‘If indeed one ought to call him a man’: New study shows ‘historical’ Jesus had bigger impact than we thought

For more than a century, mainstream historians — Christian and non-Christian alike — have largely agreed on one point: Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure.

The enduring debates concern something else entirely. Who did Jesus claim to be? What can history tell us about His life? And how should historians interpret the handful of ancient, non-Christian sources that mention Him?

That small change significantly alters the tone of the passage, allowing Josephus to report what Jesus’ followers believed without personally endorsing their claims.

One of those sources has long stood at the center of scholarly debate.

“And in this time there was a certain Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man …”

Those famous words come from the first-century Jewish historian Flavius