Was Josephus a Christian?

[Secret Alias]

Where' is "nobody" in this?

Jesus had notoriety?

[Secret Alias]

If Jesus's name = Shiloh you could make an argument that he was "secretly" held to be Shiloh in 80 CE and Josephus was one of those "secret" admirers.
If Jesus was recognized to be a world ruler in 80 CE. Maybe you have a case.
Vespasian was world ruler and his name had the same numeric value of Shiloh.
As Josephus advocates for Vespasian as world ruler by virtue of him fulfilling the Shiloh prophesy, and he wrote down this understanding and it seemed to have been read by Tacitus and Suetonius we have a very good idea what he really believed.
Therefore given the evidence Josephus advocated that Vespasian was world ruler making it difficult to believe he also thought Jesus was the messiah.

[John2]

Where' is "nobody" in this?

Jesus had notoriety?

If he taught to "many" Jews and Gentiles, sure.

[Secret Alias]

If he taught to "many" Jews and Gentiles, sure.

If Jesus taught to "so many" Jews and Gentiles as you say, and had such a strong historical impact in 80 CE how could someone who never actually met Jesus become the leading authority on his teachings? Obviously his notoriety wasn't that big or wasn't that decisive to allow someone who had hallucinations about him to become the greatest authority on his teachings. The evidence suggests Jesus was a nobody which allowed Paul the freedom to shape his historical legacy.

[Secret Alias]

The same thing is true about the gospel. If Mark's gospel was so widespread and so authoritative Matthew, Luke and John wouldn't have been created. Mark was hard to find allowing for other texts to fill the void.

[Secret Alias]

The idea that in 80 CE a Jewish turncoat decided to advocate the divine sanctioning of the Flavian dynasty isn't hard to believe.
The idea that this turncoat, while advocating for the Flavians, decided to openly contradict his widely read lauding of the divine sanctioning of the Flavian dynasty with a statement about this "nobody" Jesus whose religion only had an impact on the world in the late second century is much harder to believe.
The alternative seems more persuasive.

1. Josephus was an Imperial kiss-ass and the biggest part of his kiss-assing was advocating the surprisingly reasonable position that Moses foretold the coming of Vespasian i.e. that a time would come when "rule" (the scepter) was taken from Judah.
2. Josephus wrote a history where this narrative was written and read by many prominent writers
3. Later when Christian scribes copied out the manuscripts of Joseph the TF was added because Josephus's obvious kiss-assing made them feel uncomfortable.

[John2]

If Jesus's name = Shiloh you could make an argument that he was "secretly" held to be Shiloh in 80 CE and Josephus was one of those "secret" admirers.
If Jesus was recognized to be a world ruler in 80 CE. Maybe you have a case.
Vespasian was world ruler and his name had the same numeric value of Shiloh.
As Josephus advocates for Vespasian as world ruler by virtue of him fulfilling the Shiloh prophesy, and he wrote down this understanding and it seemed to have been read by Tacitus and Suetonius we have a very good idea what he really believed.
Therefore given the evidence Josephus advocated that Vespasian was world ruler making it difficult to believe he also thought Jesus was the messiah.

I haven't been following your Shiloh" = Vespasian argument, but I figure there was time for Josephus to change his mind between writing the Jewish War and writing the Antiquities (about twenty years). And with Vespasian and Titus being dead by 81 CE, Josephus could have "come out of the closest," especially if he was influenced by Epapharoditus, who sounds a lot like Paul's patron to me.

[John2]

If he taught to "many" Jews and Gentiles, sure.

If Jesus taught to "so many" Jews and Gentiles as you say, and had such a strong historical impact in 80 CE how could someone who never actually met Jesus become the leading authority on his teachings? Obviously his notoriety wasn't that big or wasn't that decisive to allow someone who had hallucinations about him to become the greatest authority on his teachings. The evidence suggests Jesus was a nobody which allowed Paul the freedom to shape his historical legacy.

What gives you the impression that Paul was "the leading authority" in early Christianity? Even he concedes that all the Jews in Antioch church sided with James, and James also runs the show in Acts.

[Secret Alias]

I haven't been following your Shiloh" = Vespasian argument,

You haven't been "following" the fucking argument. Can you count to 335. Do you understand the concept of numeric equivalence? They taught you that in grade 3. Three oranges is the same number as three apples. Now imagine 335 oranges.

[Secret Alias]

What gives you the impression that Paul was "the leading authority" in early Christianity?

What gives most people the idea that standing in front of a moving car is hazardous?