Historical Figures Codexery

Josephus

Roman–Jewish historian and military leader, author of The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews.

He wrote major works like The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews, which provide key accounts of first-century Judaism and early Christianity.[1][2] Josephus, a Jewish priest and historian from the first century, initially served as a general in Galilee during the First Jewish–Roman War, opposing the Roman Empire, but surrendered in AD 67 to Vespasian's forces and subsequently became a Roman client.[3][4][5]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Yosef ben Matityahu
Birthplace
Jerusalem, Roman Judea
Era
Hellenistic Judaism
Main interests
  • Jewish history
  • Maccabean Revolt
  • Jewish–Roman wars
  • Herodian dynasty
  • Hasmonean dynasty
Notable works
The Jewish War; Antiquities of the Jews
Influenced
Early Christianity; Josephus problem

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Josephus was born into an elite priestly family in Jerusalem, with his mother descended from the Hasmonean dynasty.[4][6][7] Upon returning to Jerusalem, he was appointed military governor of Galilee at the outbreak of the First Jewish–Roman War.[5][7] He fortified towns in Lower and Upper Galilee and trained 65,000 troops, but contended with rival John of Gischala for control.[5][8] According to his account, he was trapped in a cave with 40 companions and suggested a method of collective suicide, but he and one other survived and surrendered.[9][7]

Josephus claimed a divine revelation that Vespasian would become emperor, and after this prediction came true, Vespasian freed him in AD 69.[10][7] He went to Rome in AD 71 with Titus, became a Roman citizen, and wrote all his known works under Flavian patronage.[11][12][7] When he was about 26, Josephus journeyed to Rome to secure the freedom of some Jewish priests who were being held captive by Nero; he achieved this objective with aid from Poppaea, Nero's wife, and a Jewish actor.[5][7] Josephus gave himself up to the Roman army under Vespasian's command in AD 67, following the six-week siege at Yodfat.[3][13]

What the cited sources add

The Patterns of Evidence account states Josephus was recognized for his understanding of Jewish law at age 14 and spent three years learning about the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes.[7] Goldberg's biography notes that Josephus presented himself as a prophet to Vespasian, asserting that an ancient oracle about a world ruler from Judaea referred to Vespasian.[14] The same source adds that Josephus assisted Titus during the war by helping negotiate with revolutionaries.[14] The Patterns of Evidence account confirms that Josephus wrote about biblical figures such as John the Baptist and Roman prefects like Pontius Pilate.[7]

Goldberg's biography states that Josephus subsequently improved his Greek language skills to write a massive work explaining Jewish history to a non-Jewish audience.[14]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harris 1985 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harris 1985; Josephus, "The New Complete Works of Josephus", Kregel Publications, 1999, p. 7–8 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mimouni 2012, p. 133 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: : "Josephus was born into the ruling elite of Jerusalem"; Poole, "Flavius Josephus Jewish Priest, Scholar, Historian of 1st Century Judea", Britannica, 14 July 2026; "Flavius Josephus summary", Britannica; "What was Flavius Josephus’s childhood like?", Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Josephus, Vita § 3; JaneBjork, "Who Was Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian?", Patterns of Evidence, 2021-12-03; Goldberg, "The Life of Flavius Josephus", Josephus.org; Josephus, Vita, § 67; Josephus, Vita, § 68; Josephus, "The New Complete Works of Josephus", Kregel Publications, 1999, p. 7–8 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mason 2000; Nodet 1997, p. 250; "Josephus Lineage", History of the Daughters, December 2012, p. 349–350 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. JaneBjork, "Who Was Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian?", Patterns of Evidence, 2021-12-03. facts only, no text reused. patternsofevidence.com
  8. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Josephus, "The Life of Josephus", 1926; Josephus, Vita, § 37; Josephus, Vita, § 37; Josephus, Vita, § 67 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Josephus, The Jewish War. Book 3, Chapter 8, par. 7 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gray 1993, p. 35–38; Aune 1991, p. 140; Gnuse 1996, p. 136–142; den Hollander, "Jesus, Josephus, and the fall of Jerusalem: On doing history with Scripture", HTS Theological Studies, 2015, p. 01–09; : "Later generations of Jews have been inclined to treat such claims as self-serving" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Imagining Jerusalem : Josephus", exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hollander, "Josephus, the Emperors, and the City of Rome: From Hostage to Historian", BRILL, 2014, p. 1–4; Collins, "Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview", Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Josephus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Josephus, Vita, § 71 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Goldberg, "The Life of Flavius Josephus", Josephus.org. facts only, no text reused. josephus.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Josephus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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