Difference between revisions of "Category:Josephus (subject)"

*[[:Category:People|BACK TO THE PEOPLE--INDEX]]

'''Flavius Josephus''' (''Yosef Ben Matityahu''; 37 CE - c100 CE) was a Jewish priest, politician, general, and historian. His writings are the major source for the study of [[Second Temple Judaism]].

Joseph, son of Matthias, was born in 37 or 38 CE. in [[Jerusalem]] from a well known respected family of priests, which belong to the “first of the twenty four courses”, and which could trace his lineage to no less than the [[Hasmoneans]] from his mother side. [[Josephus]] at about sixteen, to better his education, passed though the three sects, which dominated then Jewish spiritual and political life in [[Judaea]], the [[Pharisees]], the [[Sadducees]] and the [[Essenes]]. However he decided also to follow a certain [[Bannus]] in the wilderness. At the end, [[Josephus]] at nineteen, in 56-57 C.E., chose the [[Pharisees]] as the sect more suited to his needs. In 61 C.E., when he was twenty-sixth, [[Josephus]] traveled to [[Rome]] as part of a delegation of eight people to ask for the liberation of a group of priests, sent there by the procurator [[Felix]]. [[Josephus]] was presented to the empress [[Poppaea]] through the offices of Aliturus, “an actor who was a special favorite of [[Nero]] and of Jewish origin.” It is in this period that [[Josephus]] probably married his first wife. Back to [[Judaea]], soon the [[Jewish Revolt]] broke out in 66 C.E. Josephus was appointed governor of [[Galilee]] by the new provisory government in the same year. In [[Galilee]], [[Josephus]] organized anew the administration of the area confided to him, and of course he planned the defense of Galilee from the Roman onslaught, which did not wait to come. [[Josephus]], as Governor of [[Galilee]], made to himself various enemies, as [[Justus of Tiberias]], a member of the local elite, with ties to King [[Agrippa II]], and [[John of Gishala]], a local potentate who aspired to be a member of the local elite, and [[Simeon Ben Gamaliel]], a moderate Pharisee leader from [[Jerusalem]], who, however did not get along with [[Joseph Ben Mattatiah]]. The military situation deteriorated swiftly when [[[Sepphoris]], the most important city in Galilee after [[Tiberias]], gave itself to the Romans, who garrisoned the city. Soon [[Josephus]] found himself besieged in the stronghold of Jotapata in the spring of 67 C.E. After a siege of forty seven days, by the middle of the summer of 67 C.E., [[Jotapata]] fall in the hands of the Romans. [[Joseph Ben Mattiah]] was successful to escape into a cistern connected with a cave, together with forty companions. However, the Romans soon discovered the hiding place of Joseph. As the Romans told to Joseph that his life would be spared though the middle of a certain [[Nicanor]], [[Josephus]] persuaded his companions to kill each other drawing lots, than to fall in the hands of the Romans, positioning himself to be the last. But then he persuaded his surviving companion to surrender to the Romans. This was probably the most dramatic moment of Joseph’s life. According to [[Josephus]], once in front of [[Vespasian]], the Roman commander, he predicted him no less than his accession to the Imperial throne. Anyway, in chains, [[Joseph Ben Mattiah]] remained together with the Roman army for the rest of the war, as an adviser, as Vespasian decided not to send him to Nero. Joseph then followed [[Vespasian]] and [[Titus]] to [[Alexandria]] in the summer of 69 CE. There [[Vespasian]] was indeed acclaimed Emperor. The prophecy of [[Joseph Ben Mattiah]] somehow fulfilled itself. [[Titus]], who from the beginning had developed a special bond of friendship with [[Josephus]], ordered that [[Josephus]]’s chains be symbolically severed with an axe. As a prisoner Joseph married his second wife, a Jewess captive from [[Caesarea]], who did not remain with him long, but left him when he was in [[Alexandria]]. Once [[Vespasian]] left for Rome, [[Josephus]] followed [[Titus]] for the rest of the campaign, which by now was focused on the siege of [[Jerusalem]] in 70 CE. There [[Josephus]] tried to persuade the Jews, without much success, to surrender to the besieging Roman army. His role was probably conspicuous enough if, after the capture of [[Jerusalem]], [[Josephus]] was successful in asking for the freedom of his brother and fifty friends, and no less than one hundred and ninety prisoners, including women, detained in the Temple area. Moreover, he was given by [[Titus]] as well some sacred books pillaged in the sack of the city. [[Josephus]] then followed [[Titus]] to [[Rome]], where he “was honored with the privilege of Roman citizenship”, was given a pension, and a lodging “in the house which he had occupied before he became Emperor”. Moreover Josephus was granted instead of the lands that he owned in Judaea in the [[Jerusalem]] area, other lands in the plain area. Thus, from now onwards, [[Joseph Ben Mattiah]], now a Roman citizen, assumed the name of [[Titus Flavius Josephus]], in honor of his patrons. During the reign of [[Vespasian]] and his son [[Titus]], Josephus probably continued to live in the Flavian domus, previously owned by the Imperial family before their relocation on the [[Palatine]]. By then, [[Vespasian]] had given to Josephus a country estate in [[Judaea]], “no small quantity of land”, probably [[Josephus]] main source of income. Moreover Josephus, once he divorced his previous wife, had married a “wife who had lived at [[Crete]], but a Jewess by birth”. To his firstborn, Hyrcanus, son of his first wife, two more sons were added to the family, Flavius Iustus and Flavius Simonides Agrippa. Although more than once “accused” by his enemies, nor Vespasian nor Titus, gave any serious hearings to the slanders towards Josephus. It seems that his situation did not worsen under Domitian. On the contrary, in the [[Life]], [[Josephus]] clearly states that Domitian, who succeeded [[Titus]] “still augmented his respects to me”. Not only [[Domitian]], but also his wife [[Domitia]] showed kindness towards the Jewish propagandist. Moreover the Roman ruler exempted Josephus country estates in Judaea from taxes. Another episode that [[Josephus]] relate, on which however we have no other hint, is that once [[Josephus]] was accused by some Jews, and two of [[Josephus]]’s servants, an eunuch, and another slave who was also the tutor of [[Josephus]]’s son. The Emperor not only did not accept the slanders moved towards [[Josephus]], but he punished all the accusers as well. Therefore, [[Josephus]] survived well the reign of terror that characterized Domitian last years, as he was successful to survive in much more unpleasant situations before. [[Josephus]] probably died in the last years of the first century CE. or at the very beginning of the second century.  

 

[[Josephus]] wrote in Greek. Greek was the main language of the Jewish communities scattered in Rome and in Italy, as well as the language of the Jews living in the Hellenistic East. However Greek was also the language of a multitude of Greek intellectuals, who settled in Rome, and used Greek to write on the rise and might of Rome. Therefore [[Josephus]]’s choice of Greek has a double purpose, to reach the Diaspora Jews, who with him, try to cope with the recent calamity, and a Roman audience, prone to listen to Greek intellectuals. Josephus is well known also in Roman sources (Suetonius).Josephus is first of all known for the account of the [[Jewish War]], published between 75 and 79 CE.  The [[Jewish War]], which is divided in seven books, main theme is the War between the Jews and the Romans, which ended in the conquest of [[Jerusalem]], and the destruction of the [[Temple]]. Thus, [[Josephus]] describes [[Vespasian]] and [[Titus]] campaign in [[Galilee]] and [[Judaea]], the siege and conquest of [[Jerusalem]], the dramatic siege of [[Masada]], and the triumphal procession of [[Vespasian]] and [[Titus]] at [[Rome]]. [[Josephus]] published [Jewish Antiquities]] twenty years after the publication of the [[Jewish War]], between 93 and 94 CE. [[Jewish Antiquities]] is divided in twenty books. It is possible to divide [[Antiquities]] in roughly two parts. The first part starts with the Creation of the World and ends with the return of the Exiles from [[Babylonia]]. The second part, which covers the Second Temple period, roughly start with the reconstruction of the [[Temple]] by [[Zerubabel]] and [[Joshua]], the high priest, and it ends with the outbreak of the war against Rome in 66 C.E. [[Against Apion]] is the last work published by [[Josephus]]. The book was written after 96 C.E., in the last years of [[Domitian]]’s rule. The book is an apology of [[Judaism]]. [[Life]], was maybe written in the last years of the first century CE., although its exact date vary. The [[Life]] focuses on the main on [[Josephus]]’s years as Governor of [[Galilee]].

[[Josephus]]’ life is known mainly from his own writings--the [[Jewish War]], in which he took a prominent part, on both sides, and in his autobiography. Josephus is also mentioned ny the Roman historian [[Suetonius]].  

Josephus' Works have been a continuous source of inspiration for the arts. As a fictional character himself, Josephus has a much less prominent role, which however has considerably grown since the 19th century. The trilogy of [[