... of the period so much as mentioned it. Yes, a few of ancient historians, namely Pliny (ca. A.D. 111-115), Tacitus (A.D. 116), and Suetonius (A.D. 120) made brief reference to Christ, and Flavius Josephus made a note of his death, but hardly anyone took notice of His birth. (Josephus, the Jewish turncoat who defected to the Romans, wrote his book “The Antiquities of the Jews” for the benefit of Roman readers, and his remarks were later expanded by Christian editors. He makes passing reference to ...
... , which kingdom do we serve? Officially in office, King Herod was the monarch over the people of Judah, though the nation was under Roman Empire occupation. Did Herod serve the kingdom of God instead of the Roman Empire? Secular historian Flavius Josephus wrote in both of his “Antiquities’ and Jewish War books that the family of King Herod was very deceptive, dysfunctional, and would literally backstab, or kill anyone even within their own bloodline to gain power or monetary advantage. It is contested ...
... the community of monks who lived there called the Essenes. Scholars speculate whether or not John may have been brought up by them. Since his parents were elderly when he was born, (Luke 1:7) they presumably, died when he was quite young. The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus tells us that it was the custom of the Essenes to do just just such a thing: adopt an orphan boy and raise him as one of them. (WARS OF THE JEWS, 2.8.2) We do know that John, like the Essenes, had strange dietary habits ...
... Egypt in order to safeguard his family. Escaping Herod’s clutches by entering Egypt was not necessarily an experience of ostracism from Jewish faith and culture. There was a large Jewish population in Egypt at that time. The Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus even notes that a satellite of the Jerusalem Temple had been established by the Egyptian Jewish community. Joseph’s obedience to his dream is absolute and adjacent. He immediately takes “the child and his mother” (the formula Matthew uses ...
... of the Holy Trinity make any sense? In John 3, we are introduced to a leader of the Jews, who is a learned Pharisee named Nicodemus. Many places in the New Testament give Pharisees a “bad name.” However, secular historians of the time, such as Flavius Josephus, do not paint them in such a negative manner. Quite often they are asking legitimate questions that many people of faith are also asking. Nicodemus might be in this category. Not all of John’s characters in his gospel are flat or single minded ...
