Jesus: Messiah or Myth? - Book - Page 13
Joseph Atwill, an author and investigative journalist,
wrote a book in 2006 called “Caesar’s Messiah” in which he
claims that in his works on Christianity, Josephus was using
something called typology (where you use one story to mirror
another) to parallel the story of Titus’ military campaign to
the ministry of Jesus.
To me, Atwill’s findings are the most credible I have
come across regarding Christianity’s origins. He says you
cannot deny the parallels between Titus and Jesus, as their
stories are nearly identical, occurring in the exact same
sequence in both the writings of Josephus, as well as the
gospels.
Here are some of the most striking parallels, according
to Atwill’s research:
Jesus begins his ministry at the Sea of Galilee and tells his
disciples he will make them fishers of men.
Titus begins his military campaign at the sea of Galilee and
his men wind up “catching the Jews with their spears, who
have “fallen into the sea like fish.”
Jesus then declares he is going to go to Jerusalem and sends
his disciples ahead of him. He gets there but stays
outside of the city for a while before making his triumphant
entrance.
Titus decides to go to Jerusalem and sends his troops ahead
of him. He winds up staying outside the city for a while
before making his triumphant entrance.
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