Historian Josephus Mentions Jesus: How This Is A Genuine Source
By J. P. Holding - April 2, 2017

By J.P. Holding| The works of the first-century historian Josephus have been held in high regard by Christians throughout history. The early church, Schreckenberg writes, saw Josephus as "a kind of fifth gospel" and a "little Bible" [Feld.JosJes, 317], because his works "appeared to Christian theologians to be a commentary or a historic appendix to the New Testament." (ibid., 319) The church’s love for Josephus "assured him an ongoing role in Western tradition." [Maso.JosNT, 8]

Closer to modern times, households in France, Holland and England were known to present newborns with inscribed copies of Josephus, right along with the Bible. [Hada.FJos, 2] Thus it is that the particular references to Jesus have been held historically in the highest esteem – and perhaps, also why they have resulted in the most spilled ink.

This article will examine objections to the testimony of Josephus. The objections will be put in bold and answered thereafter.

We will not investigate the question of Josephus' reliability closely here, for there is little question that Josephus is a generally reliable historian. He had his biases, of course, and he was, unfortunately, something of a traitor to his people. However, questions as to his accuracy as a historian are not what turn up regarding his references to Jesus. Rather, they focus on this question.

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http://reasonsforjesus.com/historian-josephus-mentions-jesus-how-this-is-a-genuine-source/