Our most important non-biblical source for interpreting the New Testament (NT) texts is without doubt Flavius Josephus. With careful handling, Josephus provides an unparalleled resource for readers of the NT. This chapter discusses Josephus and the NT under three headings. First, it examines his contribution towards an understanding of the first-century Jewish world from which the Christian movement emerged. Second, the chapter looks at what Josephus says about specific characters known to us from the Christian tradition; it shows that the Jerusalem aristocrat's use of characters can be extremely fluid, taking on different traits as the needs of the narrative required. Finally, it deals with the similarities between Josephus's works and the NT texts, particularly the Gospel of Luke, which exhibits the closest connections.
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