Josephus

Josephus (c. 37 – c. 100), who introduced himself as "Joseph, son of Matthias, , a priest from Jerusalem" (cf. War I.3), giving the Greek form I?s?pos Matthiou pais of his name in Hebrew Yosef Ben-Matityahu (יוסף בן מתתיהו), is also known as Flavius Josephus. He was a 1st century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 and later settled in Rome.

Life

Josephus fought in the First Jewish-Roman War of 66-73, acting as a military leader in Galilee. However, in circumstances that are somewhat unclear (see also Josephus problem), Josephus surrendered to the Roman forces invading Galilee in July, 67; and he became a prisoner and provided the Romans with intelligence on the ongoing revolt. The Roman forces were led by Flavius Vespasian and his son Flavius Titus (both subsequently Roman emperors). In 69 Josephus was released in a ceremony that, some modern scholars have argued, may have been intended to symbolise a reinstatement of his previous state as a free man (cf. War IV.622-629). In 71 he returned to Rome with Titus, becoming a Flavian client, and is usually assumed to have taken from them the Roman praenomen Flavius, although there is no evidence for this in his own writings and he never refers to himself by this name. He was granted space in Vespasian?s former home, Roman citizenship, land in conquered Judea, and a decent, if not extravagant, pension (Life 423: chr?mat?n, chr?ma, literally: anything useful, wealth, monies, but not necessarily "retirement pension"). It was while in Rome, and under their patronage, that Josephus wrote.

Related Topics:
First Jewish-Roman War - 66 - 73 - Galilee - Josephus problem - 67 - Vespasian - Flavius Titus - Roman emperor - 69 - 71 - Praenomen - Citizen - Judea - Pension

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Josephus's life is beset with ambiguity. For his critics, he never satisfactorily explained his actions during the Jewish war — why he failed to commit suicide in Galilee in 67 with some of his compatriots, and why, after his capture, he cooperated with the Roman invaders. Hence, many have viewed Josephus as a traitor and informer and questioned his credibility as an historian — dismissing his works as Roman propaganda or as a personal apologetic, aimed at rehabilitating his reputation in history.

Related Topics:
Suicide - Traitor - Propaganda - Apologetic

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Nevertheless, he was unquestionably an important apologist in the Roman world for the Jewish people and culture, particularly at a time of conflict and tension. He always remained, in his own eyes, a loyal and law-observant Jew. He went out of his way both to commend Judaism to educated pagans, and to insist on its compatibility with cultured Graeco-Roman thought. He constantly contended for the antiquity of Jewish culture, presenting its people as civilised, devout and philosophical.

Related Topics:
Judaism - Pagan - Graeco-Roman - Jewish culture

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