Caesar’s Messiah is a mind-blowing read. The author, Joseph Atwill, is brilliant in his unique and original interpretation of the origins of the New Testament. His thesis is that the Gospels were fabricated by the Flavian emperors in a counterintelligence ploy to undermine the Jewish militant movement and replace it with a messianic Jewish pacifist movement called Christianity. The purpose was full subjugation of Judea at minimum cost with minimum casualties.  At first glance, this thesis may appear offensive, if not blasphemous to many; but the author articulates his case with respect and deference to Christianity which he acknowledges as “the basis for much of humankind’s moral progress.” Caesar’s Messiah is not intended to offend or denigrate—but it is shocking nonetheless. 

According to the author, “Christianity was created to be an alternative to the type of rebellious Judaism that swept across Judea in the first century C.E.” Created by whom? The key suspect was Flavius Josephus, born in 37 C.E. into the family of the Maccabees. Given command of the revolutionary army of Galilee, he was captured by the Romans. Conveniently switching sides, Josephus predicted favorable outcomes for Vespasian who adopted him into the family. Josephus bar Matthias thus became Flavius Josephus. After Jerusalem was destroyed, Josephus relocated to Rome where he wrote Wars of the Jews, the primary history of 66-73 C.E. war between the Romans and the Jews.

Here’s where it really gets fascinating. The author demonstrates, with example after example, similarities found in the Gospels and the Wars of the Jews. He describes these similarities as typological parallels illustrating that “the Flavians wrote the Gospels.” Many of these parallels, arguably, are difficult to discern and vulnerable to  subjective interpretation, but, the author makes a fascinating case for the existence of parallels between the “ministries of Titus Flavius and Jesus.”  The author’s conclusion is that “someone with editorial control manipulated the New Testament and Wars of the Jews into alignment with one another.”

The author fully explores the legitimacy of Testimonium Flavianum, found in the Antiquities of the Jews, also written by Josephus, generally accepted as the only independent corroboration of Christ’s existence documented by history.  It has been described by many scholars as a forgery inserted by unknown Christians who wished to establish the historical Jesus. The author argues that the Testimonium is hardly a forgery but, rather, part of a puzzle too lengthy and complicated to dissect in this review.    

 Lastly, the author notes that when Vespasian died in 79 C.E., Titus succeeded him as emperor and, with the complicity of the Roman Senate, established that Vespasian was a deity. It took three months before Vespasian was consecrated because a history had to be written documenting Vespasian’s divinity. It was, the author suggests, during this time frame that the New Testament was written.  Titus thus became, in effect, the son of a deity.  It’s not exactly the way I remember learning it in my catechism classes at Sacred Heart grade school, but, it is, unquestionably, a mesmerizing story that motivates the reader to continue the search for answers to the biggest questions posed by the universe.