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In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).
All Bible scholars worth their salt know about Flavius Josephus (or just Josephus), the Jewish historian from the first century. The goal of this Interruption promises to make its avid readers a bit saltier.
We accomplish this today by talking about Josephus.
The Jews of Israel revolted against Rome in about AD 70. At first, Josephus was a leader in this revolt and a commander of soldiers stationed in Galilee. In one of the first conflicts of the Jews against the Romans, Josephus realized that the Jews were no match for the Romans and surrendered.
Considered a traitor by most Jews, Josephus traveled with the Romans trying to convince the Jews that their rebellion was futile, but more important, he also recorded the war, becoming the most famous historian of the first century.
Living in Rome after the ruination of Israel, Josephus wrote over 20 volumes of history about the Jews from the time of the Maccabees to the final battle at the desert stronghold of Masada.
On the sack of Jerusalem, Josephus writes . . .
Now the number of those that were carried captive during this whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand, as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege eleven hundred thousand.
Fulfilling what Jesus said about Jerusalem in AD 33 . . .
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
On the destruction of the temple, Josephus writes that the Roman General Titus, who was besieging Jerusalem . . .
Gave orders that they should now demolish the whole city and temple, except three towers, which he reserved standing. But for the rest of the wall, it was laid so completely even with the ground by those who dug it up from the foundation, that there was nothing left to make those believe who came hither that it had ever been inhabited.
Jesus had predicted in AD 33 . . .
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1-2).
But the most famous quote from Josephus, a quite amazing quote, and a quote of incredible value for those defending Christians . . .
Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.
This statement, from the most accurate and famous of first-century historians, probably written at least 50 years after Jesus, testifies to the truth of the resurrection.
Pass the salt, please!