Study analyzes ancient translations of text to trace accounts of Jesus's resurrection dating back 2,000 years

A Spanish researcher, Jesús Fernández-Pedrera Correa, has studied and analyzed an ancient passage that carries details about the resurrection of Jesus after crucifixion around 2,000 years ago. He argued that the details mentioned in the text likely contain the first-century account of his resurrection.

The passage known as the Testimonium Flavianum is attributed to a Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus. It is pertinent to note that he was not a Christian, according to The Daily Mail. It emerges in Jewish Antiquities, which talks about the history of the Jewish people written around AD 93 to 94. It was translated into multiple languages, including Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac.

Researcher Correa compares multiple language versions

As a part of the reexamination, independent researcher Correa compared Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac versions to analyze and understand which elements may have survived from the original account.

The latest study draws comparisons between four versions of the passage, preserved in Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac through centuries of copying, quotation, and retelling. The Daily Mail reported that the Latin, Arabic, and Syriac versions describe and claim that Jesus appeared alive to his followers after his crucifixion.

There is just a slight difference in what these versions suggest. The Greek version suggests that Jesus appeared alive on the third day. On the other hand, the Arabic account asserts that the appearance is something reported by the disciples.

The Spanish researcher also claimed that there is a possibility that the account in the text could preserve an earlier passage in which Josephus recorded what followers of Jesus claimed they had seen.

According to the news report, the Latin account traces its roots to the late fourth century. Meanwhile, the Arabic and Syriac accounts come from the tenth and twelfth centuries.

In the study, the Spanish researcher thoroughly examined later copies and retellings of Josephus’s work. This does not have a surviving manuscript from his lifetime. The comparison helps researchers in deeply understanding how the passage changed as it was copied and retold.

Jesus was the ‘Messiah’?

The Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions have a mention of the declaration that Jesus 'was the Christ.' The Latin version suggests that Jesus was believed to be the Messiah, according to The Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the Syriac one says that Jesus was thought to be the Messiah, and the Arabic carefully claims that he was ‘perhaps’ the Messiah.

All in all, the Spanish researcher claimed that the clues drawn after the reexamination evidently suggest that the direct declaration was not the passage's original wording.

Besides this, another phase, which was reportedly part of the text questioned whether Jesus should even be called a man. This apparently implied that he was more than human. This claim was in the Latin and Syriac and was not found in the Arabic account.