Extra notes for the Flavian work. (2)
© Cliff Carrington
Josephus, Contra Apion II, 23.
However, our antiquity is sufficiently established by the Egyptian, Chaldean, and Phoenician records, not to mention the numerous Greek historians. In addition to those already cited, Theophilus, Theodotus, Mnaseas, Aristophanes, Hermogenes,...
Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Domitian 10. Pen. p. 301
Then Hermogenes of Tarsus died because of some incautious allusions that he had introduced into a historical work; and the slaves who acted as his copyists were crucified.
Tacitus, Histories
Signs and Wonders
Bk. 4. 81. In the course of the months which Vespasian spent at Alexandria, waiting for the regular season of summer winds when the sea could be relied upon,- many miracles occurred. These seemed to be indications that Vespasian enjoyed heaven's blessing and that the gods showed a certain leaning towards him. Among the lower classes at Alexandria was a blind man whom everybody knew as such. One day this fellow threw himself at Vespasian's feet, imploring him with groans to heal his blindness. He had been told to make this request by Serapis, the favourite god of a nation much addicted to strange beliefs. He asked that it might please the emperor to anoint his checks and eyeballs with the water of his mouth. A second petitioner, who suffered from a withered hand, pleaded his case too, also on the advice of Serapis: would Caesar tread upon him with the imperial foot? At first Vespasian laughed at them and refused. When the two insisted, he hesitated. At one moment he was alarmed by the thought that he would be accused of vanity if he failed. At the next, the urgent appeals of the two victims and the flatteries of his entourage made him sanguine of success. Finally he asked the doctors for an opinion whether blindness and atrophy of this sort were curable by human means. The doctors were eloquent on the various possibilities. The blind man's vision was not completely destroyed, and if certain impediments were removed his sight would return. The other victim's limb had been dislocated, but could be put right by correct treatment. Perhaps this was the will of the gods, they added; perhaps the emperor had been chosen to perform a miracle. Anyhow, if a cure were effected, the credit would go to the ruler; if it failed, the poor wretches would have to bear the ridicule. So Vespasian felt that his destiny gave him the key to every door and that nothing now defied belief. With a smiling expression and surrounded by an expectant crowd of bystanders, he did what was asked. Instantly the cripple recovered the use of his hand and the light of day dawned again upon his blind companion. Both these incidents are still vouched for by eye-witnesses, though there is now nothing to be gained by lying.
82. This deepened Vespasian's desire to visit the holy house of Serapis, for he wished to consult the god on matters of state. He had everyone else excluded from the temple, and went in alone, fixing his mind on the deity. Happening to glance round, he caught sight of a leading Egyptian named Basilides standing behind him. Now he knew that this man was detained by illness far from Alexandria at a place several clays' journey distant. He inquired of the priests whether Basilides had entered the temple that day. He also inquired of those he met whether he had been seen in the city. Finally he sent off a party on horse, and ascertained that at the relevant time he had been eighty miles away. Thereupon he guessed that it was the god whom he had seen and that the reply to his query lay in the meaning of the name Basilides. [Greek - Basilides = 'King's son']
Life, 76. p. 157
The treatment I received from the Emperors continued unaltered. On Vespasian’s decease Titus, who succeeded to the empire, showed the same esteem for me as did his father, and never credited the accusations to which I was constantly subjected. Domitian succeeded Titus and added to my honours. He punished my Jewish accusers.
Tacitus, Histories, 1.
My official career owed its beginning to Vespasian, its progress to Titus and its further advancement to Domitian... Modern times are indeed happy as few others have been, for we can think as we please, and speak as we think.
In the Gospel accounts of John the Baptist his mission was in early to mid 30’s. He was supposed to have baptised Jesus at that time and to have been beheaded by Herod Antipas before 37. However the Slavonic addition to Josephus’ War has John baptising during the reign of Archelaus, which is thirty to forty years too early for the gospel account? Luke, ch. 1, has the birth of John during the reign of Herod the Great 40/37 to 4 BCE. This is likely and would put John at about the right age to be preaching during the reign of Herod’s successor, Archelaus. If John was still baptising some thirty years later, in the time of Herod Agrippa, he would have been an old man. This does not seem to be the case for the writers of the gospels. Is this the same man or were there two baptists both named John living some thirty years apart?
This passage certainly fits the context of the War where it has been better located than the reference we have received in the Greek Antiquities of Josephus. Also, note the baptist in the Slavonic account is an unnamed ‘savage’; whereas in the Greek he is named as John.
Slavonic Addition 9. The Forerunner. Between War 2.110 and 111 [Loeb, pp. 644-645].
Now at that time there walked among the Jews a man in wondrous garb, for he had put animals’ hair upon his body wherever it was not covered by his own hair; and in countenance like a savage. He came to the Jews and summoned them to freedom, saying: “God hath sent me to show you the way of the Law, whereby ye may free yourselves from many masters; and there shall be no mortal ruling over you, but only the Highest who hath sent me.” And when the people heard that, they were glad. And he did nothing else to them, save that he dipped them into the stream of the Jordan and let them go admonishing them to desist from evil works; so they would be given a king who would set them free and subject all the insubordinate, but he himself would be subject to no one - he of whom we speak. Some mocked, but others put faith in him.
And when he was brought to Archelaus [ruled 4 BCE to 6 CE] and the doctors of the Law had assembled, they asked him who he was and where he had been until then. And he answered and spake: “I am a man [pure] and hither the spirit of God hath called me, and I live on cane and roots and fruits of the tree.” But when they threatened to torture him if he did not desist from these words and deeds, he spake nevertheless: “It is meet rather for you to desist from your shameful works and submit to the Lord your God.”
And Simon, of Essene extraction, a scribe, arose in wrath and spake: “We read the divine books every day; but thou, but now come forth from the wood like a wild beast, dost thou dare to teach us and seduce the multitude with thy cursed speeches?” And he rushed upon him to rend his body. But he spake in reproach to them: “I will not disclose to you the secret that is among you, because ye desired it not. Therefore has unspeakable misfortune come upon you and through your own doing.” And after he had thus spoken, he went forth to the other side of the Jordan; and since no man durst hinder, he did what he had done before.
Bandits, Messiahs, etc. in Catoptic from pp. 451-452
p. 417 Epilogue
Oscar Wilde,
"The Disciple"
When Narcissus died, the flowers of the field were desolate and
asked the river for some drops of water to weep for him. “Oh!” answered the river,
“if all my drops of water were tears, I should not have enough to weep for
Narcissus myself. I love him.” “Oh!” replied the flowers of the field,
"how could you not have loved Narcissus? He was beautiful.” “Was he
beautiful?” said the river. “And who should know better than you? Each day,
leaning over your bank, he beheld his beauty in your waters.” “If I loved him,”
replied the river, “it was because, when he leaned over my waters, I saw the
reflection of my waters in his eyes.”
p. 413
But, the Two Source theory of synoptic literary relations accepts the coincidence that both Matthew and Luke, separately and independently decided to unite Mark and the Sayings Source Q and decided, again separately and independently, to swallow both into their own new textual and theological compositions.
[On the trials of Jesus in Mark.]
p. 387
The author(s) of the Cross Gospel [considered the earliest account of the crucifixion, used by the gospels] wrote from a viewpoint strongly favourable to Roman authority and strongly critical of Jewish religious authority, blaming it, in fact, for the Jewish people’s ignorance of what had really happened. But they also presumed that Herod Antipas could be in charge of a crucifixion near Jerusalem and that people not soldiers could carry it out. I find both of these presuppositions highly unlikely.
p. 390
It is impossible, in my mind, to overestimate the creativity of Mark, but those twin trials must be emphasized for what they are, namely, consummate theological fictions. It is also impossible, to my mind, to overestimate the terrible consequences of relocating such abuse... It is magnificent theological fiction, to be sure, but entailing a dreadful price for Judaism.
Dodd, C.H., The Authority of the Bible, Collins, London, Revised edition, 1960
In its extreme form the dogma of the Infallibility of Scripture should mean that all parts of the Canon are directly and equally inspired by God, so that its every statement, whether concerning the mysteries of the divine Being, the processes of nature, or the facts of history, past or future, should be exactly and literally true. Many people think they believe this; no balanced mind has ever really tried to carry it through with complete logic. There is always an instinctive or arbitrary process of selection and distribution of emphasis, and it is always possible to reconcile contradictions and smooth away difficulties by allegorical or non-natural exegesis. pp. 20-21
It is high time to assert unambiguously that the Bible contains a good deal which if it is taken out of a temporary historical context and given general and permanent validity is simply pernicious. The old dogmatic view of the Bible therefore is not only open to attack from the standpoint of science and historical criticism, but if taken seriously it becomes a danger to religion and public morals. A revision of this view is therefore an imperative necessity. p. 24
The original Canon on the other hand came into being by a process which we can no longer trace in detail. The grounds for canonicity alleged by the Fathers are not always convincing, and as in the case of the Old Testament canon we may suspect that they were rather ‘rationalizing’ an existing selection than freely applying tests. p. 187
It is important to emphasize this point of view at the present time. In the last generation discontent with traditional Christian dogma coincided with a new interest in the historical criticism of the Gospels. P. 212
...the Christian mind exercises an instinctive criticism of the Gospels. It does not really believe, though the evidence is in the earliest Gospel, that the Lord of its faith was such an one as to ‘curse’ a harmless fig-tree because it failed to satisfy His craving for fruit out of season.
Footnote: Mark xi. 12-14, 20-21. We may take it from Mark that Peter, or some other early witness, saw something, or heard something which may be interpreted as the cursing of a tree, but what that something may have been we cannot say; perhaps a clue may be found by comparing the fig-tree parables, Mark xiii. 28-29, Luke xiii. 6-9, xvii. 6. p. 213
There are sayings (not many, indeed) which either are simply not true, in their plain meaning, or are unacceptable to the conscience or reason of Christian people. Thus according to Mark xiii, Jesus gave an elaborate forecast of events to follow his death, ending with the categorical statement, “This generation will not pass away until all these things have happened”. By no legitimate ingenuity of interpretation can it be shown that anything resembling some of these events happened before A.D. 100, when the generation to which Jesus belonged may be presumed to have died out. The common-sense reply to such difficulties is that there must have been some mistake in the reporting. p. 219
In the first part of the thirteenth century the Church added the Bible to its list of banned books. The laity was only allowed the Psalms and the breviary, the book of daily readings and prayers. Because people were reading the gospels for themselves they questioned the Church’s interpretation of Jesus’ teaching. The Church simply did not match the people’s vision of the simple Christianity of the Gospels. Heresies abounded because of this practice. The Church had already banned any alternative literature that might challenge its presence. Now, they had to ban their own Scriptures in the interest of the continuing rule by the Church over men’s minds.
The State was the actual instrument of the destruction of heresies, but it was guided by the Church. When a heretic was exposed they were handed over to the State for execution, without the shedding of blood - ie. hanging or burning. The latter was the most entertaining and popular with the masses. The Auto de Fe or ‘Act of Faith’, the burning of Heretics, always attracted record crowds.
The State was quite happy to be the instrument of terror, but it was the Church which directed that terror. Civil order was protected by the enforced obedience of the ordinances of the Church. To question the Gospels was to question existence itself, and by implication the validity of secular rule. The hand of the Church manipulated the iron glove of the State.
The inconsistancies of the gospels were hidden behind a wall of enforced ignorance. Only those in the know knew and they were the last ones to expose them; their livelyhood depended on the ignorance of the masses they ruled. The pagan books were no longer a threat as they had, for the most part, been disposed of in the fires of the earlier centuries. The threat that came from the Bible was more dangerous because it formed the basis of the Church’s existence.
“He descended into the cave. So, for two days he continued in hiding. On the third, his secret was revealed by a woman who had been with them. The death of J. was found to be a fiction, it became known that he was alive.”
This is a description of a resurrection after three days. No, J. is not Jesus, but Josephus. This is from the account of the fall of Jotapata where Josephus hides in a cave for three days before he was found out by a captured woman who knew of their hiding place. He arose from the cave. After a short time he then ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Emperor.
The Texts
But, finding every spot guarded on his account and no means of eluding detection, he descended again into the cave. So, for two days he continued in hiding. On the third, his secret was betrayed by a woman who had been with them. War 3. 8. 1. (344)
But when time revealed the truth and all that had really happened at Jotapata, when the death of Josephus was found to be a fiction, it became known that he was alive and in Roman hands... the demonstrations of wrath at his still being alive were as loud as the former expressions of affection when he was believed to be dead.” War 3. 9. 6. (438)
He called to mind the dreams which
he had dreamed in the night time, whereby God had signified to him beforehand
both the future calamities of the Jews, and the events that concerned the Roman
emperors.
Now Josephus was able to give
shrewd conjectures about the interpretation of such dreams as have been
ambiguously delivered by God. Moreover, he was not unacquainted with the
prophecies contained in the sacred books, as being a priest himself, and of the
posterity of priests: and just then was he in an ecstasy; and setting before
him the tremendous images of the dreams he had lately had, he put up a secret
prayer to God, and said,
"Since it pleaseth thee, who hast created the Jewish nation, to depress the same, and since all their good fortune is gone over to the Romans, and since thou hast made choice of this soul of mine to foretell what is to come to pass hereafter, I willingly surrender to the Romans, and consent to live. And I take thee to witness that I do not go over to the Romans as a deserter of the Jews, but as a minister from thee." War 3. 8. 3.
When Josephus heard him give those
orders, he said that he had somewhat in his mind that he would willingly say to
himself alone. When therefore they were all ordered to withdraw, excepting
Titus and two of their friends, he said,
"Thou, O Vespasian, thinkest
no more than that thou hast taken Josephus himself captive; but I come to thee
as a messenger of greater tidings; for had not I been sent by God to thee, I
knew what was the law of the Jews in this case? and how it becomes generals to
die. Dost thou send me to Nero? For why? Are Nero's successors till they come
to thee still alive? Thou, O Vespasian, art Caesar and emperor, thou, and this
thy son. Bind me now still faster, and keep me for thyself, for thou, O Caesar,
are not only lord over me, but over the land and the sea, and all mankind; and
certainly I deserve to be kept in closer custody than I now am in, in order to
be punished, if I rashly affirm any thing of God."
When he had said this, Vespasian
at present did not believe him, but supposed that Josephus said this as a
cunning trick, in order to his own preservation; but in a little time he was
convinced, and believed what he said to be true, God himself erecting his
expectations, so as to think of obtaining the empire, and by other signs
fore-showing his advancement. He also found Josephus to have spoken truth on
other occasions; for one of those friends that were present at that secret
conference said to Josephus, "I cannot but wonder how thou couldst not
foretell to the people of Jotapata that they should be taken, nor couldst
foretell this captivity which hath happened to thyself, unless what thou now
sayest be a vain thing, in order to avoid the rage that is risen against
thyself."
To which Josephus replied, "I
did foretell to the people of Jotapata that they would be taken on the
forty-seventh day, and that I should be caught alive by the Romans." Now when
Vespasian had inquired of the captives privately about these predictions, he
found them to be true, and then he began to believe those that concerned
himself. Yet did he not set Josephus at liberty from his hands, but bestowed on
him suits of clothes, and other precious gifts; he treated him also in a very
obliging manner, and continued so to do, Titus still joining his interest till
the honors that were done him. War 3. 8. 9.
(1 Peter 2:13-17) For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, {14} or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. {15} For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. {16} As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. {17} Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
(Romans 6:16) Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
(Ephesians 6:1) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (Colossians 3:20) Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.
(Ephesians 6:5) Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ;
(Colossians 3:22) Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.
(Hebrews 13:17) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing--for that would be harmful to you.
(Acts 5:29) But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority.
(Ezekiel 40:2) He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.
(Matthew 4:8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;
(Revelation 21:10) And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
(Philippians 2:25-26) Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus--my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; {26} for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
(Philippians 4:18) I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
(Matthew 22:17) Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
(Matthew 22:21) They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."
(Mark 12:14) And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?
(Mark 12:17) Jesus said to them, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were utterly amazed at him.
(Luke 2:1) In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.
(Luke 3:1) In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,
(Luke 20:22) Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
(Luke 20:25) He said to them, "Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."
(Luke 23:2) They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king."
(John 19:12) From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor."
(John 19:15) They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor."
(Acts 17:7) and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus."
(Acts 25:8) Paul said in his defense, "I have in no way committed an offense against the law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against the emperor."
(Acts 25:11-12) Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor." {12} Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, "You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go."
(Acts 25:21) But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor."
(Acts 26:32) Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor."
(Acts 27:24) and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.'
(Acts 28:19) But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor--even though I had no charge to bring against my nation.
(1 Peter 2:13) For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme,
(1 Peter 2:17) Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Benz, E., The Eastern Orthodox
Church, Doubleday Anchor, New York 1963, pp. 12-13
9. PRINCIPAL
TYPES OF ICONS AND THEIR PLACE IN DOGMA
Christ Icons
A Particular type of image, which came more and more into use during the
fourth and fifth centuries in representations of the holy sudarium
[handkerchief used in Roman times for wiping away sweat] led to the dogmatic
fixation of the Christ icon. The model was found in an apocryphal document of
the early Church, the so-called Epistle of Lentulus. Lentulus is mentioned in
ancient historical records as having been consul during the twelfth year of the
reign of Tiberius. In the epistle Lentulus is identified as a Roman official,
Pontius Pilate's superior, who happens to be in Palestine at the time of Jesus'
appearance there, and who makes an official report to the emperor. The official
report also included a warrant for the arrest of Jesus which ran as follows:
"At
this time there appeared and is still living a man - If indeed he may be called
a man at all - of great powers named the Christ, who is called Jesus. The
people term him the Prophet of truth; his disciples call him Son of God, who
wakens the dead and heals the sick - a man of erect stature, of medium height,
fifteen and a half fists high, of temperate and estimable appearance, with a
manner inspiring of respect, nut-brown hair which is smooth to the cars and from the ears downward shaped in gentle locks and
flowing down over the shoulders in ample curls, parted in the middle after the
manner of the Nazarenes, with an even and clear brow, a face without spots or
wrinkles, and of healthy color. Nose
and mouth are flawless; he wears a luxuriant beard of the color of his hair. He
has a simple and mature gaze, large, blue-grey eyes that are uncommonly varied
in expressiveness, fearsome when he scolds and gentle and affectionate when he
admonishes. He is gravely cheerful, weeps often, but has never been seen to
laugh. In figure he is upright and straight; his hands and arms are well
shaped. In conversation he is grave, mild and modest, so that the word of the
prophet concerning the 'fairest of the sons of men' (Ps. 45:2) can be applied
to him."
The Byzantine Christ type is modelled after this description. He
appears, however, in a number of different guises, depending on the aspect of
Christ's nature which is being stressed:
Christ as Lord of the universe (Pantokrator);
Christ as Teacher and Preacher of the gospel;
Christ as the Judge of the world, with stern countenance and
"terrible eye."
[Lentulus is mentioned in Josephus Antiquities, 14. 10. 13. as a consul who wrote a decree favourable to the Jews. In the Dictionary of Christian Symbols the ‘Epistle of Lentulus’ is mentioned as a 13th century forgery. The opening passage about Jesus being a man is taken from the Slavonic Addition on Jesus the wonder worker, Loeb, War, p. 648:
‘At that time there appeared a man, if it is permissible to call him a man. His nature and form were human, but his appearance was something more than that of a man;’]
2. 9. 3. Why do you act a Jew when you are a Greek? Do you not see on what terms each is called a Jew, a Syrian, An Egyptian? And, when we see any one wavering, we are want to say, This is not a Jew, but acts one. But, when he assumes the sentiments of one who hath been baptized and circumcised, then he both really is, and is called a Jew.
Thus we, falsifying our profession, are Jews in name, but in reality something else. Our sentiments are inconsistent with our discourse; far from practicing what we teach, and what we pride ourselves in the knowledge of. Thus, while we are unable to fulfil what the character of a man promises, we assume, besides, so vast a weight as that of a philosopher. As if a person incapable of lifting ten pounds should endeavour to heave the same stone with Ajax.
1. 22. 1. This is the dispute between the Jews and Syrians and Egyptians and Romans, not whether sanctity be preferable to all things, and in every instance to be pursued; but whether eating swine’s flesh is consistent with sanctity or not.
4. 7. 2.
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. [Luke 8:1-3]
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. [Acts 13:1]
When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him... [Acts 13:6-9]
Josephus: At this moment, one of the defenders of the ramparts hit Vespasian with an arrow in the sole of the foot. The wound was slight, the distance having broken the force of the missile, but the incident caused a vast commotion among the Romans; the sight of blood alarmed those immediately surrounding Vespasian, the news spread through the whole army... Mastering his pain, he hastened to show himself to all who had trembled for his life. [Josephus, War 3. 7. 22]
Suetonius: Vespasian at once reformed the discipline of the army and fought one or two battles with such daring, that in the storming of a fortress he was wounded in the knee with a stone and received several arrows in his shield. [Suetonius, Vespasian 4]
(Matthew 26:51) Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
(Mark 14:47) But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
(Luke 22:50) Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
(John 18:10) Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus.
“He (Vitellius) was hauled out by a tribune named Julius Placidus. His hands were tied behind his back. Presenting a revolting spectacle with his clothes in ribbons, he was led away amid curses from many and tears from none. The squalor of his end had robbed it of pity.
“On the way, one of the men from the army of Germany met him. It was not clear at the time whether he was aiming was aiming a blow at Vitellius - either in fury or else in order to spare him further humiliation - or attacking the tribune. In any rate he cut off the tribune’s ear, and was immediately run through.” [Tacitus, Histories, 3. 84.]
(Matthew 5:30) And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
(Matthew 18:8) "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire.
(Mark 9:43) If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
Josephus War 2.21.10: The rebel at Taricheae commanded by Josephus to cut off one of his own hands, and he does so to save his life.
(Matthew 26:60-62) many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward {61} and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'" {62} The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?"
(Mark 14:57-58) Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, {58} "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.'"
(John 2:19) Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
At this same time, by the direction of certain soothsayers, some vases of antique workmanship were dug up in a consecrated spot at Tegea in Arcadia and on them was an image very like Vespasian. [Suetonius, Vesp. 7.]
On hearing that a Galilean, named Jesus, was staying in Jerusalem, who had with him a company of six hundred men under arms, they sent for him. [Josephus, Life, 40]
(1 Corinthians 15:5-6) he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time,
(Acts 5:34-37) But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
In this thesis I have made use of only primary sources - the Bible, Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius and other ancient works. My work is not derived from any modern authors, though in some points it may parallel other writers. The work, including its mistakes, is entirely my own.
Indeed, from my position all of the modern works which have crossed my path are so unreadable as to be worse than useless, even positively misleading. They are consciously or unconsciously steeped in a belief structure where the major and minor premises are undemonstrable. The first premise, that there was an historical Jesus, and the second, that the gospels are histories of that Jesus, are undemonstrable outside of self-reference. It is for this reason I have undertaken this task of finally solving the Synoptic Problem, or at least providing a natural framework for its solution.
All of the ancient literature we possess, excepting modern discoveries, has been filtered through almost two thousand years of official censorship. Working one’s way back into the period of the creation of Christianity is like finding one’s way in a labyrinth of literary false passages and dead-ends. There is, however, an almost invisible thread with which we may navigate through the maze to the historical reality of the first century of our Common Era. That thread is our own experience of what is possible in human society and what is not. For example; belief in miracles is possible, but miracles are not.
Using common experience and some knowledge of how power structures operate in all times we can see the history of the gospels with clearer eyes. One instance of this is the attitude of the gospel writers; they are anti-Jewish and pro-Roman. This is unusual in documents which are supposed to originate in an underground Jewish revolutionary religious movement. They seem to come from above rather than from below. The message in the New Testament is: ‘Obey the Romans, the Romans are friendly. Separate yourselves from the Jews, they are all treacherous’.
Never in my experience has a revolutionary movement had as its major rule - ‘Obey Your Masters’! This has made me reconsider what the gospels are, if they are not what they seem to be? If they are not revolutionary literature as claimed, but are pro-government tracts in disguise, they can only be propaganda. The gospels are not independent, they are clearly interdependent. They were written together for a single purpose, pro-Roman propaganda to divide the Jews. As this is what happened the effect must indicate the cause. The community of the Jews declined as the Jewish-like gentile Christian community rose in influence.
When we look into how the Christian Church evolved into the power structure it was, and to a degree still is, we can trace the effect back to a cause. If we look back into the past to the beginning of Christianity the earliest literary evidence comes from the period of the Flavian dynasty - dating from after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. This is where we will find the creation of the gospels, and, unexpectedly, the new religion of Christianity.
The Church took over the structure of the Roman empire, from whence it was born, when that empire was divided and almost defeated. The Eastern Church held out as the direct inheritors of Roman power for a thousand years. After some centuries of division the Western part of the empire, Europe, was united under the Roman Catholic Church. In both the East and West the methods of rule were the same, following that of Imperial Rome.
Many writers may have already made these points, but what they have not done is to explain the Roman Motivation, Means, and Method for this propaganda exercise. The purpose of the Roman propaganda was only meant to dilute the Jewish religion; it then got out of hand and became a religion of its own. This is where my work is unique: The Motivation, Means and Method of the Romans in creating the gospels can be demonstrated from the existing literature of the first centuries.
[Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3. 7.]
These thing happened in this way in the second year of the reign of Vespasian in accord with the prophetic utterances of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who foreseeing them by divine power as though already present...
“And when ye see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that her desolation is at hand.” [Luke 21:20]
If anyone compare the words of our Saviour with the other narratives of the historian [Josephus] concerning the whole war, how can one avoid surprise and a confession of the truly divine and supernaturally wonderful character both of the foreknowledge and of the foretelling of our Saviour?
[Preparation for the Gospel, 154b]
Come then, let us examine and prove how widely the plague of Polytheistic error held sway over the life of man before our Saviour’s teaching in the gospel. For we shall prove that this error was abolished and destroyed no earlier than the times of Hadrian, when Christ’s teaching was already shining forth like light over every region.
For indeed it was proved by the statement of history that these things continued till the times of Hadrian, and have been abolished since his reign; and this was exactly the time at which the doctrine of salvation began to flourish among all mankind. [164d]
Against Heresies:
“For our Lord was born in the forty-first year of the reign of Augustus.” [Irenaeus, ‘Against Heresies’, bk. 3, 21, 3.]
“But from the fortieth and fiftieth year a man begins to decline towards old age, which our Lord possessed while He still fulfilled the office of a Teacher, even as the Gospel and all the elders testify; those who were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord, affirming that John conveyed to them that information.... He then did not then want much of being fifty years old.” bk. 2, 22, 5-6
Translator’s Note, p. 392
2. “With respect to this extraordinary assertion of Irenaeus, Harvey remarks: “The reader may here perceive the unsatisfactory character of tradition, where a mere fact is concerned. From reasonings founded on the evangelical history, as well as a preponderance of external testimony, it is most certain that our Lord’s ministry extended but little over three years; yet here Irenaeus states that it included more that ten years, and appeals to a tradition derived, as he says, from those who had conversed with an apostle.”
Editor’s Note: p. 393
6. “This statement is simply astounding, and might seem a providential illustration of the worthlessness of mere tradition unsustained by the written Word. No mere tradition could be more creditably authorized than this.”
Augustus 27 BCE-14 CE
Tiberius, 14
Gaius Caligula, 37
Claudius, 41
*Nero, 54
3 Emperors, 68-69
Vespasian, 69
Titus, 79
*Domitian, 81-96
Nerva, 96-98
Trajan, 98-117
Hadrian, 117-138
Antonius Pius, 138-161
Marcus Aurelius, 161-180
Commodus, 180-196
Pertinax, 192
Severus, 193-211
Caracalla, 211-217
Macrinus, 217
Elagabalus, 218
Alexander, 222
Maximin, 235
Gordian, 238
Philip, 244
*Decius, 249
Gallus, 251
Valarian & Gallienus, 253
Galluenus, 261
Claudius, 268
Aurelian, 270
Probus, 276
Carus, 282
*Diocletian, 284,
Maximian, 286
Constantius, 305
Licinius, 308
Constantine, to 337
[* = persecutions]
Jewish War, 6. 1. 5.
[Titus’ speech to his demoralized soldiers]
As for myself, I shall at present
wave any commendation of those who die in war, and omit to speak of the
immortality of those men who are slain in the midst of their martial bravery; yet
cannot I forbear to imprecate upon those who are of a contrary disposition,
that they may die in time of peace, by some disease or other, since their souls
are condemned to the grave, together with their bodies.
For what man of virtue is there
who does not know, that those souls which are severed from their fleshly bodies
in battles by the sword are received by the ether, that purest of elements, and
joined to that company which are placed among the stars; that they become good
demons, and propitious heroes, and show themselves as such to their posterity
afterwards?
While upon those souls that wear
away in and with their distempered bodies comes a subterranean night to
dissolve them to nothing, and a deep oblivion to take away all the remembrance
of them, and this notwithstanding they be clean from all spots and defilements
of this world; so that, in this ease, the soul at the same time comes to the
utmost bounds of its life, and of its body, and of its memorial also.
But since he hath determined that death is to come of necessity upon all men, a sword is a better instrument for that purpose than any disease whatsoever. Why is it not then a very mean thing for us not to yield up that to the public benefit which we must yield up to fate?
“I reached Rome after being in great jeopardy at sea. For our ship foundered in the midst of the sea of Adria our company of some six hundred souls had to swim all that night. About daybreak, through God’s good providence, we sighted a ship of Cyrene, and I and certain others, about eighty in all, outstripped the others and were taken on board. Landing safely at Puteoli, I formed a friendship...”
Josephus’ Life, 3.
Paul’s version
“When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.” Acts 27:27-29