Breakpoint Rethinking Josephus and His Claims about Jesus
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Jan 27, 2026 A fresh look at a disputed passage about Jesus in a first century Jewish historian's writings. Discussion of AI and Greek-language analysis used to test the passage's original wording. Examination of stylistic and contextual evidence that may support authenticity. Consideration of how revised translations change key phrases about miracles and appearances.
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AI Reassesses Josephus' Words
- Dr. T.C. Schmidt used AI and linguistic analysis to reassess what Josephus actually wrote about Jesus.
- The retranslation makes the passage sound more like a non-Christian Jew describing claims skeptically rather than endorsing them.
Josephus' Unique Historical Position
- Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish scholar who wrote about figures mentioned in the New Testament.
- His favorable-sounding passage on Jesus has long been considered suspect because Josephus was not a Christian and therefore unlikely to praise Christ.
Challenging The Interpolation Consensus
- Many scholars long assumed the Jesus passage was partly or wholly a later Christian interpolation.
- Schmidt finds linguistic parallels across Josephus' corpus that argue the passage fits Josephus' own style and vocabulary.
