Preprint argues Josephus passage about Jesus may have changed

A preprint by independent researcher Jesús Fernández-Pedrera Correa argues that differences among versions of an ancient passage about Jesus may preserve evidence of changes made as the text was transmitted. The study examines the Testimonium Flavianum, attributed to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, and proposes that an earlier form may have described what Jesus’s followers said they witnessed rather than having Josephus affirm the resurrection himself. Published on August 15, 2026, the analysis compares Greek, Latin, Arabic and Syriac versions of the passage, which appears in Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities, written around AD 93 or 94. The surviving versions were transmitted centuries later. No manuscript from Josephus’s lifetime survives, and the researcher says his reconstruction remains unproven. The versions differ in how they describe Jesus’s identity and reported appearance after his crucifixion. The Greek text says Jesus was the Christ and describes him appearing alive on the third day, connecting the event with prophecies. The Latin, Arabic and Syriac versions qualify the identification as Messiah rather than stating it unequivocally. The Arabic version also...