{"id":1125,"date":"2026-10-30T10:26:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/?p=1125"},"modified":"2026-10-30T10:26:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:26:32","slug":"jesus-resurrection-account-may-have-gotten-a-biblical-makeover-researcher-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/?p=1125","title":{"rendered":"Jesus\u2019 resurrection account may have gotten a biblical makeover, researcher claims"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Talk about a holy mystery.<\/p>\n

An ancient passage about Jesus\u2019 reported resurrection<\/a> may have gotten a theological makeover, according to a new analysis of a Roman-era historian\u2019s writings.<\/p>\n

Jes\u00fas Fern\u00e1ndez-Pedrera Correa, an independent researcher from Spain, has reexamined a controversial passage in \u201cJewish Antiquities,\u201d a history written around AD 93 to 94 by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian who was not Christian, originally reported on by the Daily Mail<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Known as the \u201cTestimonium Flavianum,\u201d the passage recounts Jesus\u2019 life, crucifixion<\/a> and reported resurrection \u2014 but scholars have long debated how much of it Josephus actually wrote.<\/p>\n

In a preprint<\/a> published Aug. 15, Fern\u00e1ndez-Pedrera Correa compared Greek, Latin, Arabic and Syriac versions of the passage, looking for clues to what Josephus may have written before later Christian writers altered the text.<\/p>\n

The Greek version makes a miraculous claim: Jesus appeared alive on the third day after his crucifixion, as divine prophets supposedly foretold.<\/p>\n

But Fern\u00e1ndez-Pedrera Correa suspects this wording may reflect later Christian influence rather than Josephus\u2019 original account.<\/p>\n

The other language traditions offer clues. The Latin version dates to around AD 392, while the Arabic and Syriac versions survive in works from the 10th and 12th centuries, respectively.<\/p>\n

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An ancient text may hold clues to how the story of Jesus rising from the dead was first recorded \u2014 but scholars are still debating what the original author actually wrote. Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Arabic version, Jesus\u2019 reported return from the dead is framed as something his disciples said they witnessed, rather than a fact.<\/p>\n

The researcher describes the disciples as having \u201creported that he appeared to them\u201d alive three days after the crucifixion.<\/p>\n

That distinction is central to his argument: Josephus may have been reporting what Jesus\u2019 followers claimed, rather than affirming the Resurrection himself.<\/p>\n

Another clue lies in three deceptively small words: \u201cwas the Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Greek version states it outright. The Latin, Arabic and Syriac traditions are more cautious, describing Jesus as someone who was believed<\/em> or thought<\/em> to be the Messiah. <\/p>\n

The Arabic version hedges even further, suggesting that perhaps<\/em> he was the Messiah.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a world of difference between reporting a belief and preaching it.<\/p>\n

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The belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is Christianity\u2019s defining tenet, rooted in ancient accounts and shaped by centuries of historical scrutiny and theological debate. Godong\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fern\u00e1ndez-Pedrera Correa argues that these variations suggest the passage was modified over time, particularly its declaration of Jesus\u2019 messianic status.<\/p>\n

Although the surviving Greek manuscripts are remarkably consistent, that doesn\u2019t mean every word is original. <\/p>\n

The researcher also points to Origen, an early Christian writer who said in the third century that Josephus did not accept Jesus as the Christ. <\/p>\n

That statement lends support to the argument that the Greek passage\u2019s emphatic declaration may not be Josephus\u2019 original wording.<\/p>\n

Another passage in Jewish Antiquities<\/em> refers to James as the brother of Jesus \u201cwho was called Christ.\u201d <\/p>\n

That reference is generally considered authentic and identifies Jesus without endorsing Christian beliefs \u2014 supporting the possibility that Josephus wrote about him in similarly neutral terms elsewhere.<\/p>\n

What can the ancient text actually tell us? The researcher considers the declaration that Jesus \u201cwas the Christ\u201d the clearest example of a likely alteration.<\/p>\n

The resurrection wording is less certain. The Arabic version supports the possibility that Josephus originally described what Jesus\u2019 followers reported, rather than stating that the Resurrection happened as fact. <\/p>\n

But the surviving texts cannot establish exactly how much of the account came from the first-century historian.<\/p>\n

Nor can the researcher reconstruct the precise original wording or conclusively identify who made the changes.<\/p>\n

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Did a 2,000-year-old manuscript record Jesus rising from the dead? Historians are actively weighing in. Rawpixel.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For now, the analysis offers a glimpse of how one of history\u2019s most consequential stories may have been transmitted and reshaped over generations \u2014 without settling whether Josephus himself wrote about Jesus rising from the dead.<\/p>\n

That mystery, it seems, is still very much alive.<\/p>\n

In other Bible-related news, the hunt for Noah\u2019s Ark may have hit another intriguing \u2014 if unconfirmed \u2014 milestone.<\/p>\n

As previously reported<\/a> by The Post, researchers say they\u2019ve recovered pieces of charred and uncharred wood nearly 30 feet beneath Turkey\u2019s Durup\u0131nar Formation<\/a>, a roughly 538-foot-long, boat-shaped geological structure near Mount Ararat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The material is now undergoing testing, but researchers have yet to establish its age or whether it has any connection to the biblical vessel.<\/a><\/p>\n

First identified in 1959, it has captivated Ark hunters for years thanks to its ship-like shape and proximity to Mount Ararat, where the Bible says Noah\u2019s legendary vessel came to rest after a catastrophic flood some 4,300 years ago.<\/p>\n

The team believes its latest findings could bolster the case that the formation is more than a geological oddity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But until the lab results are in, the search for the Ark \u2014 much like the mystery surrounding Josephus\u2019 account of Jesus \u2014 remains a work in progress.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

See more of our coverage in your search results. Talk about a holy mystery. An ancient passage about Jesus\u2019 reported resurrection may have gotten a theological makeover, according to a new analysis of a Roman-era historian\u2019s writings. Jes\u00fas Fern\u00e1ndez-Pedrera Correa, an independent researcher from Spain, has reexamined a controversial passage in \u201cJewish Antiquities,\u201d a history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}