The First Century Void

[RoadRunner79]

Here's a hint. All the paragraphs flow seamlessly and narratively one to another. There is one exception. Three guesses.

I'm not the only one who noticed Josephus writing style.

This is a favorite objection, but it comes from people who obviously have not read very much of Josephus! As Thackery opined, Josephus was a "patchwork writer," one guilty of "inveterate sloppiness." [Meie.MarJ, 8] I can agree: As one with a background in language and literature, were I to give Josephus a grade for composition, it would be something around the level of a C-minus.

Even so, the "out of context" charge carries very little weight. An exposition by Mason will be helpful here. This is the outline of events under Pilate as given by Josephus [Maso.JosNT, 163-4 - using newer outline system for Josephus]:

18.35 Pilate arrives in Judea.
18.55-9 Pilate introduces imperial images in the Temple, causing a ruckus.
18.60-2 Pilate expropriates Temple funds to build an aqueduct.
18.63-4 The Testimonium appears.
18.65-80 An event set in Rome, not involving Pilate directly, having to do with the seduction of a follower of Isis in Rome.
18.81-4 An account of four Jewish scoundrels; also not directly involving Pilate.
18.85-7 An incident involving Pilate and some Samaritans.
18.88-9 Pilate gets the imperial boot.
As can be seen, this is by no means a set of connected events. Pilate has a role in all of them; but it is not even certain that Josephus is giving these events in chronological order.