Lay it to Heart

Josephus is Wrong About Facts and Events in the Bible

1. Concerning the Garden of Eden, Antiquities 1.1.3 says, "Now the garden was watered by one river,(3) which ran round about the whole earth, and was parted into four parts." Genesis 2:10 says, "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." It does not say it watered the whole earth.
   
   
2. Antiquities 1.2.2 says, "And when Cain had traveled over many countries, he, with his wife, built a city, named Nod,…" The Bible does not say Cain traveled over many countries. There were not countries at that time. The Bible says Nod was on the east of Eden and not separated from it. Cain built a city named Enoch in the land of Nod, not a city called Nod. (Genesis 4:16-17)
   
   
3. Antiquities 1.6.1 starts off, "Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the river Tansis, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on the lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they called the nations by their own names." In 1.6.1 Josephus also says Tharsus was called Cilicia. In Antiquities Book 11 Chapter 8 Section 3 Josephus refers to Taurus as a Cilician mountain. Josephus has these nations starting off in Turkey. The ark may have rested on the mountains of Ararat but the people headed down to settle Babylon first. Genesis 11:1-9 tells us that the nations were divided after the Babylon was founded, not before.
   
   
4. Antiquities 1.6.3 says, "And when Noah was made sensible of what had been done, he prayed for prosperity to his other sons; but for Ham, he did not curse him, by reason of his nearness in blood, but cursed his prosperity:" Genesis 9:25 says, "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." Noah cursed Ham's son and not Ham's prosperity.
   
   
5. Antiquities 1.11.4 says concerning the destruction of Sodom, "God then cast a thunderbolt upon the city, and set it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid waste the country with the like burning…". Genesis 19:24 says, " Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;". Lighting did not come from the sky and start a fire. Fire and brimstone came from the sky.
   
   
6. Antiquities 1.11.4 says, "But Lot's wife continually turning back to view the city as she went from it, and being too nicely inquisitive what would become of it, although God had forbidden her so to do, was changed into a pillar of salt." The Bible only talks about her turning once. Genesis 19:17 says, "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." Lot's wife did not get multiple chances as Josephus indicates. Josephus typically adds to, and twists God's word.
   
   
7. Antiquities 1.13.2 tells us the mountain where Abraham was to sacrifice his son "was that mountain upon which king David afterwards built the temple." Solomon built the temple, not David.
   
   
8. Antiquities 2.11.1 says that Egyptians plotted to kill Moses as result of their envy and fear. When Moses learned about plots to kill him, he fled Egypt. Instead, Exodus 2:11-15 tells us that Moses fled when it was found out that he killed an Egyptian.
   
   
9. Antiquities 4.8.48 says, "Now as he went thence to the place where he was to vanish out of their sight, they all followed after him weeping; but Moses beckoned with his hand to those that were remote from him, and bade them stay behind in quiet, while he exhorted those that were near to him that they would not render his departure so lamentable. Whereupon they thought they ought to grant him that favor, to let him depart according as he himself desired; so they restrained themselves, though weeping still towards one another. All those who accompanied him were the senate, and Eleazar the high priest, and Joshua their commander. Now as soon as they were come to the mountain called Abarim, (which is a very high mountain, situate over against Jericho, and one that affords, to such as are upon it, a prospect of the greatest part of the excellent land of Canaan,) he dismissed the senate; and as he was going to embrace Eleazar and Joshua, and was still discoursing with them, a cloud stood over him on the sudden, and he disappeared in a certain valley, although he wrote in the holy books that he died, which was done out of fear, lest they should venture to say that, because of his extraordinary virtue, he went to God." Moses was not accompanied by anyone to the place where he died. Deuteronomy 34:5-6 says, "So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." If any one had accompanied Moses, they would have known where he was buried. The Bible does not say that anyone accompanied Moses.
   
   
10. Antiquities 4.8.48 talks about Moses' death. Josephus writes that Moses did not die but vanished. Deuteronomy 34:5 says Moses died. Deuteronomy 34:6 says God buried Moses.
    
    
11. Antiquities 7.14.2 has David telling Solomon that he has saved 10,000 talents of gold for the temple. 1 Chronicles 22:14 tells us the amount was 100,000 talents of gold.
    
    
12. Antiquities 7.14.2 has David telling Solomon that he has saved 100,000 talents of silver for the temple. 1 Chronicles 22:14 tells us the amount was 1,000,000 talents of silver.
    
    
13. Antiquities 8.12.1 says Asa the king of Jerusalem had three hundred thousand troops from the tribe of Judah and two hundred and fifty thousand out of the tribe of Benjamin when Zerah the Ethiopian came to fight him. 2 Chronicles 14:8 says Asa had "two hundred and fourscore thousand" or 280,000. Josephus is short 30,000 men.
    
    
14. Antiquities 10.8.4 says, "And after this manner have the kings of David's race ended their lives, being in number twenty-one, until the last king, who all together reigned five hundred and fourteen years, and six months, and ten days; of whom Saul, who was their first king, retained the government twenty years, though he was not of the same tribe with the rest." Athaliah reigned as a queen but not as a king so she is not counted. The Bible tells us there were twenty two kings:
    

    1.		Saul
    2.		David
    3.		Solomon
    4.		Rehoboam
    5.		Abijam
    6.		Asa
    7.		Jehoshaphat
    8.		Jehoram
    9.		Ahaziah
    10.		Jehoash
    11.		Amaziah
    12.		Azariah
    13.		Jotham
    14.		Ahaz
    15.		Hezekiah
    16.		Manasseh
    17.		Amon
    18.		Josiah
    19.		Jehoahaz
    20.		Jehoiakim
    21.		Jehoiachin
    22.		Zedekiah

    
    
15. In Antiquities 18.3.3 Josephus writes, "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." Josephus erred in this account. He says "those that loved him at the first did not forsake him". This is not true. Where were his disciples? They fled. Matthew 26:31 says, "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.;" Josephus goes on, "...; for he appeared to them alive again the third day;" This is inaccurate. Jesus only appeared to some of those who loved him, not all. Josephus also says, "... as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him." There are not ten thousand prophecies concerning Jesus. He also says, "And the tribe of Christians,..." Christians are not a tribe. Tribes are genetically linked together. The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) Salvation is not limited to a certain race. In one paragraph there are at least four errors from Josephus.
    
    
16. War of the Jews 1.2.5 says that King David was the richest of all kings. In 2 Chronicles 1:12 God told Solomon, "Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like." In Ecclesiastes 2:9 Solomon said, "So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me." David was not the richest King.
    
    
17. Against Apion 1.1.1 says, "Those Antiquities … are taken out of our sacred books, but are translated by me into the Greek tongue". Since Josephus' chronology directly contradicts the Bible, it is incorrect to claim that his history was taken out of the sacred books or that he translated them.
    
    
18. Against Apion 1.1.8 reads, "For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another, [as the Greeks have,] but only twenty-two books, (8) which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life." Against Apion 1.8 claims there are only 22 sacred books. There were 39, not 22.
    
    
19. Against Apion 1.1.8 claims there are only 13 books of the prophets in the sacred writings. At that time there were seventeen; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hoshea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. If it is thought that the history books were written by the prophets and that is what Josephus is talking about, then the number of historical books would have to be greater because some of the prophetical books include history such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. The thirteen books of history in the Bible which include Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Job.
    
    
20. Against Apion 1.1.8 claims the sacred books contain "the traditions of the origin of mankind". This is not correct. A tradition is established by man and is not necessarily true. God established the Bible. A tradition that relates to history is something that is thought to be true but cannot be proven. God's word is true, and for those who believe the Bible, does not need to be established.
    
    
21. Against Apion 1.1.10 says, "…, I have translated the Antiquities out of our sacred books;" Since Josephus did not recognize the full cannon of the Old Testament, because he has many errors and because Antiquities carries much extra-Biblical information, to say that he translated the works of the sacred books is incorrect.
    
    
22. Against Apion 1.1.20 lists the last king of Babylon as Nabonnedus. Giving the works of Josephus the benefit of the doubt this would be another name for Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar. Regardless of the possibility of a different name, the account of Josephus has the last king of Babylon losing his battle to Cyrus and being given Carmania to live in where he spent the rest of his life. The Bible says that Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was slain that night. "That night" was when the Medes and Persians took over Babylon (Daniel 5:30). Belshazzar did not die of old age.
    
    
23. Against Apion 1.1.31 says, "It now remains that I debate with Manetho about Moses. Now the Egyptians acknowledge him to have been a wonderful and a divine person;…" The word "acknowledge" would suggest that Moses was divine and the Egyptians agreed. Moses was not divine.
    
    

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