JESUS CHRIST IN HISTORY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 12 June 1926, Page 3

JESUS CHRIST IN HISTORY

IMPORTANT NEW EVIDENCE FULLER VERSION OF JOSEPHUS LONDON, April 11 In a remarkable article just published in the ‘ ! Dioceso of Liverpool Review, Dr. Vacher Burch—who' in conjunction with Dr Rend el Harris, bus contributed so much important and stimulating work to the study of Christian origins—calls attention to the striking additional evidence afforded by the Slavonic version of Josephus to the his- ! toricity of Jesus, says the London correspondent of the Lyttelton Times. The works of Josephus—who was born of a Jewish priestly family about 57-38 A.D., and died some' time after 100 A.D.—have come down to us in Greek. The most important of them are tile ‘Antiquities” and the “Jewish War.” The latter work, which is the earlier in date, and more valuable, was, as the author himself tells us, originally composed in 'Aramaic, in order ' that it might be read by the Jews of the East, who lived in Parthia, Babylonia, Atliabene and Arabia. At a later time lie issued a Greek version of this work, which is the form in which it is familiar to us, and it is not at all improbable was modified in various ways aivay from the original Aramaic. Unfortunately, this original text has not survived. THE NEW DISCOVERY I Now the great interest attaching to the Slavonic version is that it exhibits a text substantially different in many respects front the ordinary Greek text, j The question arises, does the old Slaj vonic reflect an earlier or later type of i text ? Dr. Burch has no doubt as to ! the answer to be given to this' question. He says : A pile of manuscripts was found, written in the ancient Church language of the Slavs, which contained a translation of the writings of Josephus* Both the “Antiquities” and the “Jewish Wav” are in them. Wo can blame the post-war period and the Tower of Babel —the two overburdened bearers of excuses for our indolence towards the labour of thought' in these days—that so little notice has been taken of this discovery. or it is nob only that there lias been found another version of Josephus; this version is one in" which arc preserved long statements concerning Jesus Christ.- Convention and conservatism havo influenced the few'references which have as yet been made to the discovery—the witness to Christ has been condemned, and tho fuller text of the writing rejected. ' Unfortunately, though tho existence of this Slavonic version has been known to scholars for some time, it has not been properly edited or Dr. Burch is thoroughly right wheiv’he says:—‘The subject imperatively demands thorough study." “As the present writer knows from personal experience, it is not at all unlikely to discover early and otherwise lost pieces of riteraturejpreserved in old Slavonic. : ’ One early Christian Apocalypse at least has been thus preserved—‘“The Apocalypse of Abraham." . ! ! - • 1 ' >' - '• ‘ " THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE An entirely fresh account (Asjesus is. apparently, given in tile Slavonic text of the “Jewish War.” This is thus summarised by Dr Burch : Here “Josephus tell us”; he says:—

“(a) That lip knows all about the (rial of Jesus before Pilate. “(b) That in the time of the Emperor Claudius, and of Jho procurators Cuspius Fad us and Tiberius Aloxander, many were the ‘slaves’ of Lie wonderworker, Jesus. “(c) That these preached that their ‘Rabbi,’ who had died, was risen from the dead, and as well they taught the 'New Law’, which is in opposition to the‘old Jewish law. “(d) Tliat J these very early messengers of jfesus were teaching others, who and what He was and is, by the help of tho primitive ‘documentary’ mode which Ho had inspired and all. His messengers had used.”

A MUCH-DISPUTED REFERENCE It may ho that this represents something that stood originally »n the text of the original edition of ihe ‘War,” which was cut out of the Greek edition. The other well-known passage, which refers to Christ, appears in the “Antiquities” (xviii. 3,3), and has given rise to much controversy. It used to _ he asserted that it was a Christian interpolation. But several very distinguished Jews and Christian critical scholars now accept it in some form as authentic. It runs as follows: — Now there was about this time (i.e., about the time of the rising against Pilate. .• ) Jesus, a wise man, “If it he lawful to call Him a man,” For he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive tho truth with pleasure. Ho drew over to Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. ' "Ho was tho Messiah,” and wiich Pilate, at the suggestion of tho principal men among us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first ceased not (so to do), “for He appeared to them alive again tho third day. as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him;” and ihe race of Christians, so named from Him, are not extinct even now. Dr Joseph Klausner, the brilliant Jewish author ot the recent-published “Jesus of Nazareth,” accepts this passage, apart from the quoted words, as authentic. But it is meagre enough. If the authentic character of tho Slavonic version can he established, its importance is obvious'; The work is being edited by a Jewish scholar. When fully available, it must be studied and examined critically in detail. For the ultimate verdict of scholarship we must wait.

DR. BURCH’S VIEW Dr. Burch summarises the importance of the new text in the' following terms:— ' It means very much that Josephus knew about the trial of Jesus; it means even much more that he should touch in facts and beliefs concerning Him as risen from the dead. It is, however, of surpassing value that he should indicate the' "documentary” resources of the preaching of these “slaves” of Christ. For we are only just beginning to understand how these Testimonia, sprang from the Lord’s own way of explaining himSclf to simple men arid women and became the ono mode of teaching Hinr both to Jews and Greeks and Romans so that the old worlds they belonged to were turned upside down. An instance of this mode at work unrecognised as yet by : most readers of the New Testament—is in Paul’s Epistles to tho Galatians, where lie teaches the New Law,'' that is the law of Christ’s Revelation, wherewith the legal and ritual practices' of Judaism were swept aside)—when the message went to the Jews; and by which the cults of Hellenism were as drastically overthrown—when the message was borne to the Gentiles. To understand Josephus and the New Testament, these new things have to be studied. The great value of the Jewish historian’s witness is because of its two-fold power. Josenhus’ evidence to tile historicity of Jesus Christ is cleav and detailed; and’also it is so put that it is confirihed by the primary evidence for the' content and mode ' of the _ revelation Jesus came to bring—this is only just now iri the process of being recovered for us—and in turn it affirms that evidence.' This corroboration of one new' discovery by another 'guarantees the genuineness of the Slavonic Josephus arid of its reference to'Christ. 'On the side of language, there are no difficulties save' to learn Old Slavonic and to be able to show that it has preserved the turns and substance of the Aramaic in' which Josephus wrote. Slav monlFs were early in Syria. We have other books in Old ' Slavonic which have come, for instance, from monasteries in the country where Aramaic is spoken. • , 1 ' • The new Josephus ,then, is the original version in Aramaic; untouched by Graeco-Roman ' influences; our copies hitherto known - have 'been the Greek edition expurgated to suit ihe taste'of the Roman' court:' A full edition of the new text is being prepared; and its publication will ‘ bring" the whole truth to light. 7