This is an interesting paper -
Einhorn describes a parallels between the New Testament and the works of Josephus where a number of events described in the works of Josephus in the period 44-60
AD appear in the NT but ~26-36
AD ie. condensed and ~ 20-25 yrs earlier.
Thanks for the paper. One idea I have thrown out there about a hypothetical Historical Jesus (based on a mish-mash of Roberson, Wells, Robin Hood, and John Frum) is that, if he did exist, he may have been preaching outside the 28-36 CE time-frame and was moved into that period for social-political reasons ...
You're welcome.
I think it's likely that the core of the character is based on someone outside that time-frame too.
I'd go so far as to say there could be more than one transposition: one like Einhorn has almost certainly documented, and others; such as 2nd century messianic claims transposed into the early 1st C setting.
I'm attracted to the proposition that the references to Tiberius and Pontius Pilate in the extant
Annals 15.44 are interpolations for Nero and Poricus Festus, respectively (mooted by Jay Raskins).
Tacitus
Histories 5:9
"Under Tiberius all was quiet."
(immediately prior to that, in
Hist 5:9, there was reference to an uppity Simon -
"After Herod's death, a certain Simon32 - a freed slave assumed the name of king without waiting for Caesar's decision. He, however, was put to death by Quintilius Varus, governor of Syria ..."
Some have proposed a Simon-Peter messiah-claimant was a fore-runner to the development of the Jesus narrative)
and
Tertullian
Ad Nationes, Chap VII
"Our Christian name first emerged when Augustus was emperor. During the reign of Tiberius, our beliefs shed their light abroad. Under Nero condemnation flourished. You might give some thought to the actual character of our first persecutor. If he was just and chaste, then the Christians are immoral and wanton. If he was not an enemy of the people, then we are the enemy of the people. Our persecutor demonstrated our true character by punishing those who were at odds with him.
"Of the movements from the time of Nero, only ours endures to this day – righteous in respect to our character and at variance with our persecutor ...
Translated by Q. Howe. © Q. Howe, 2007
This translation was created in conjunction with the Patristics Project at Faulkner University.
http://www.tertullian.org/articles/howe_adnationes1.htm
"This name of ours took its rise in the reign of Augustus; under Tiberius it was taught with all clearness and publicity; under Nero it was ruthlessly condemned, and you may weigh its worth and character even from the person of its persecutor."
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian06.html
.
There was also a procurator by the name of Tiberius Julius Alexander, dated 46–48
AD, which fits with the time-frames outlined by Einhorn.
From Josephus
Antiquites of the Jews 20.5.3
2. Then came Tiberius Alexander as successor to Fadus; he was the son of Alexander the alabarch of Alexandria, which Alexander was a principal person among all his contemporaries, both for his family and wealth: he was also more eminent for his piety than this his son Alexander, for he did not continue in the religion of his country. Under these procurators that great famine happened in Judea, in which queen Helena bought corn in Egypt at a great expense, and distributed it to those that were in want, as I have related already. And besides this, the sons of Judas of Galilee were now slain; I mean of that Judas who caused the people to revolt, when Cyrenius came to take an account of the estates of the Jews, as we have showed in a foregoing book. The names of those sons were James and Simon, whom Alexander commanded to be crucified.
