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[[Josephus|Flavius Josephus]] (c. A.D. 37 – 100) was a Jewish general of Galilee, the region where Jesus had his ministry, in the 60s AD and worked directly under Anannus II who had James, the brother of Jesus executed.<ref name="schm" /> The father of Annaus II, namely Annanus I, was at the trial of Jesus, giving a strong set of sources for Josephus’ information on Jesus, his brother James, and other events in Galilee.<ref name="schm" /> Furthermore, Josephus even lived near Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, for a time and trained tens of thousands of soldiers in Galilee during the Jewish revolt against the Romans.<ref name="schm" />  

[[Josephus|Flavius Josephus]] (c. A.D. 37 – 100) was a Jewish general of Galilee, the region where Jesus had his ministry, in the 60s AD and worked directly under Anannus II who had James, the brother of Jesus executed.<ref name="schm" /> The father of Annaus II, namely Annanus I, was at the trial of Jesus, giving a strong set of sources for Josephus’ information on Jesus, his brother James, and other events in Galilee.<ref name="schm" /> Furthermore, Josephus even lived near Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, for a time and trained tens of thousands of soldiers in Galilee during the Jewish revolt against the Romans.<ref name="schm" />  

Josephus was historian and eventually became a Roman citizen who worked under the patronage of the Flavian dynasty after losing to Rome on the Jewish revolt. Josephus is unusual in that, while he was Jewish, he was loyal to the Roman political powers later in life. In A. D. 93 he wrote his ''Antiquities of the Jews'', a work recording the history of the Jews.  In it, Jesus is mentioned twice.  The second mentioning is the shorter, and will be discussed first.  It is a completely disinterested comment made in passing, where, when talking about James, Josephus specifies which James he means by identifying his subject as James "the brother [or kinsman] of Jesus, who was called Christ".<ref>Josephus ''[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/works/files/ant-20.htm Antiquities 20:9.1]''</ref> Scholars have found little or no reason to doubt the authenticity of this passage and have, by and large, accepted it as genuine.<ref>Louis H. Feldman, "Josephus" Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, pp. 990–91</ref> His social networks on people who knew Jesus and other notable people in the New Testament were notably extensive.<ref name="schm">Thomas Schmidt. 2025. [https://watermark02.silverchair.com/isbn-9780192866783.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAzMwggMvBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggMgMIIDHAIBADCCAxUGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMcFXNpp1zqB2-ZEExAgEQgIIC5iDxCDkedhmvrWMa9PKdwrZKXpB6prskV-GQkhjFFKpszJJ-hBmFvf1GlfWeGF__iCT25QK8PArBGeGJqthxVGT1VGQPA544dZOPD_4UP7I9-tkRBfXTYAV64-na0r8kQfODp-Y7LZYIpfmlP6bjyfLWQvT0InkswDAu_er8eT4fDIjr_frqAmHieGIJ1K49kPbHGNDitQRSNGZyScAzaA8B8cNZUDVzFlCpEM9OekUHY2mHbiRFWcTJySxCtjfE96jiGikzaULs-vxVHCZY3e15ocOftVXyQnNdfa-6JKR3NOxQCLc1Q3CLKmkHCdQrnI03xGmItBXBOQ9FhBr7hjyeqYsSSIGdaTywqh3f9TGjQe4n3OTvTScw2CWHE35lsWFdNPO8SCsX7cDO_9-glr9zYGKt-5pPN4JbVzxxBnBheANG_Mwo0Sf78jqYf-3l8pZ5ITIHrcxSlFKxZli4zePv107365IXnEWKyjVSSNL88c_3hRAnc_F--VGIMZ8eHa5lvB4gHKj5at1W-JBaVOljDoamX9Rze-600I-q1q00tBIEsWVl1wcjQGvQSBWmw7KLymrzdKCFRqurTmpGH_n0RItvpKUS5HdiKL9DqDzlxpzJtKxqDj9ldSbN9lmH1v6CWMfMRdPaUPH4Uywdq05i-c_b_qnHy_o1XKJk0lgaIiFy_CBsiDDGqu4VTkohceusjRQLHAwTPfVzM5L_cG963qKpDLdHyij2YdcMTWUidIyt2EOntnffn6uQwgWvtS2MlRCbhc4CfIW8W_xa_xLOGdZEXn1n7HS5tvdH0dohSLbFlyTeuTHIXtCdQ4UDoHW4ia7n1Ih9-bNtD3bBAF-6C8JVChiZJkBOTxHbcyiPJHWgqCkFVUgjlH81bb6PamgDqHpztJfYGWcpRIFFu6ZsqL1DFMMnOCxpgzdkjOQNIFNrL7hs3WCK47rtwmJOFx6OsLSlEeo_jZ_v3ID53V-i6ffQvCQ Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ] (free ebook). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191957697. page 7. "All this occasions some further, significant discoveries. After analyzing Josephus’ social network, it becomes possible to actually identify the names of certain of Josephus’ acquaintances who were likely partisans in the trial of Jesus. The most probable candidate is the High Priest Ananus II. He was the brother-in-law of the High Priest Caiaphas and the son of the High Priest Ananus I (Annas in the Gospels), both of whom put Jesus to death. As the reader will see, Ananus II had good reason to be in attendance at Jesus’ trial and Josephus did know Ananus II directly. And there are several other candidates too, whom Josephus also knew and who were in all probability also at the trial of Jesus. And not only this, but it is evident that Josephus knew still others within his large social network who had facilitated judicial proceedings against Jesus’ apostles. The most prominent of these are undoubtedly King Herod Agrippa II, who attended the trial of the apostle Paul, and once again the High Priest Ananus II, who executed James, the brother of Jesus. Taken as a whole then, the evidence indicates that the Testimonium Flavianum was indeed composed by Josephus, a man who actually knew those who put Jesus and the apostles on trial. It hence offers remarkable insight into both the Jesus of history and the early Christian movement. We would do well to consider carefully what it says."</ref>  

Josephus was historian and eventually became a Roman citizen who worked under the patronage of the Flavian dynasty after losing to Rome on the Jewish revolt. Josephus is unusual in that, while he was Jewish, he was loyal to the Roman political powers later in life. In A. D. 93 he wrote his ''Antiquities of the Jews'', a work recording the history of the Jews.  In it, Jesus is mentioned twice.  The second mentioning is the shorter, and will be discussed first.  It is a completely disinterested comment made in passing, where, when talking about James, Josephus specifies which James he means by identifying his subject as James "the brother [or kinsman] of Jesus, who was called Christ".<ref>Josephus ''[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/works/files/ant-20.htm Antiquities 20:9.1]''</ref> Scholars have found little or no reason to doubt the authenticity of this passage and have, by and large, accepted it as genuine.<ref>Louis H. Feldman, "Josephus" Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, pp. 990–91</ref> His social networks on people who knew Jesus and other notable people in the New Testament were notably extensive.<ref name="schm1">Thomas Schmidt. 2025. [https://watermark02.silverchair.com/isbn-9780192866783.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAzMwggMvBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggMgMIIDHAIBADCCAxUGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMcFXNpp1zqB2-ZEExAgEQgIIC5iDxCDkedhmvrWMa9PKdwrZKXpB6prskV-GQkhjFFKpszJJ-hBmFvf1GlfWeGF__iCT25QK8PArBGeGJqthxVGT1VGQPA544dZOPD_4UP7I9-tkRBfXTYAV64-na0r8kQfODp-Y7LZYIpfmlP6bjyfLWQvT0InkswDAu_er8eT4fDIjr_frqAmHieGIJ1K49kPbHGNDitQRSNGZyScAzaA8B8cNZUDVzFlCpEM9OekUHY2mHbiRFWcTJySxCtjfE96jiGikzaULs-vxVHCZY3e15ocOftVXyQnNdfa-6JKR3NOxQCLc1Q3CLKmkHCdQrnI03xGmItBXBOQ9FhBr7hjyeqYsSSIGdaTywqh3f9TGjQe4n3OTvTScw2CWHE35lsWFdNPO8SCsX7cDO_9-glr9zYGKt-5pPN4JbVzxxBnBheANG_Mwo0Sf78jqYf-3l8pZ5ITIHrcxSlFKxZli4zePv107365IXnEWKyjVSSNL88c_3hRAnc_F--VGIMZ8eHa5lvB4gHKj5at1W-JBaVOljDoamX9Rze-600I-q1q00tBIEsWVl1wcjQGvQSBWmw7KLymrzdKCFRqurTmpGH_n0RItvpKUS5HdiKL9DqDzlxpzJtKxqDj9ldSbN9lmH1v6CWMfMRdPaUPH4Uywdq05i-c_b_qnHy_o1XKJk0lgaIiFy_CBsiDDGqu4VTkohceusjRQLHAwTPfVzM5L_cG963qKpDLdHyij2YdcMTWUidIyt2EOntnffn6uQwgWvtS2MlRCbhc4CfIW8W_xa_xLOGdZEXn1n7HS5tvdH0dohSLbFlyTeuTHIXtCdQ4UDoHW4ia7n1Ih9-bNtD3bBAF-6C8JVChiZJkBOTxHbcyiPJHWgqCkFVUgjlH81bb6PamgDqHpztJfYGWcpRIFFu6ZsqL1DFMMnOCxpgzdkjOQNIFNrL7hs3WCK47rtwmJOFx6OsLSlEeo_jZ_v3ID53V-i6ffQvCQ Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ] (free ebook). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191957697. page 7. "All this occasions some further, significant discoveries. After analyzing Josephus’ social network, it becomes possible to actually identify the names of certain of Josephus’ acquaintances who were likely partisans in the trial of Jesus. The most probable candidate is the High Priest Ananus II. He was the brother-in-law of the High Priest Caiaphas and the son of the High Priest Ananus I (Annas in the Gospels), both of whom put Jesus to death. As the reader will see, Ananus II had good reason to be in attendance at Jesus’ trial and Josephus did know Ananus II directly. And there are several other candidates too, whom Josephus also knew and who were in all probability also at the trial of Jesus. And not only this, but it is evident that Josephus knew still others within his large social network who had facilitated judicial proceedings against Jesus’ apostles. The most prominent of these are undoubtedly King Herod Agrippa II, who attended the trial of the apostle Paul, and once again the High Priest Ananus II, who executed James, the brother of Jesus. Taken as a whole then, the evidence indicates that the Testimonium Flavianum was indeed composed by Josephus, a man who actually knew those who put Jesus and the apostles on trial. It hence offers remarkable insight into both the Jesus of history and the early Christian movement. We would do well to consider carefully what it says."</ref>  

More notably, an earlier mention of Jesus is made in a passage that has come to be called the ''Testimonium Flavianum'':

More notably, an earlier mention of Jesus is made in a passage that has come to be called the ''Testimonium Flavianum'':