2 The same Josephus, in the eighteenth book of his Antiquities, relates that in the twelfth year of the reign of Tiberius (who succeeded Augustus, who reigned for 57 years), the government of Judea was entrusted to Pontius Pilate. He ruled it for ten whole years, almost until the death of Tiberius. (3) This clearly exposes the falsity of the "Notes" which have only recently been composed against our Saviour; Already the time indicated in the title exposes the falsity of this invention. They attribute the salvific sufferings of the Saviour, to which the Jews criminally subjected Him, to the fourth consulship of Tiberius, which fell in the seventh year of his reign, but if we are to believe Josephus, Pilate at that time did not yet rule Judea. Josephus in the above-mentioned work directly indicates that Tiberius appointed Pilate procurator of Judea in the twelfth year of his reign.

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It was then, according to the Evangelist, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius and in the fourth year of Pilate's reign of Judea, when the tetrarchs of the rest of Judea were Herod, Lysanias, and Philip, our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the thirtieth year of His life, came to be baptized by John and laid the foundation for the gospel.

(2) According to the Holy Scriptures, the time of His teaching falls within the years when Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. It began in the high priesthood of Annas and lasted until the high priesthood of Caiaphas, a span of less than four years. 3 From this time on, the ordinances of the law concerning the service of God, which was lifelong and passed down in succession from father to son, were violated. The Roman authorities appointed one or the other as high priests, and no one remained in this position for more than a year. 4 Josephus relates that after Annas and before Caiaphas, there were four high priests. In the same book of Antiquities, he writes as follows: "Valerius Gratus deposed Annas and proclaimed Ishmael the son of Fabi as high priest, but after a short time he removed him also and declared Eleazar, the son of the high priest Annas, high priest. 5 At the end of the year he deposed him also, and gave the dignity of high priest to Simon the son of Camathus. And he retained his rank for no more than a year; his successor was Joseph, called Caiaphas."

6 Thus the teaching of our Saviour lasted less than four years, and during these four years the four high priests, from Annas to Caiaphas, carried out their ministry. That Caiaphas was indeed a high priest in the year of the salvific Passions is testified to in the Gospel. It and the above-mentioned remarks, which agree with it, indicate the time of Christ's teaching. (7) Our Saviour and Master, soon after the beginning of His preaching, called the twelve apostles; only they, among His other disciples, He especially honored with the name of the Apostles. Then He chose seventy more, whom He sent two by two before His face to every place and city whither He Himself wanted to go.

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The Holy Gospel reports that soon Herod the Younger beheaded John the Baptist. Joseph writes about the same thing, calling Herodias by name; Herod married her, his brother's wife, divorcing his first, lawful wife (she was the daughter of Aretas, king of Petrea). Herod took Herodias away from her living husband. 2 She was to blame for the death of John, and for the war with Aretas, who thought his daughter had been insulted. In this war, in one of the battles, they say, the entire army of Herod perished: this was his punishment for the death of John. (3) The same Joseph acknowledges that John was a most righteous man, and that he baptized men; his testimony agrees with what is written in the Gospels. He tells us that Herod, through the fault of the same Herodias, lost his kingdom, was sent with her into distant exile and condemned to live in the Gallic city of Vienna. (4) This is written in the 18th book of the Antiquities, where it is literally said of John: "Some of the Jews think that God destroyed Herod's army in all justice, punishing him for the death of John, who is called the Baptist. Herod killed him, a worthy man, who urged the Jews to exercise virtue, to be just to one another, and godly before God, and then to come to be baptized. He believed that it is worth being baptized not in order to pray for remission of sins, but for the sake of bodily purity, when the soul has been cleansed even earlier by righteousness. 6 People gathered around him, inspired by his words. Herod, however, fearing lest he, having such power of persuasion, should stir up a rebellion (it seemed that by his advice the people would do anything), decided that it would be much better to prevent events and kill John without waiting for a rebellion, and not to repent afterwards if a revolution occurred. Suspected by Herod, he was sent in chains to Maherunt - we spoke of this prison before - and there he was killed."

(7) After speaking of John, Joseph in the same work says of our Saviour: "At the same time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if he should be called a man. He did amazing things and taught people who gladly accepted the truth. He drew to Himself many Jews and many Greeks. (8) It was Christ. On the denunciation of the first people among us, Pilate condemned Him to crucifixion, but those who loved Him from the very beginning remained faithful to Him; on the third day He appeared to them alive: the prophets of God foretold this and many other miracles of Him. And to this day the race of Christians who call themselves so by His name has not disappeared."

(9) This is what a writer from among the Jews themselves tells us in his work about John the Baptist and our Saviour. Where can the authors of the "Notes" hide from being accused of shamelessness?

Enough about that.

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The names of the Savior's apostles are known to everyone from the Gospels; but the list of seventy disciples is nowhere to be found. One of them was, they say, Barnabas, who is especially mentioned in Acts, as well as Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians. There was, they say, Sosthenes among them, who wrote to the Corinthians with Paul. Clement, in the 5th book of his Hypotyposes, tells us that Cephas, of whom Paul says, "When [Cephas] came to Antioch, I directly opposed him," was the namesake of the Apostle Peter and one of the seventy. 3 According to tradition, both Matthias, who was numbered among the apostles in place of Judas, and he who was honored with him by lot, were counted worthy of being called to the number of the seventy. They say that one of them was Thaddeus; His story, which has come down to us, I will tell you shortly.

(4) On reflection, you will see that Christ had more than seventy disciples. Paul testifies that after the Resurrection Christ appeared first to Cephas, then to the twelve, and after them immediately to more than five hundred brothers, some of whom, according to him, died, but most were alive at the time he composed his Epistle. 5 Then, according to him. He appeared to Jacob - one of those who are reputed to be the brothers of the Savior. And finally, since there were many apostles besides the twelve in imitation of them, among whom was Paul, he adds: "And then he appeared to all the apostles." That's what about the apostles.

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