Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1 account of the stoning of 'the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James'
Josephus's account of the illegal trial and execution of James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, orchestrated by the Sadducean High Priest Ananus ben Ananus during the interregnum between Roman governors Festus and Albinus in 62 AD.
Rigorous 4-part empirical analysis separating ancient text from bias and consensus
Antiquities 20.200 states: 'Ananus... convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James (ton adelphon Iesou tou legomenou Christou, Iakobos onoma auto), and certain others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.'
Directly corroborates the identity of James as the brother of Jesus and prominent Jerusalem apostle (`GAL.1:19`, `GAL.2:9`, `ACT.15:13`, `ACT.21:18`), and the hostility of the Sadducean high-priestly aristocracy toward the early church.
Scholars universally consider this passage authentically Josephan: the passing, non-confessional reference ('who was called Christ') is exactly how a neutral Jewish historian would identify Jesus to differentiate him from the numerous other men named Jesus in Antiquities.
Josephus strongly condemns High Priest Ananus for arrogance and rashness, noting that the most equitable and law-abiding citizens of Jerusalem secretly protested to King Agrippa II and the incoming Roman procurator Albinus to depose Ananus.