Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus:Flavian Signature Edition

by Atwill, Joseph

  Josephus recorded another clue to assist the reader in understanding that the demonic possession of “Mary of Migdal” was the “fever” of Simon’s mother-in-law, by recording that he also had a “fever” at Migdal that accompanied the “demonic possession” he suffered above. The witty point being that, since Josephus had a “demonic fever” while he was rebelling from Rome, he was – in keeping with the logic of the Gospels’ pun – taken to the place where people had a “demonic fever” – Taricheae/Migdal.

  I continued feverish (‘puretos’) that day; and as the physicians directed, I was that night removed to Taricheae.

  Life of Flavius Josephus, 72, 404

  But why did the authors go to the trouble of creating the complex megale/Migdal pun? Why did they not call Simon’s mother-in-law by her name, “Mary Magdalene”, or simply create a story that had Jesus visiting Taricheae? The point was to create a linkage to the “fever” at Taricheae/Migdal at this precise point in Luke’s story that was difficult to see. The authors of the Josephus/Gospels typology concluded that it would have been too obvious to start the story of Jesus’ ministry with stories about a battle on a hill near Japha/Nazareth, followed by the naming of the Christ by a demoniac from Capernaum, and then follow these parallels with stories about the curing of the “messianic fever” at Taricheae (Migdal) and one describing “fishing for men” on the Sea of Galilee. To make the beginning of the parallel sequence more difficult to see, they used different names for the same locations – Nazareth for Japha, Migdal for Taricheae, and hid the names of the demoniac of Capernaum and Simon’s mother-in-law in puzzles.

  Though these beginning links of the typological sequence are difficult to see, this complexity now ends, and many of the next parallels are easy to spot once the pattern that they are part of is recognized. What is really important about the beginning connections, is that they show a geographical pattern between the Gospels and Josephus. Both stories begin in Nazareth/Japha, go on to Capernaum, then to Taricheae/Migdal, and then the Sea of Galilee.

  4) The city that recognized the savior

  Jesus then healed an entire town of its “fever” and demonic possession. The townspeople thereby learned that Jesus was the Christ.

  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" And He, rebuking [them], did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

  Luke 4:40-41

  Within the typological sequence, Josephus recorded that an entire town was healed of its demonic possession of rebelliousness, and learned the identity of the “Savior” or Christ. In the passage, Vespasian is actually called “Soter,” the Greek word for savior or Jesus. Notice that the “Jesus Christ”, Vespasian restored the city to a “quiet” state – like the townspeople in Luke’s passage above who were “not allowed to speak”.

  Jesus and his party thought it not safe for them to continue at Tiberias, so they ran away to Taricheae.

  The next day Vespasian sent Trajan before, with some horsemen to the citadel (Tiberias, a city linked to the rebellion of Taricheae by Josephus, Jewish Wars 3, 9, 445), to make trial of the multitude, whether they were all disposed for peace;

  and as soon as he knew that the people were of the same mind with the petitioner, he took his army, and went to the city; upon which the citizens opened to him their gates, and met him with acclamations of joy, and called him their savior (‘soter’) and benefactor.

  But as the army was a great while in getting in at the gates, they were so narrow, Vespasian commanded the south wall to be broken down, and so made a broad passage for their entrance.

  However, he charged them to abstain from rapine and injustice, in order to gratify the king; and on his account spared the rest of the wall, while the king undertook for them that they should continue [faithful to the Romans] for the time to come. And thus did he restore this city to a quiet state, after it had been grievously afflicted by the sedition.

  Wars of the Jews, 3, 9, 457-461

  5) The Christ that preached the gospel (euaggelion)

  The next parallel in the sequence is also easy to understand. Titus and Jesus both preached the “good news” – a translation of the Greek word “euaggelion”. “Euaggelion” was a technical term of the Imperial Cult indicating the “good news” of a Caesar, particularly a birth or military victory.

  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;

  but He said to them, "I must preach the good news (“euaggelion”) of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.

  Luke 4:42-43

  Titus also preached the “euaggelion” in Galilee. I am at a loss to explain why the following sentence has not been the subject of any interest by scholars, as the “good news” about which Titus informed Vespasian was the same destruction of Galilee that Jesus “predicted”.

  Hereupon Titus sent one of his horsemen to his father, and let him know the good news (“euaggelion”) of what he had done.

  Wars of the Jews, 3, 10, 503

  Readers need only compare the “good news” Titus brought to Vespasian with Jesus’ prediction below, naming the events that would take place when the “Kingdom of God” would come to pass. Such a comparison makes it obvious that the two “sons of God” described the same events. Notice that the secret identity of the “father” who sent Jesus is also made clear.

  “Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.

  "But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

  “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

  "But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

  ”And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

  "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

  Luke 10:11-16

  6) Power over wind and sea

  Luke then describes a story in which Jesus is shown to have power over the water and the wind.

  But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling [with water], and were in jeopardy.

  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.

  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

  Luke 8:23-26

  Josephus then describes a story in which Titus is shown to have power over the water and the wind. To recognize the typological linkage, a reader must grasp that when Titus returns to his father “in great haste” he does not take the slow and safe route along the coast, but exposed himself to storms by coming across open waters. The point of the story is to show that Titus made the journey safely, showing that he had power over the wind and sea.

  Moreover, when he heard that Galba was made emperor, he attempted nothing till he also should send him some directions about the war: however, he sent his son Titus to him, to salute him, and to receive his commands about the Jews. Upon the very same errand did king Agrippa sail along with Titus to Galba;

  but as they were sailing in their long ships by the coasts of Achaia, for it was winter time, they heard that Galba was slain, before they could get to him, after he had reigned seven months and as many days. After whom Otho took the government, and undertook the mana
gement of public affairs.

  So Agrippa resolved to go on to Rome without any terror; on account of the change in the government;

  but Titus, by a Divine impulse, sailed back from Greece to Syria, and came in great haste to Cesarea, to his father.

  Wars of the Jews, 4, 9, 498-501

  7) Faith of the Centurion means no need to go into the house – God as a Roman commander

  Luke then describes a Centurion whose faith in Jesus is so great that he believes that Jesus can “heal” his slave without going into his house. In the tale, the Centurion likens Jesus to himself, a Roman commander who orders those under him when to go or come.

  When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

  And a centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

  When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

  When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

  “for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue."

  Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;

  “for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

  “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, `Go!' and he goes, and to another, `Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this!' and he does it."

  Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith."

  Luke 7:1-9

  In Josephus’ version of Luke 7:1-9, Vespasian tells his commanders that they do not need to go into a city because god is acting as the Roman commander and causing the Jews to kill themselves. Notice that, as in Luke 7, the Jews are described as being sick. The passage makes the nature of the Jews’ “sicknesses”, so often depicted in Luke, easy to understand. When the Gospels describe an “illness” or “demonic possession” of a Jew, they are referring to the “fever” that caused them to rebel from Rome. “Healing” them of their demonic illness depicts one of two things: either a rebellious Jew recognized that Caesar is the Christ – as in the case of Josephus – or “healing” the “infection” by killing the Jews that do not.

  And now all the rest of the commanders of the Romans deemed this sedition among their enemies to be of great advantage to them, and were very earnest to march to the city, and they urged Vespasian, as their lord and general in all cases, to make haste, and said to him, that "the providence of God is on our side, by setting our enemies at variance against one another;

  “that still the change in such cases may be sudden, and the Jews may quickly be at one again, either because they may be tired out with their civil miseries, or repent them of such doings."

  But Vespasian replied, that they were greatly mistaken in what they thought fit to be done, as those that, upon the theater, love to make a show of their hands, and of their weapons, but do it at their own hazard, without considering, what was for their advantage, and for their security;

  for that if they now go and attack the city immediately, they shall but occasion their enemies to unite together, and shall convert their force, now it is in its height, against themselves. But if they stay a while, they shall have fewer enemies, because they will be consumed in this sedition:

  that God acts as a general of the Romans better than he can do, and is giving the Jews up to them without any pains of their own, and granting their army a victory without any danger;

  that therefore it is their best way, while their enemies are destroying each other with their own hands, and falling into the greatest of misfortunes, which is that of sedition, to sit still as spectators of the dangers they run into, rather than to fight hand to hand with men that love murdering, and are mad one against another…

  “Whether therefore any one hath regard to what is for our safety, he ought to suffer these Jews to destroy one another; or whether he hath regard to the greater glory of the action, we ought by no means to meddle with those men, now they are afflicted with a distemper at home; for

  should we now conquer them, it would be said the conquest was not owing to our bravery, but to their sedition.”

  Wars of the Jews, 4, 6, 366-371, 376

  8) Mercy, the “unburied” that are “happy”, and the prophet

  Luke then describes a story of Jesus showing mercy and restoring to life a man who was being buried. In other words, it was a burial service that led to happiness not sadness. Then he covers the subject of a “prophet” who has visited his people.

  Now it happened, the day after [that] He went into a city called Naim; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.

  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.

  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried [him] stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."

  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."

  Luke 7:11-16

  In Josephus’ version of the story, he first mentions the dead outside the city, then contrasts the mercy of the “Christ” with that of the Jews’ viciousness, the “happy unburied” followed by a “great prophet” who has “risen up”.

  The statement: “A great prophet has risen up among us” in Luke 7:16 above, refers to the concluding line in the Josephus passage below. The Gospels’ character Jesus is the “ancient oracle” who Josephus records as having predicted “that the city should then be taken and the sanctuary burnt, by right of war, when sedition should invade the Jews, and their own hand should pollute the temple of God.” Though the symbolic linkages are somewhat oblique, it is not difficult to see that the concepts occur in the same order in Josephus’ version as Luke 7:11-16 – “mercy”, “those that lay unburied were the happiest”, and the prophet who foresaw the truth of the coming war.

  And now the commanders joined in their approbation of what Vespasian had said, and it was soon discovered how wise an opinion he had given. And indeed many there were of the Jews that deserted every day, and fled away from the zealots,

  although their flight was very difficult, since they had guarded every passage out of the city, and slew every one that was caught at them, as taking it for granted they were going over to the Romans;

  yet did he who gave them money get clear off, while he only that gave them none was voted a traitor. So the upshot was this, that the rich purchased their flight by money, while none but the poor were slain.

  Along all the roads also vast numbers of dead bodies lay in heaps, and even many of those that were so zealous in deserting, at length chose rather to perish within the city; for the hopes of burial made death in their own city appear, of the two, less terrible to them.

  But these zealots came at last to that degree of barbarity, as not to bestow a burial either on those slain in the city, or on those that lay along the roads;

  but as if they had made an agreement to cancel both the laws of their country and the laws of nature, and, at the same time that they defiled men with their wicked actions, they would pollute the Divinity itself also,

  they left the dead bodies to putrefy under the sun; and the same punishment was allotted to such as buried any as to those that deserted, which was no other than death; while he that granted the favor of a grave
to another would presently stand in need of a grave himself.

  To say all in a word, no other gentle passion was so entirely lost among them as mercy; for what were the greatest objects of pity did most of all irritate these wretches, and they transferred their rage from the living to those that had been slain, and from the dead to the living.

  Nay, the terror was so very great, that he who survived called them that were first dead happy, as being at rest already; as did those that were under torture in the prisons, declare, that, upon this comparison, those that lay unburied were the happiest.

  These men, therefore, trampled upon all the laws of men, and laughed at the laws of God; and for the oracles of the prophets, they ridiculed them as the tricks of jugglers;