Josephus: Friend of Scholars

Courtesy of www.LumoProject.com

Introduction

Joseph, son of Matthias (Hebrew: Yosef ben Mattityahu / Greek: Iōsēph ton tou Matthaiou), was born around AD 37–38 in Jerusalem. His family came from a line of priests, and his mother's ancestry may have included the Maccabean priests who fought against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. People today know him by his Latin name—Josephus. As a young man, Josephus studied with all the major Jewish groups of his time: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. After studying the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the ascetic Bannus, Josephus ultimately adopted the Pharisaic way of life. By age 26, Josephus had gained sufficient influence as a Pharisee to travel to Rome and persuade the emperor Nero to release several imprisoned Jewish priests.

During his stay in Rome, Josephus observed the city's diverse culture and adopted a broader outlook. This experience influenced his later cooperation with the Romans during the Jewish revolt, though his actions were more complex than simple defection. He returned to Jerusalem in AD 66, at the outbreak of the First Judeo–Roman War. The Sanhedrin, Judea's highest religious council, appointed him commander of the Galilean defenses. During his service, he narrowly avoided accusations of treason from the Zealots, particularly from John of Gischala, a prominent revolutionary leader. He attempted to secure Sepphoris, whose leaders favored an alliance with Rome.

When his efforts failed, Josephus continued to move his troops to avoid the advancing Roman forces. He requested reinforcements or permission to negotiate with the general Vespasian, but the Sanhedrin denied both requests. In May AD 67, Vespasian directed the Roman legions that encircled the fortified city of Jotapata, where Josephus served as commander. After a siege of about two months, the Romans captured and destroyed the city. Josephus hid in an underground cavern, where he encountered forty surviving fighters. According to his own account, the group cast lots to determine the order of their deaths, and Josephus and one other man survived and surrendered. When brought before Vespasian, Josephus predicted that he would become emperor. When Vespasian became emperor, the prediction came true, and he released Josephus. Josephus adopted the surname Flavius and later served as an advisor and interpreter for the Flavian administration in Judea.

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Josephus: Jewish or Roman?

When Josephus traveled to Rome from AD 64 to 66, he noticed the city's size, organization, and culture. Since ancient times, many Jews have viewed him with suspicion or disdain, and for many centuries, Christian scholars have read his works more often than Jewish scholars. In The War of the Jews, he responded to writers who gave false accounts of the conflict and defended the accuracy of his own account (Preface §§ 1–12). He later explained why he surrendered to the Romans and described how he came to serve under their authority (B.J. 3.8; 4.11). He also acknowledges that many Jews did not trust him when he urged the defenders of Jerusalem to surrender (B.J. 5.9). Writing under the protection of the Flavian emperors, Josephus sought to explain his choices and clarify his role in the war.

Josephus receives the harshest criticism for his actions during and after the Roman siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. At the start of the First Judeo–Roman War, the Zealots won several early victories. However, their success declined after Vespasian became emperor and Titus took command of the Roman army. Josephus then served Titus during the siege of Jerusalem. His loyalty to the Flavian rulers required him to assist the Romans even as they moved against his own people. While Jewish rebels still controlled the city in early AD 70, Josephus urged them to surrender, arguing that resistance would only bring more destruction. His efforts failed, and the Romans soon crushed the revolt. The destruction of Jerusalem and its temple became one of the most devastating events in Jewish history. After the war, Josephus returned to Rome with Titus, where he received Roman citizenship, a pension, and his family's former estate in Judea. He later lived in relative comfort and devoted himself to writing the historical works that would shape his lasting, controversial reputation.

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The Flavian Testimony of Jesus

Josephus is indispensable to understanding Christian origins because his writings provide invaluable historical context for the New Testament. His works confirm and expand several events that New Testament writers also describe. For example, he mentioned "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" (Ant. 20.9). He referred to Jesus in the passage known as the Flavian Testimony (Latin: Testimonium Flavianum), one of the most-examined texts in ancient literature. Most scholars accept parts of this passage as authentic, though later Christian copyists may have added statements that portray Josephus as more favorable toward Jesus. A more restrained version, preserved by the bishop Agapius, has strengthened the view that Josephus originally mentioned Jesus in a less overtly Christian form. Scholars view these additions as unlikely to reflect Josephus' views, since he never became a Christian and remained committed to Judaism. Around AD 93, he wrote:

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day (Ant. 18.3).

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Between Rome and Jerusalem

Josephus was born during a turbulent time when Roman rule pressed heavily on the Jewish people, who had already endured centuries of struggle. From a post-exilic viewpoint, Rome's conquest challenged long-held hopes for national restoration, even though the Jews had preserved the Law of Moses and rebuilt the temple after earlier exiles. Josephus' view of Rome changed after he visited the capital, and that experience shaped his later choices. Historians still debate whether he accepted Roman power or acted mainly to survive. Calling him a "traitor" oversimplifies his situation, though his cooperation with the Romans, who eventually crushed the revolt, continues to trouble some readers. Yet his efforts to explain Jewish history and culture to Gentile audiences may show that he hoped to preserve his people's story during a complex and uncertain age.

Contemporary scholars regard Josephus as the most extensive and indispensable historical source for understanding first-century Judea. While the New Testament and early rabbinic literature primarily preserve theological and religious traditions, Josephus provides a continuous historical narrative that helps contextualize both. Without his writings, our knowledge of this period would be significantly more limited. His works preserved a wealth of information about Israel's history, society, politics, and religious life that might otherwise have been lost. Moreover, his familiarity with Greco-Roman culture enabled him to explain Jewish history and identity to a broader audience. Whether viewed as a pragmatist, survivor, or reluctant collaborator, Josephus remains an unparalleled witness to first-century Judaism, and his writings continue to shape historical scholarship today.

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Bibliography

Primary Sources

Josephus. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987.

Mason, Steve, ed. Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary. 10 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2000–2018.

Monographs

Feldman, Louis H. Josephus's Interpretation of the Bible. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

Mason, Steve. Josephus and the New Testament. 2nd ed. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003.

McLaren, James S. Turbulent Times? Josephus and Scholarship on Judaea in the First Century CE. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic, 1998.

Rajak, Tessa. Josephus: The Historian and His Society. 2nd ed. London: Duckworth, 2002.

Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020.

Reference Works

Hoeber, Karl. "Flavius Josephus."↗ The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton, 1910. New Advent.

Journal Articles

Kelley, Nicole. "The Cosmopolitan Expression of Josephus' Prophetic Perspective in the Jewish War."↗ Harvard Theological Review 97, no. 3 (2004): 257–74.

Perelmuter, Hayim G. "The Image of the Jew in Flavius Josephus' Paraphrase of the Bible."↗ The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 62, no. 1 (2000): 164–65.

Spilsbury, Paul. "The Image of the Jew in Flavius Josephus' Paraphrase of the Bible."↗ Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism 69. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1998.

Online Resources

Teicher, Morton I. "Judging Josephus." The Jerusalem Post. July 23, 2009.