David Madison has replied to Greg Doudna on the Bible and Interpretation website.
https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/comment ... mment-1099
In my opinion, the argument you have presented is a poor substitute for an actual reference to a crucified Jesus. I don't see much of a parallel between the story recounted by Josephus and the Gospel account of the crucifixion. In one case someone is trying to save people from crucifixion and in the other someone is trying to ensure that a victim of crucifixion gets a proper burial. I certainly wouldn't be inclined to use the Gospel story to tell us something about Josephus' experience that he doesn't tell us himself. Furthermore, you infer that the person saved from crucifixion would have been Jesus ben Sapphat. So here is the question.
Why would someone who has been saved from crucifixion be the inspiration to Paul and others? Why would people regard what happened to him as a "resurrection"? This seems like the swoon theory. But the bottom line is this. We have no statement to the effect that Jesus ben Sapphat was crucified, much less that he was subsequently resurrected.
(my red bolding)
And there I think is a big problem for Greg's theory regarding the man saved from the cross by Josephus - a man Greg views as being Jesus ben Sapphat. The whole thrust of Christianity is a man dying on a cross - the symbol of which hangs around many a Christian neck. Christ, says Paul, died for our sins. To time shift the Josephan story about a man who survived the Roman crucifixion back to the time of Pilate and the gospel story about JC dying on a cross, would be to overturn the point Josephus has made - a man survived the crucifixion. Survived - not died and was resurrected.
Perhaps, at the end of the day, rather than attempting to time-shift the Josephan man who survived a Roman crucifixion back to the time of Pilate and JC - a consideration of history might be a better approach.
Antigonus II Mattathias
Josephus states that Mark Antony beheaded Antigonus (Antiquities, XV 1:2 (8–9). Roman historian Cassius Dio says that he was crucified and records in his Roman History: "These people [the Jews] Antony entrusted to a certain Herod to govern; but Antigonus he bound to a cross and scourged, a punishment no other king had suffered at the hands of the Romans, and so slew him."[6] In his Life of Antony, Plutarch claims that Antony had Antigonus beheaded, "the first example of that punishment being inflicted on a king."[7]
So - Antigonus was 'bound to a cross and scourged' and he was beheaded. From these accounts it appears the Roman execution of Antigonus was a two stage affair. First he was scourged while bound to a cross. Finally he was beheaded. Whether both these events happened simultaneously or a time period between them is unknown. What does seem to be know is that Marc Antony kept Antigonus a prisoner for some time.
More important, however, is a second point: this whole problem is
only an illusion, for Josephus did not count Herod's years from the conquest
of Jerusalem, although Schiirer and numerous others say he did. In fact, if one
takes the statement in the scholarly locus classicus on Herodian chronology
(SVM I, p. 326, n. 165) that Josephus states that he reigned 37 years from the date of his appointment (40 B . C . ) , 34
years from his conquest of Jerusalem, 37 B . C . Cf. Ant. xvii 8 , 1 (191); B 7 i 3 3 , 8 (665)
and checks the references, he will find that Josephus in fact counts the thirty four years from
the execution of Mattathias Antigonus. But Antigonus was executed in Antioch by Mark Anthony {Ant. 14.488-490;
Strabo, apud Ant.15.9),"^ and, as is shown by the latter's movements, that occurred in the late
autumn of 37, or perhaps early in 36. Anthony was still in Tarentum in
September—October 37."' Thus, there is nothing here to contradict the usage
of an autumn 37 era. Apparently, Josephus, or already Herod, was only
willing to count the new king's regnal years after Antigonus was completely
removed.
.....
However, as we have seen, in fact
at least a few months went by between July 37 and Antigonus' execution.
Daniel R Schwartz: Studies in the Jewish Background of Christianity. Page 176/177/178.
Greg Doudna
The Roman historian Dio Cassius says Antigonus was scourged and crucified, or maybe the sense is he was put up on a cross for scourging as part of the execution (Roman History 5.49.22). Strabo followed by Josephus says Antigonus was beheaded. All accounts agree that the death was shocking and purposely so, intended to be ignominious in the eyes of all, so that any sympathy for Antigonus would be discredited and ended.
https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/article ... /dou398018
If Greg Doudna is looking for a man who survived a Roman execution - he needs to look no further than Antigonus II Mattathias. An historical King of the Jews that was both scourged on a cross and beheaded during the months he was a prisoner of Marc Antony at Antioch.
As I wrote earlier - If Greg wants the Josephan story about the crucifixion of an unknown man in 70 c.e. to have relevance to the gospel Jesus story - then he needs to go back to Antigonus II Mattathias. A story in 3 parts. History in 37 b.c., Reflection in the gospel story of 33 c.e. and Remembrance in 70 c.e. at the siege of Jerusalem.
