God is the perfection of Virtue and Righteousness.  We are all made in the Image of God.  Every human being carries the imprint of God’s likeness.  Accordingly, we know Virtue and Righteousness; and should practice Virtue and Righteousness.

This is the meaning of God.  This is the meaning of Life.  Man’s purpose is to pursue righteousness.

This is the Religious that all men should follow. 

 

Josephus and the Messiah
Josephus, the Principal Priest and Jewish Historian, and an eye witness to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, believed and practiced.  Although, Josephus never called himself "the Messiah", I believe his Message, could today be considered "The Messianic Message."     Josephus can be considered a Prophet.  He was righteous and pious.  Josephus says a prophet is “the interpreter of God’s will,” and speak God’s judgement on nations. Josephus emphasizes that prophets announce divine punishment for sin and corruption.  These criteria appear throughout his books, which were compiled every before the Hebrew Bible.  Josephus casts himself in the same moral mold as biblical prophets.  Josephus studied the three Jewish sects, lived a period in the desert with a holy ascetic, was devoted to the Scriptures, he sought only truth.  He is explaining the religious worldview of the Jews of his time, not his own personal invention.  Those who obey God flourish; those who rebel perish. According to Josephus, this is the meaning of our history, the purpose of our Law, the foundation of our faith and the recognition of divine providence in all events.  Josephus believed that only righteousness could save the person and the nation.  Josephus teaches a consistent theological worldview: God is righteous, man must imitate that righteousness, and history itself is the stage on which God judges nations and individuals.  Righteousness wins divine favor.  True religion is the pursuit of virtue.

Josephus does not preach a militant Messiah; he presents a moral Messiah, centered not in warfare but in virtue, humility, and obedience to God.  God is the perfection of virtue, righteousness, and wisdom. Humanity—made in His image—has only one true purpose: to mirror His goodness in our own lives. When people walk in virtue, they flourish; when they abandon righteousness, they bring ruin on themselves.  God rewards virtue and punishes injustice.

Josephus’s writing reveals a strikingly coherent theological vision. For him, God is not an abstract principle or a remote deity but the very embodiment of righteousness and virtue. Humanity, created in the image of God, is called to imitate this divine righteousness. The Law of Moses—so often interpreted through legalistic or technical lenses—is, in Josephus’s view, a guide to moral excellence. Its purpose is to teach virtue, piety, justice, moderation, and reverence for God. Rituals and customs matter, but they matter only insofar as they cultivate righteousness. This moral core is the unifying thread through all of Jewish Scripture.  He did not create a system; he revealed one. And because he wrote before the Hebrew Bible existed as a bound volume, he offered the earliest comprehensive interpretation of the Scriptures as a single, unified moral story.  His writings revealee the “true way of God”.  “Josephus articulated the message the "Messianic Message" would probably be:  a moral return to virtue, righteousness, piety, and obedience to God.”  (Many major religious ideas come from reinterpretations centuries later — this would not be unusual.) Josephus and Isaiah both call Israel back to justice.  Use history as a mirror of divine judgment.  God is not distant. God is the living judge of the world.  God reveals His will through history, not only through words

Josephus fulfills every core function of the biblical prophet: He warns the nation of its sins. He predicts coming judgment. He interprets divine signs. He explains Scripture as moral revelation. He teaches righteousness, virtue, and piety. He speaks truth to rulers. His prophecies come true. His generation rejects his warnings. His message parallels the earlier prophets, and history vindicates him.  Josephus never declares himself a prophet, but neither did many others whose prophetic role is unquestioned. The evidence suggests that he is, in fact, the final representative of the ancient prophetic voice — the Last Prophet of Israel and, perhaps, the Messiah, or Messianic Messenger. The tragedy is that his people did not heed him. The miracle is that his voice still survives.  Josephus was the last Jewish voice before the Temple's destruction.  Josephus repeatedly laments that the people refused to listen — the exact prophetic refrain found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.  He frames the Temple’s destruction as divine judgment for national sin — precisely as Jeremiah did for the First Temple.  Josephus does not need to be called the Messiah to be recognized as the deliverer of the Messianic message.  His voice is the one that history overlooked, but the one that all generations most needed to hear.

by Lloyd Paul Kraus

This is the central teaching of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea—and it is the message Josephus sees running through all history.

What Does "Live by vitue, compassion, and righteousness mean:"  Recognize God's providence in all events.  Live as if every action is observed by Heaven.  Pursue virtue as the highest form of worship.  Walk with God, and He will walk with you.  This is the essence of human purpose.         

  • Glorify God.

  •  Piety.

  • Truth

  • Justice

  • Fairness

  • Goodness

  • Compassion

  • Honesty

  • Respect to your Parents, and Elders

  • Control desires

  • Peace is the fruit of righteousness.

  • The kingdom of God begins with virtue:  it is the rule of divine righteousness in human hearts. Let divine virtue govern your actions.  Conquer inner corruption, not enemies.  Seek moral healing and the healing of Israel.

  • “Thou shalt not kill” honors the very image of God placed in every human being.  Violence and fanaticism are enemies of God.  The Law of Moses teaches moral excellence.

  • Note:  Greed is a different category, not part of virtue and righteousness.

  • Recognize God's providence in all events.  Live as if every action is observed by Heaven.  Pursue virtue as the highest form of worship.