There are several key differences between the Bible's accounts of Jesus and Josephus' record:
1. Scope and detail:
The Bible provides extensive narratives about Jesus' life, teachings, and ministry, while Josephus offers only brief mentions[1].
2. Perspective:
The Bible presents Jesus as the divine Son of God and Messiah, whereas Josephus, as a non-Christian Jewish historian, takes a more detached view[1].
3. Miraculous elements:
While the Bible describes Jesus' miracles in detail, Josephus refers to them more neutrally as "surprising deeds"[3].
4. Messianic claims:
The Bible clearly presents Jesus as the Messiah, but Josephus' original text likely did not make this claim. The phrase "He was the Christ" is widely considered a later Christian interpolation[1][3].
5. Resurrection:
The Bible emphasizes Jesus' resurrection as a central event, but Josephus does not mention it explicitly[1].
6. Followers:
Josephus refers to Jesus' followers as a "tribe," which is not typical in early Christian literature[3].
7. Crucifixion account:
Josephus places more blame on Pontius Pilate for Jesus' crucifixion than the Gospel accounts do[3].
These differences reflect the distinct purposes and perspectives of the biblical authors and Josephus as a historian.
Sources
[1] Josephus on Jesus - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus
[2] The Bible in Jesus' Day: How Different Was It? - Catholic Answers https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp/the-bible-in-jesus-day-how-different-was-it
[3] Josephus is not a source for the historical Jesus. : r/DebateReligion https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateReligion/comments/tgsel8/josephus_is_not_a_source_for_the_historical_jesus/
[4] Josephus' Account of Jesus: The Testimonium Flavianum https://www.josephus.org/testimonium.htm
[5] Josephus and the Bible - STEM Publishing https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/pollock/Josephus_and_the_Bible.html