Subject: Re: Albert Sabin
From: lippard@skyblu.ccit.arizona.edu (James J. Lippard)

In article <1r67ruINNmle@ctron-news.ctron.com>, king@ctron.com (John E. King) writes...
> 
>rfox@charlie.usd.edu writes:
> 
>[Discussion on Josephus inserts]
> 
>Thanks.  Am I correct, then, in assuming that that Josephus
>did in fact write about Jesus, but Christian copists embellished it?
> 
>Jack

That is indeed the present consensus.  Contrary to what Dr. Fox has
been saying, however, present consensus is *not* that the longer
passage in Josephus about Jesus was inserted, but only that it was
modified.
   There is no question that it was *at least* modified (based on what
Origen says--that Josephus did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah), but
I don't think the argument that it appears "out of context" is a very
good one.  (I haven't looked at the context for a while; perhaps somebody
could give some of the sentences which precede and follow the Jesus
passage.)

Jim Lippard              Lippard@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU
Dept. of Philosophy      Lippard@ARIZVMS.BITNET
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
