Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

And another written source possible candidate is Strabo of Amasia, his History.

Apparently, Luke (author) knew Josephus writing, or Josephus knew Luke, or Luke and Josephus knew one another. Given that, it may be reasonable to ask: are Simon, an Essene dream interpreter in Josephus War 2.111-113 (7.3) and Antiquities 17.346-348 (13.3), and Simon in Luke 2:25-35 the same man? Si...

AdamKvanta, above, in part: "....If that is so, why are there no talks about the wickedness of Herodians?...." Depends on which talker you ask. For example, though it's been some time since I read these, iirc, Gregory L. Doudna has proposed that there is Qumran-text-mentioned realia during...

One book that is relevant to this thread is Prophetic figures in late Second Temple Jewish Palestine: the evidence from Josephus. by Rebecca Gray. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. 257 pages. I do not endorse every single thing she wrote, but, since spin automatically dismisses my view in thi...

As has been explained above, any claim that all Qumran mss are from the first century of the common era is a non-starter, plain and simple.

"....The TF tail does not wag the Antiquities dog."

Well phrased, Peter Kirby.
I agree.

Though Christian baptism initiation differs from usual orthodox (or orthopraxis) Jewish ritual immersion, conversion of a non-Jew into Judaism does include a one-time ritual immersion in a mikvah.

Your favorites, "Fourth Philosophy" Jews, were revolutionaries, Rome haters. Jesus followers were not militant anti-Rome soldiers, not attractive to zealot fighters. Sadducees were unlikely to convert to Christianity, if they kept to their view against resurrection. And their Torah-only ca...

Since your OP, spin, did not offer an analysis of your four proposed criteria, I shan't try to reply to that aspect that you have not even presented. What I have commented on is the similar aspect of these Josephus holy men, including Jesus, that they attracted others (including Luke on Simon--is th...

In Josephus, holy men attracted others.
Jesus, no outlier.
Fishing expedition failed.