Thanks for the reply, Greg. In my opinion, the argument you have presented is a poor substitute for an actual reference to a crucified Jesus. I don't see much of a parallel between the story recounted by Josephus and the Gospel account of the crucifixion. In one case someone is trying to save people from crucifixion and in the other someone is trying to ensure that a victim of crucifixion gets a proper burial. I certainly wouldn't be inclined to use the Gospel story to tell us something about Josephus' experience that he doesn't tell us himself. Furthermore, you infer that the person saved from crucifixion would have been Jesus ben Sapphat. So here is the question. Why would someone who has been saved from crucifixion be the inspiration to Paul and others? Why would people regard what happened to him as a "resurrection"? This seems like the swoon theory. But the bottom line is this. We have no statement to the effect that Jesus ben Sapphat was crucified, much less that he was subsequently resurrected.
You say that the Gospels reflect a later time - i.e., AD 70 and later. However, that is no mystery. This is the time to which the writing of the Gospels is usually dated. Regarding Papias, it is plausible that one or two of Jesus' disciples were still alive in the late first century. At the time when Papias is writing this period has passed and he writes about it in the past tense.
Thanks for the reply, Greg. In my opinion, the argument you have presented is a poor substitute for an actual reference to a crucified Jesus. I don't see much of a parallel between the story recounted by Josephus and the Gospel account of the crucifixion. In one case someone is trying to save people from crucifixion and in the other someone is trying to ensure that a victim of crucifixion gets a proper burial. I certainly wouldn't be inclined to use the Gospel story to tell us something about Josephus' experience that he doesn't tell us himself. Furthermore, you infer that the person saved from crucifixion would have been Jesus ben Sapphat. So here is the question. Why would someone who has been saved from crucifixion be the inspiration to Paul and others? Why would people regard what happened to him as a "resurrection"? This seems like the swoon theory. But the bottom line is this. We have no statement to the effect that Jesus ben Sapphat was crucified, much less that he was subsequently resurrected.
You say that the Gospels reflect a later time - i.e., AD 70 and later. However, that is no mystery. This is the time to which the writing of the Gospels is usually dated. Regarding Papias, it is plausible that one or two of Jesus' disciples were still alive in the late first century. At the time when Papias is writing this period has passed and he writes about it in the past tense.