Is Josephus a reliable source when discussing the historicity of Jesus, why or why not?

You make a good point (about trying to have it both ways).

Flavius Josephus (37-c.100 A.D.), the first-century Jewish historian, in his Antiquities of the Jews had two references to Jesus. In the first one, he said, “And there arose about this time Jesus, a wise man, IF INDEED WE SHOULD CALL HIM A MAN; for he was a doer of marvelous deeds, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure. He led away many Jews, and also Greeks. THIS MAN WAS THE CHRIST. And when Pilate had condemned him to the cross on his impeachment by the chief men among us, those who had loved him at first did not cease; FOR HE APPEARED TO THEM ON THE THIRD DAY ALIVE AGAIN, THE DIVINE PROPHETS HAVING SPOKEN THESE AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT HIM. And even now the tribe of Christians, so named after him, has not yet died out” (Antiquities 18.3.3).

Since Josephus wasn’t a Christian and didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ (the Messiah)—as the early Christian writer Origen tells us—some people believe the parts I put in all caps are later Christian interpolation (a Christian wrote it in later), and that’s possible. Now, every ancient Greek manuscript we have of Josephus’ work contains the disputed portions, but there is an Arabic manuscript that either doesn’t have the disputed material or says His disciples simply reported this. I suspect that’s how it originally read. But the fact is, even if the disputed material is to be taken out, the testimony of Josephus would still verify the fact that Jesus Christ actually lived.

In Josephus’ second reference, he said, “As therefore Ananus was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good opportunity, as Festus was now dead, and Albinus was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned” (Antiquities 20.9.1).

In fact, Josephus confirms many people and places we read about in the New Testament—like Herod the Great and his family, many of the Roman emperors and governors that are mentioned, the Jewish religious sects we read about, and he also spoke about John the Baptist (as well as Jesus and James the brother of Jesus).

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@Misty: And what "facts" would those be?

Yes, even though individuals may have later interjected extraneous pints, his writings are mostly reliable.

There is enough information from non-Christian sources dated to the first century that anyone could form an educated opinion about who the real historical Jesus was. 

Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and other historians write of him. Open any encyclopedia and you can easily confirm this. What we know as an indisputable fact is...He taught a radical message of love. He spoke of the importance of a spiritual kingdom in our hearts to setting up an earthly kingdom .

He claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. He was put to death by Roman capital punishment -- crucifixion. His tomb was empty just days later and no body was ever found. 

What someone does with these facts is their own business. But these are the facts. For many people, these historical facts are enough to encourage them to read the writings of those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus life and teachings -- found in the Bible.

Josephus is considered a credible but not infallible historian whose works fill important gaps in Jewish history and provide historical background for parts of the Bible. Next to the Bible, his writings are the main source of historical information regarding first-century Jerusalem and its temple. His writings also make reference to Jesus, Jesus’ half brother James, and John the Baptist. Moreover, Josephus’ eyewitness account of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple sheds light on the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.—Da 9:24-27; Lu 19:41-44; 21:20-24.

Josephus sourced his information about Jesus from people who had actually had contact with him.  That’s what makes Josephus a reliable source for the accuracy of historical content.

A modern day example would be like speaking to your parents and grandparents about life during the the 'Cold War' era, as a source for a history assignment in school. 

Josephus actually mentions Jesus in three of his writings.  He also writes about John the Baptist, stating that he was the cousin of Jesus and gives many of the same details as the gospels.  And he mentions the death of James, the brother of Jesus. An event that he would have lived through.

The longer testimony of Jesus is found in two different forms.  One is longer and appears to have been added to in the early Middle Ages.  And includes a more direct reference to the deity of Jesus, something that Josephus would not have stated.  There are NO known copies of his writing that do not include either the longer or the shorter version of passage.

That Josephus states that there were people in his time period (writing about 60-70 AD) that believed in Jesus is a historical fact.  Other historians from the time period speak of the followers of Jesus (or Christ,)  And they record that the followers made the same claims - such as Jesus being a miracle worker and his resurrection.

But that does not PROVE that the those events happened.  It only proves that people in that time period believed in them.  That is not a fact that in debate by any scholar.

Josephus can be helpful, but is certainly not ultimate.

Josephus was not a contemporary of Jesus.

Yes. (c. 37–c. 100 C.E.) A Jewish historian from a priestly family. Josephus became a Pharisee and was later appointed by the Sanhedrin as a commander during the Jewish revolt against Rome. His original name was Joseph ben Matthias (Yoseph ben Mattityahu).

Josephus is considered a credible but not infallible historian whose works fill important gaps in Jewish history and provide historical background for parts of the Bible. Next to the Bible, his writings are the main source of historical information regarding first-century Jerusalem and its temple. His writings also make reference to Jesus, Jesus’ half brother James, and John the Baptist. Moreover, Josephus’ eyewitness account of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple sheds light on the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Tacitus and Jewish historian Josephus both refer to Quirinius. Confirmation that such registrations occurred is found in a Roman governor’s edict preserved in the British Library. It reads: “Seeing that the time has come for the house to house census, it is necessary to compel all those who for any cause whatsoever are residing out of their districts to return to their own homes.”

The Bible also mentions “a great famine . . . in the time of [Roman Emperor] Claudius.” (Acts 11:28) First-century historian Josephus corroborates this account. He wrote: “A famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died.”

Here the answer: https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1001077411&srcid=share