, but for political reasons, i.e. the fear that John would stir up the crowd and cause a revolt. Secondly, the place John the Baptist occupies in the work of Flavius Josephus is greater than that accorded to Jesus. Finally, there is no connection between Jesus and John the Baptist, as there is in the New Testament.
- In Jewish rabbinic writings, we find this passage in the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a, written in the fourth century:
"Tradition reports: on Passover Eve Jesus was hanged. A herald walked before him for forty days, saying, 'He will be stoned to death because he practiced magic and deceived and led Israel astray. Let those who know how to defend him come and testify on his behalf.' But no one was found to testify in his favour and he was hanged on Easter Eve."
This passage confirms the Jewish attitude: they do not deny the existence of Jesus, his miracles and his execution, but simply say that he practiced witchcraft.
- Among Latin authors we find almost nothing. The Roman historian Tacitus (year 56/57 to 118) wrote a great work called Annals which tells the history of Rome from the years 14 to 68 written in several books. Unfortunately some of these books have been lost, especially those covering the period of the year 29-31, the year of Jesus' death. Nevertheless, there is an echo of Jesus in his book where he tells the story of Nero's burning of Rome:
"Therefore, to squelch the rumor, Nero created scapegoats and subjected to the most refine tortures those whom the common people called "Christians," [a group] hated for their abominable crimes. Their name comes from Christ, who, during the reign of Tiberius, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate. Suppressed for the moment, the deadly superstition broke out again, not only in Judea, the land which originated this evil, but also in the city of Rome, where all sorts of horrendous and shameful practices from every part of the world converge and are fervently cultivated." Annals 15, 44
- Tacitus happens to make three important statements: 1) Jesus' death is said to have taken place during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius (14-37) and the government of Pontius Pilate (26-36); 2) Jesus was executed in Judea by the Roman governor, and although the term "tortured" is used to describe this execution, the crucifixion can be inferred here because it further associates it with the fate of Christians dying on crosses; 3) Jesus' execution succeeded in suppressing a dangerous religious movement only for a short period of time.
- There is nothing about Jesus in other Latin authors, but rather information about Christians. Suetonius (49-140) in his life of Emperor Claudius writes: "Since the Jews were constantly causing disturbances at the instigation of chrestus, he [claudius] expelled them from Rome" (25, 4). This text simply tells us that Christian Jews communicated their faith in the synagogues of Rome around 40-50. Pliny the Younger, proconsul in the province of Bithynia (present-day Turkey) around 111-113, describes to the Emperor Trajan his way of treating Christians who are denounced to him and alludes to some of their practices, such as that of rising before dawn on a fixed day to sing verses "to Christ as to a god". Finally, let us mention the satirist Lucian of Samosata (115-200) who in his pamphlet Passing of Peregrinus mocks a Christian who converted and then apostasized his faith, and writes more particularly that Christians are enamored of Peregrinus that they revered him as a god.
|
Next chapter: Do the apocryphal Gospels really give us information about Jesus?
List of all chapters |
