Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus:Flavian Signature Edition (51 page)

While the following passage may seem innocuous, it is in fact Josephus’ “proof” that Daniel’s prophetic continuum was occurring, and that therefore, the first century C.E. would see both a Messiah who would be “cut off” and the destruction of Jerusalem. Notice Josephus’ use of Daniel’s phrase “three years and six months.”

At the same time that Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, had a quarrel with the sixth Ptolemy about his right to the whole country of Syria, a great sedition fell among the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those that were of dignity could not endure to be subject to their equals. However, Onias, one of the high priests, got the better, and cast the sons of Tobias out of the city;

who fled to Antiochus, and besought him to make use of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into Judea. The king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favored Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months.
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By
beginning
his work with this description, Josephus is, in effect, stating that all the events in Daniel’s prophetic continuum will come to pass within the era that his histories cover. This is because once one links an event to a point on Daniel’s continuum there can be no stopping until all the prophecies in his continuum have been fulfilled.

The cutting off of the Messiah that Daniel predicted is one of these events. Therefore, even though Jesus is not mentioned in
Wars of the Jews
, Josephus was aware that if the destruction of Jerusalem that Daniel prophesies comes to pass in 70 C.E., the Messiah that Daniel predicted, would have lived and been “cut off” earlier in the first century. Josephus is, in effect, providing support for the claim that Jesus existed and was the Messiah that Daniel prophesied, with the very first sentence of his work.

After establishing the continuum of Daniel’s prophecies with Antiochus Epiphanes’ assault on Jerusalem, Josephus then records that the 70 C.E. destruction of Jerusalem brings Daniel’s prophecies to a close. He does this by “documenting,” once again, that the time sequences between the related events during the war match the conclusion Daniel envisioned, and by using terms found only in the Book of Daniel.

The reader will notice that in none of the examples I present does Josephus try to portray certain events as occurring at precise dates. There was no system in the first century to precisely determine dates to which Daniel’s prophecies could be aligned. In any case, Daniel’s prophecies are so vague as to defy temporal specificity. The only certainties regarding them is that he uses the word “week” to refer to a seven-year, not a seven-day, period and that his visions encompass a 490-year span.

Josephus guides his readers to reach his intended conclusions by using words and phrases such as “desolation” and “ending of the daily sacrifice,” which he expects the reader to be familiar with from Daniel, and, more concretely, by simply stating that Daniel’s prophecies were coming to pass. Moreover, Josephus also dates events within his history in precise time spans
relative to one another,
creating the impression that they were part of Daniel’s prophecies.

Josephus recorded that the related events were either three and a half years (half a week) or seven years (a week) apart. The length of the war was seven years and the “ending of the daily sacrifice” was three and a half years from its beginning.

Bear in mind that Josephus was not merely inventing a religion; he was also inventing a time sequence within which the religion is contained. None of the first-century chronology, by which we orient ourselves today, existed until the author(s) of the works of Josephus created it. Because he was literally creating both history and time, Josephus was free to place events in relation to one another any way he chose. His recording of the perfect alignment of events in the time sequences Daniel predicted is either his witnessing of supernatural phenomena or a deliberate falsification.

Currently there is contention among scholars regarding virtually all of the chronology Josephus gives in
Wars of the Jews
.
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For example, Josephus gives a later date than Suetonius
¹⁷¹
and Dio for when Vespasian began to prepare for the civil war in Rome that led to his becoming emperor. It is probable that Josephus did this to provide support for the Flavian claim that Vespasian was not anxious to become Emperor. This “shaping” of time by Josephus to create Flavian propaganda is exactly the same technique he used to create the alignment between the Flavian campaign in Judea and the prophecies of Daniel.

While it is not necessary that the reader be completely knowledgeable about Daniel’s arcane prophecies and dating system to understand this analysis, some information is useful.

Daniel envisioned a series of tribulations for the Jews during which various disasters would befall them. Inside this time period, he foresaw that a Messiah, whom he referred to as the son of God, would be “cut off.” The period would last 490 years, the “seven times seventy weeks” foreseen by Daniel. Several half weeks, three-and-a-half-year periods, would occur within specific weeks.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
¹⁷²

When Josephus aligns events of the first century with the prophecies of Daniel, he is creating a historical context that includes the son of God, the Messiah. No other interpretation is possible.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
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And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
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Daniel foresees a war that will last a week (seven years). At the mid-point of this week (three and a half years after its beginning) the “daily sacrifice” will cease and the “abomination of desolation,” also foreseen by Jesus, will occur.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (three and a half years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
¹⁷⁵

Understanding this much, the reader should appreciate that the following passage from
Wars of the Jews
is, without question, meant to be understood as demonstrating the alignment between Daniel’s prophecies and the history Josephus is describing. The “failure of the daily sacrifice,” three and a half years from the beginning of the war, is too unique and precise a concept to permit any other interpretation. Further, this passage must be describing the “abomination  of  desolation”  Jesus  prophesied  in  the  New  Testament,  a  point  I  shall  go into in depth.

The passage is the most important in the works of Josephus for revealing the dating technique he was attempting to create. I have included the entire passage because it contains many points central to my theory. The passage begins with Titus bringing Josephus to the walls of Jerusalem to inform the Jewish rebels in their own language of Titus’ concern over the ending of the “daily sacrifice” to God. The passage makes it completely clear that Josephus understands that Daniel’s prophecies are being fulfilled. Note that Josephus is not reporting second- or third-hand descriptions, which might merely suggest this. Josephus is quoting himself.

AND now Titus gave orders to his soldiers that were with him to dig up the foundations of the tower of Antonia, and make him a ready passage for his army to come up;

while he himself had Josephus brought to him, (for he had been informed that on that very day, which was the seventeenth day of Panemus [Tammuz], the sacrifice called “the Daily Sacrifice” had failed, and had not been offered to God, for want of men to offer it, and that the people were grievously troubled at it)

and commanded him to say the same things to John that he had said before, that if he had any malicious inclination for fighting, he might come out with as many of his men as he pleased, in order to fight, without the danger of destroying either his city or temple; but that he desired he would not defile the temple, nor thereby offend against God. That he might, if he pleased, offer the sacrifices which were now discontinued of the Jews whom he should pitch upon.

Upon this Josephus stood in such a place where he might be heard, not by John only, but by many more, and then declared to them what Caesar had given him in charge, and this in the Hebrew language.

So he earnestly prayed them to spare their own city, and to prevent that fire which was just ready to seize upon the temple, and to offer their usual sacrifices to God therein.

At these words of his  a great sadness and
silence were observed among the people. But the tyrant himself cast many reproaches upon Josephus, with imprecations besides; and at last added this withal, that he did never fear the taking of the city, because it was God’s own city.

In answer to which Josephus said thus with a loud voice: “To be sure thou hast kept this city wonderfully pure for God’s sake; the temple also continues entirely unpolluted! Nor hast thou been guilty of all impiety against him for whose assistance thou hopest! He still receives his accustomed sacrifices!

“Vile wretch that thou art! if any one should deprive thee of thy daily food, thou wouldst esteem him to be an enemy to thee; but thou hopest to have that God for thy supporter in this war whom thou hast deprived of his everlasting worship;

“and thou imputest those sins to the Romans, who to this very time take care to have our laws observed, and almost compel these sacrifices to be still offered to God, which have by thy means been intermitted!

“Who is there that can avoid groans and lamentations at the amazing change that is made in this city? since very foreigners and enemies do now correct that impiety which thou hast occasioned; while thou, who art a Jew, and wast educated in our laws, art become a greater enemy to them than the others.”
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Josephus is attempting at this point in the passage to twist Judaism against itself. He tries to convince “John,” the rebel leader, in a manner reminiscent of Jesus, of the wisdom of “repentance.” To do this he points out that Jechoniah, a former king of the Jews, surrendered to the Babylonians rather than risk having the temple destroyed, an act for which Jews will forever revere him. Notice also that Josephus is speaking directly to John, the rebel leader, who was the basis for the New Testament character, the Apostle John.

Josephus, in effect, is using the Jews’ own religious convictions to bring them to surrender, or, as Jesus would say, “to turn the other cheek.”

“But still, John, it is never dishonorable to repent, and amend what hath been done amiss, even at the last extremity. Thou hast an instance before thee in Jechoniah, the king of the Jews, if thou hast a mind to save the city,

“who, when the king of Babylon made war against him, did of his own accord go out of this city before it was taken, and did undergo a voluntary captivity with his family, that the sanctuary might not be delivered up to the enemy, and that he might not see the house of God set on fire;

“on which account he is celebrated among all the Jews, in their sacred memorials, and his memory is become immortal, and will be conveyed fresh down to our posterity through all ages.

“This, John, is an excellent example in such a time of danger, and I dare venture to promise that the Romans shall still forgive thee.

“And take notice that I, who make this exhortation to thee, am one of thine own nation; I, who am a Jew, do make this promise to thee. And it will become thee to consider who I am that give thee this counsel, and whence I am derived; for while I am alive I shall never be in such slavery, as to forego my own kindred, or forget the laws of our forefathers.

“Thou hast indignation at me again, and makest a clamor at me, and reproachest me; indeed I cannot deny but I am worthy of worse treatment than all this amounts to, because, in opposition to fate, I make this kind invitation to thee, and endeavor to force deliverance upon those whom God hath
condemned.