Was Mark's Gospel copied from Josephus 'War of the Jews' after 75 AD? - Fishers Evidence

Overview & Key Concepts

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Who are Fishers Evidence?

Fishers Evidence present a series of videos on the Jesus myth versus historicity debate.

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Who was Josephus?

Titus Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD), known as 'Josephus' was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar. He was a historian and hagiographer, who was born ... more

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What is Gospel?

Gospel is the Old English translation of Greek evangelion, meaning "good news". It originally meant the Christian message itself, but in the 2nd ... more

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What is Jews?

Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people ... more

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Frequently Asked Questions

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1.What do Synoptic Gospels say about Jesus?

The Synoptic Gospels strictly portray Jesus through a human lens as an honorable prophet, a moral hero, and a devoted martyr. They do not present him as a literal God who assumed human flesh, nor do they frame his life as a cosmic sacrifice intended to die and rise again for the spiritual salvation of mankind.

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2.What did Apostle Paul think of his fellow Gospel writers?

Paul was deeply unyielding toward alternative views of the faith, explicitly writing in Galatians 1:9 that if any person preached a gospel different from the one his followers had received, that individual should be completely accursed. This indicates he aggressively dismissed the legalistic, Jewish-Christian perspectives held by original disciples like James and Peter.

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3.How did Matthew (Gospel) support Apostle Pauline Christian doctrine?

The Gospel of Matthew, aimed at law-abiding Jewish-Christians, did not support Pauline doctrine and actually stood in direct opposition to it.

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4.When were the Gospels written?

The canonical gospels were composed during the second half of the 1st century, with Mark widely dated around 65-70 CE, followed by Matthew and Luke between 80-90 CE, and John close to 90-100 CE. These dates mean the texts were compiled decades after Jesus' earthly ministry, drawing on reliable oral traditions and early eyewitness testimonies.

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5.What did Apostle Paul say about the other gospels?

In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul strongly condemned anyone preaching a different gospel, reflecting a significant conflict in the early church between his Gentile-inclusive mission and strict adherence to the Law.

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6.Who wrote John's gospel?

The author of the fourth gospel is believed to be a Greek convert with limited knowledge of traditional Judaism, who frequently uses 'the Jews' as an antagonistic term over 60 times in the Gospel of John alone.

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7.What were the Apocryphal Gospels?

Apocrypha are works, usually written works, that are of unknown authorship, or of doubtful authenticity, or spurious, or not considered to be within a particular canon.

The Apocrypha (Greek for 'hidden away') are revered Biblical text which were excluded from the canon Bible. They were literally hidden away from the early Christians, and tell a very different story of Jesus.

Gospel of Nazoreans
Gospel of Ebionites
Gospel of Egyptians
Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Hebrews

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8.What is the significance of the Gospel of Thomas?

Thomas is the most important non-canonical Gospel recently discovered in the last century. It positively features in current studies of Christian origins and the historical Jesus.

Gospel of Thomas with sayings of Jesus is thought to be earliest written record of his life produced within ten years of his death.

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9.How was the Gospel of John viewed?

In the 2nd century, some Christians felt John gospel was so different in tone and approach in comparison to the other three synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke); it should have been excluded from the cannon.

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10.In 325 AD, did Emperor Constantine burn gospels, writings and religious text?

The books of Arius and his followers, after the first Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.), were burned for heresy by the Roman emperors Constantine, Honorius, and Theodosius I, who published a decree commanding that, 'the doctrine of the Trinity should be embraced by those who would be called catholics; that all others should bear the infamous name of heretics'.

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11.How did the Early Jewish-Christians practise their religion?

The earliest Jewish-Christians strictly followed traditional Hebrew practices, including daily prayers, circumcision, rituals for purity, fasting, dietary laws, and temple, according to the source material.

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12.Did Jesus claim to be 'King of the Jews'?

A political placard accusing Jesus of making this claim was nailed to his cross, and this historical artifact can be found today at the Church of Santa Croce in Rome.

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13.How was Jesus Jewish?

Jesus fully observed the laws of the Torah, maintained kosher dietary regulations, and never asked his followers to abandon Judaism, as they continued to meet at the Temple and practice circumcision rather than establishing a separate religion or attending a church.

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14.What did early Jewish-Christians think of Apostle Paul?

Between 55 and 66 CE, early Jewish-Christian leaders in Jerusalem rejected Paul's teachings and challenged his authority, leading to a significant decline in his popularity.

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15.Were the early Christians Jews?

Yes, Jesus and early followers were entirely Jewish, strictly observing traditional laws and customs.

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16.Did Saul kill the early Jewish-Christians?

Before his conversion, Saul actively sought to imprison and execute early Jewish-Christians. Saul believed that he was serving God by finding Christians, throwing them into prison, and even executing them.

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17.How did the Jews view Apostle Paul?

Faithful Jews viewed Paul's salvation theory as blatant blasphemy because his theological teachings explicitly ridiculed all previous revelations from God, including the sacred Torah, while teaching a doctrine that went against the absolute oneness of God.

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18.According to Apostle Paul, why did God give Jews the Torah?

Paul viewed the Torah as a temporary guide, claiming it was given to the Jews until they could be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

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19.How did Apostle Paul differ with the Jewish Rabbis?

The Jewish Rabbis preached a person was saved so long as their intention was to remain within the covenant, and one truly repented and seek forgiveness for their sins.

Paul preached that every person was 'damned' until they was offered salvation. Mans problem was that he was 'in the flesh' in bondage to the Law, sold under Sin, enslaved by the fundamental spirits of the universe (ie. dead).

Paul preached the only cure was liberation from slavery and death by union with Christ, who had conquered death and sin.

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20.How did the early Jewish-Christians view Jesus' resurrection?

The earliest Jewish-Christians did not believe that the resurrection meant Jesus was God, but rather that he was a righteous man approved by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. Based on texts like Acts 2:22-24, they maintained the theological view that Jesus had been raised by God, not that he was the Creator himself.

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21.Who seperated Christianity from Judaism?

It was Apostle Paul's dramatic conversion and subsequent teachings that directly resulted in the permanent theological separation of Christianity from Judaism. Within mere months of Jesus' departure, the original human-centric and law-abiding message was fundamentally altered into an independent religious system.

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22.Why Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah?

The Bible claims the Messiah will accomplish certain signs:

1. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

2. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).

3. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: 'Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore.' (Isaiah 2:4)

4. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: 'God will be King over all the world—on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One' (Zechariah 14:9).

The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies.

Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.

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23.What does the Quran say about Jews and Christians?

The Quran recognizes Jews and Christians as 'People of the Book' (Ahl al-Kitab), acknowledging that they were given previous divine revelations through prophets like Moses and Jesus. While it praises the righteous among them, it also critiques their theological developments, specifically rejecting the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the divine sonship of Jesus.

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24.How was Apostle Paul viewed by the Jews?

Paul was widely viewed by mainstream Jewish communities as a radical apostate and religious heretic because he preached that observance of the Mosaic Torah was no longer required for salvation. This fierce theological conflict frequently resulted in severe public opposition, legal charges before Roman authorities, and physical riots during his travel throughout ancient Mediterranean cities.

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25.Does the Quran tell Jews and Christians to refer to their Scriptures (Torah and Bible)?

Yes, the Quran references previous scriptures in passages like Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:47), which tells the followers of the Gospel to judge by what God has revealed in it. From an academic perspective, this reflects the historical context of 7th-century Medina, where Jews and Christians were recognized as 'People of the Book' who possessed divine laws. While Islamic theology holds that modern biblical texts have suffered from textual corruption (tahrif), the Quran historically appeals to the core monotheistic truths remaining in those scriptures to validate Muhammad's message.

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26.In the time of Jesus, what qualities would identify the Messiah, to the Jews?

First-century Jewish expectations, as discussed in this analysis of Trinity dogma, centered on a human leader, such as a prophet or king from David's line, rather than a divine figure.

A human empowered by God. Not a God-man, a person of the Godhead or part of a Triune God (Trinity)
From the lineage of Abraham (Gen. 22:18)
From the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
A descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12)
A Lord under Yahweh, the God of Israel (Ps. 110:1)
From amongst their own people (Jer. 30:21)

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27.How did the 1st century Jews view the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit was understood as God's active, divine power, rather than a distinct, third person of a Trinity.

First century Jews believed the Holy Spirit was another name for God, similar to Yahweh, Elohim or El Shaddai - not a separate Person in the Trinity!

There is no record of Jesus ever trying to correct the Jews and prove the Holy Spirit was a third Person in the Trinity.

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28.Jesus claimed to be God. The Jews must have understood this, as they accused him of blasphemy and were ready to stone him?

The platform asserts that Jesus did not claim divinity in this instance, and that his mention of Psalm 82:6 in John 10:34 was a defense noting that human judges are called 'gods' in scripture, thus challenging the accusation of blasphemy.

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29.Why do Jews let the hair grow on the sides of there head?

In the text of the Torah (Leviticus 19:27), God explicitly forbids cutting or rounding off the corners of the hair on the sides of the head and marring the edges of the beard.

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30.How did Jews view the Greek Bible (Septuagint)?

The Jewish community regarded the Septuagint only as a translation of the original Hebrew, never as an independent or authoritative scripture.

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31.In the time of Jesus, how were the Jews viewed by the Greeks?

The text suggests that the Greeks perceived Judaism as an insular tradition, weakened by long-term Roman occupation, economic decline, and emigration.

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