Posted: Feb 13, 2012 5:05 am
Evan Allen wrote:Just to be clear, if Damneus was named high priest, he was then anointed, which is the literal meaning of Christ. So there is really much less there than meets the eye, even if no hanky-panky took place with the text.
You mean "the son of Damneus was named high priest"???
In any event, you have put forward a most interesting point. The passage most likely should read "and brought before them the brother of Jesus who was ANOINTED, called James.....
Once the TF is a forgery then Jesus the brother of James in Antiquities 20.9.1 must be Jesus the Son of Damneus since there would be NO other passage in in ALL of Antiquities that would have mentioned Jesus the brother of James [ the Son of Damneus] who was ANOINTED High Priest.
And further, Once there was no TF, then the story in AJ 20.9.1 makes COMPLETE sense.
1. Ananus assembled the Sanehedrin without authority of Albinus
2. Ananus the High Priest caused James the Brother of Jesus to be stoned to death.
3. The Jews reported the matter to Albinus, the Governor and King Agrippa.
4. King Agrippa REMOVED Ananus as High Priest and Jesus was ANOINTED as High Priest, the very brother of James who was stoned to death under Ananus.
Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1
Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without his consent.
(24) Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.
Without the TF, Jesus the brother of James is Jesus the Son of Damneus.