The text in Luke 3:3-6 speaks of the ministry of John the Baptist and makes reference to “the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.” Interestingly enough, we now have an actual ancient copy of the book of Isaiah referred to by Luke, which, having been penned in ca. 125 BC, was written prior to the time Luke wrote his work. This ancient text, commonly called the Great Isaiah Scroll, is a well-preserved copy of the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Further, this same scroll is featured in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The entire scroll is shown in the following photo, which can be seen in more detail by clicking to enlarge.

Having been found in 1947, the Great Isaiah Scroll was one of the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be discovered, and—with the exception of some small damaged portions—it contains the entire text of the biblical book of Isaiah. Moreover, a handy digital version that scrolls electronically and has a translation app is now available to the public. This digital version is part of the larger Digital Dead Sea Scrolls collection.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain nearly all of the Old Testament books plus a number of other ancient works, were found in caves located in the hills around the ancient community of Qumran, which is designated by the red arrow on the following map cropped from the Satellite Bible Atlas.

The following photo shows a general view of the slopes west of Qumran where some of the caves are located.

The next photo shows the exterior of Cave 1 in which the Great Isaiah Scroll was found.

This final photo displays the interior of Cave 1 in which the first seven scrolls, including the Isaiah Scroll, were discovered.

Commonly thought to be written between 200 BC and AD 70 by a group of Essenes inhabiting the community of Qumran, the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the Great Isaiah Scroll, represent a simply unrivaled collection of ancient biblical manuscripts. Further, though they do not deal with Jesus or the early Christians directly, they are a tangible remnant of the era during which Jesus lived.

For other similar correlations between the biblical text and ancient sources, see Bible and Archaeology – Online Museum.

This series of posts examines the historical reliability of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts by comparing these books to other ancient textual sources and the archaeological record. Supplemental information of additional interest is often given as well.

John the Baptist is one of the eight people mentioned in Luke 3:1-2. In this passage John is actually referred to as “John son of Zechariah” after his father Zechariah who experienced a vision in the Temple that foretold of his son’s birth. The full story of Zechariah’s experience in the Temple is found in Luke 1:5-25, with the conclusion of John’s birth narrative depicted in Luke 1:57-66.

John had an extensive ministry introducing Christ and his messianic kingdom to the nation of Israel (e.g., John 1:19-42), though he was eventually martyred for his faith as recounted in Mark 6:14-29.

Further information on his martyrdom can be found at this prior post in this series: Luke & Acts: Historical Reliability – 4.

In addition to his portrayal in the New Testament, the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus describes John, his ministry, and his death. Here is a portion of what he wrote:

“Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; . . . ” (Antiquities 18.5.2.

Josephus further indicates that John was imprisoned and eventually murdered at the hilltop fortress of Macherus. Below you can see the location of Herod’s fortress. This map comes from the Satellite Bible Atlas, a resource that we highly recommend.

The next photo depicts Macherus looking from the east with the Dead Sea in the background. With steep sides surrounded by deep ravines, it presented a difficult target to attack. Still, the Jews who defended it during the first revolt against Rome (c. AD 70) eventually surrendered rather than face the full Roman military onslaught.

The photo below gives a close-up of the current remains of the fortress itself on the summit of the hill.

By way of final note, National Geographic has an article exploring the claim by some that actual bones from John the Baptist have been preserved in a church in Sophia, Bulgaria. Obviously this claim is pretty far-fetched, but the article is an interesting read in any case.

For other similar correlations between the biblical text and ancient sources, see Bible and Archaeology – Online Museum.

The text, which is located along the upper front rim, is translated from Aramaic into English as:

Additional information on this artifact is provided by the Israel Antiquity Authority.  


Further, a second ossuary inscribed with the name “Caiaphas” was found in Israel in 1990 and can now be seen in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Though not entirely certain, this ossuary is commonly thought to belong to the high priest Caiaphas himself, and the bones found within (those belonging to a 60-year-old man) may have been those of the high priest. 
The following picture depicts this second ossuary, and an article in the NY Times from 25 years ago announcing its discovery can be found at this link. 

Of additional interest is the fact related by the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus that Caiaphas was also known by the name “Joseph” (Antiquities 18.4.3).


Because of his high profile in the New Testament, Caiaphas has often been depicted in various works of art over the centuries. One famous portrayal is located in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy (outside Venice). The interior of the chapel was painted by the early Renaissance painter Giotto and dates to c. 1305. Though not as developed and awe-inspiring as later High Renaissance art (ca. 1500), this painting depicts an early attempt to portray perspective (depth) and a more natural lifelike world from which later artists would learn and progress.  For those interested in historical studies, particularly art history, the chapel is well worth the visit.

Caiaphas is the seated figure who is tearing his shirt at the testimony of Jesus as noted in Matthew 26:65. 


For other similar correlations between the biblical text and ancient sources, see Bible and Archaeology – Online Museum.

One of the persons mentioned in Luke 3:1-2 is “Annas” the high priest. Annas was the patriarch of an important priestly family in the 1st century AD. Indeed, the 1st-century historian Josephus says about him: “Now the report goes that this eldest [Annas] proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests” (Antiquities 20.9.1). Furthermore, his son-in-law Caiaphas was also high priest (John 18:12-14). Thus, starting with Annas himself, there were seven men who occupied the high priesthood tied to his immediate family.

Though he was not the reigning high priest at the time of the trial of Jesus (Caiaphas his son-in-law held the official position), Annas was, nonetheless, a key player in the sequence of events. In fact, Annas was the first person that Jesus was taken to after his arrest (John 18:13). This fact alone demonstrates Annas’s continuing authority and influence even when others actually held the office of high priest.

As a result of his portrayal in the biblical text, Annas can be found in a number of dramatic artistic expressions throughout the history of western culture. For example, the following painting by the Spanish neoclassical painter Jose de Madrazo (1781-1859) depicts the moment when Jesus is about to be slapped by an official of the high priest as recounted in John 18:19-23. The painting, dated to 1803, is oil on canvas and is located in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Of further interest is the suggestion by Leen Ritmeyer that the structure in Jerusalem identified as the “Palatial Mansion” (or “Herodian Mansion”) may have been the home of Annas, though a cautionary note by Todd Bolen should also be considered.

For similar correlations between the biblical text and ancient sources, see Bible and Archaeology – Online Museum.

One person referred to in Luke 3:1-2 is “Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene.” Lysanias is one of the more obscure persons mentioned by Luke with one extra-biblical reference being an inscription, dated to the reign of Tiberius, found in the area of Abilene that reads, “. . . a freedman of Lysanias the Tetrarch, having made the road, erected the Temple” (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, V. 20, p. 43). The area known as Abilene was a small district on the eastern side of the Anti-Lebanon mountains that gets its name from Abila, its chief town. The town of Abila shown on the following map was located on the route between Damascus and ancient Heliopolis (modern Baalbek, Lebanon).

Today the village of Suk Wadi Barada marks the spot of ancient Abila. It is situated in Syria, about 10 miles northwest of Damascus. The following photochrom image was taken in the 1890s of the village.

For a brief discussion concerning the dating of the Lysanias inscription noted above, see chapter 7 in F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents.

As time permits, a future post may deal with the possibility that there was more than one ruler with the name “Lysanias” connected to the area of Abilene (Abila).

By way of note, the Abila of Abilene that is tied to the account in Luke is distinct from another city by the same name located in the Decapolis to the east of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Further,  John Brown University is now in the process of excavating Abila of the Decapolis as described at this link.

For similar correlations between the biblical text and ancient sources, see Bible and Archaeology – Online Museum.

This series of posts examines the historical reliability of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts by comparing these books to other ancient textual sources and the archaeological record. In addition, background information on key elements of the various narratives is also given.

One of the persons mentioned in Luke 3:1-2 is “Philip, tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis.” In addition to this biblical reference, the 1st-century AD historian Josephus also refers to Philip and notes that he was the son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem (Antiquities 17.1.3). Having been born in c. 22 BC, Philip was assigned a portion (i.e., Iturea and Traconitis) of his father’s kingdom when the later died in 4 BC. Philip ruled until he died in his own turn in AD 34, and Josephus refers to Philip as a “person of moderation and quietness in the conduct of his life and government” (Antiquities 18.4.6).

Interestingly enough, despite his apparent affinity for “moderation and quietness,” Philip married Salome, a woman with at least one episode in her life that was anything but moderate and quiet. By way of pedigree, Salome was the daughter of Philip’s half-brother Herod (tetrarch of Galilee) and Herod’s stolen wife Herodias. Further, as a younger woman she is actually the one who danced for this same Herod and his dinner guests, which, as many are aware, led to Herod’s ill-advised promise to give her “up to half” of his kingdom, which in turn led to the violent death of John the Baptist. The sordid details of the event (including the reasons for the death of John the Baptist) are recorded in Mark 6:14-29, and this rather interesting (to say the least) collection of behaviors has ever after been the inspiration for much drama and art, among which is the following work produced by Titian, the Venetian Renaissance master, in c. 1515.