Paul L. Maier
Website
Select publications (Academic)
Select publications (Historical Novel)
Items mentioned in (or otherwise relevant to) the interview
"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 drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. 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." (18.3.3) Agapius of Hieropolis, Universal History, Part 2; containing the Arabic version of Josephus's "Testimonium Flavianum", which Dr. Maier argues indicates what the original version may well have looked like: "At that time there was a wise man named Jesus, whose life was perfect, his virtues were recognized, and many Jews and Gentiles became his disciples. And Pilate condemned him to death on a cross, and those who had become his disciples, preached his doctrine. They claimed that he appeared to them alive three days after his passion. Maybe he was the Messiah, about whom the prophets had spoken of miracles."
[Compared to the ornateness of the ossuary's decoration, the inscription seems too crude to be convincing, but according to Helen Katharine Bond this is not unusual; see Caiaphas : Friend of Rome and Judge of Jesus?, WJK Press (2004) (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TRGpNmDmfxAC&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false)]
Acknowledgements
|