Summary: For centuries The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian was one of the most widely read books in the English-speaking world besides the Bible. Josephus (37-100 AD), witnessed and recorded the devastating destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple by Rome and the very beginnings of Christianity. Who was Flavius Josephus, the fascinating yet ambiguous man that we often quote in reference to biblical history?
And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” – Mark 13:2 (ESV)
Yosef, Son of Matthias, from Jerusalem
Titus Flavius Josephus was born in Jerusalem in 37 AD as Yosef ben Matityahu. He lived during a momentous period for Judaism and Christianity. His eye-witness accounts are invaluable history that make mention of Jesus and his brother James (Antiquities 20.200) and add important information concerning the social, political and religious backgrounds of the New Testament.
Josephus was born into an elite and wealthy family of Jewish priests. On his father’s side he was a descendant of the High Priest Israel Jonathan Apphus, who was also the leader of the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea from 161 to 143 BC. Apphus was part of the priestly order of Jehoiarib, the first of the 24 orders of priests originally set up by King David (1 Chron. 24:7). Josephus’ mother was a descendent from the royal Hasmonean dynasty. Josephus had an older brother named Matthias, after their father.
Spiritual Quest
Josephus claims that he was recognized for his understanding of Jewish law at age 14 and at age 16 went on a three year spiritual quest spending time learning about the three main Jewish factions; the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes. Wisely, he makes no mention of spending time with the radical rebellious group, the Zealots.
The Sadducees were priests and aristocrats concerned with Temple rituals who disappeared after its destruction in 70 AD.
The Pharisees were a Jewish sect that stressed a strict observance of the Written Law (Torah) as well as the Oral Law (which would later be written in the Talmud). They would assemble for teaching and prayer in synagogues and consequently were able to continue after the temple was gone.
The Essenes lived a monastic life in the desert with strict celibacy and dietary laws and most scholars believe they were responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls that were found in 1947 in the Qumran Caves.
During this time of seeking, Josephus lived in the desert with his teacher, Banus. At age 19, Josephus returned to Jerusalem having decided to align himself with the Pharisees.
When Josephus was around age 26, he traveled to Rome to make a plea to Emperor Nero to free priests who were imprisoned there. Nero’s wife Poppaea took a liking to him, and with the help of a Jewish stage actor, Josephus was successful in gaining the release of the priests. Josephus was impressed with the amazing architecture and advancements of Rome. When he arrived back to Jerusalem, the Jewish War was just starting.
Military Commander of Galilee
Josephus was in his mid-twenties in 66 AD when the First Jewish-Roman War broke out, during the 12th year of Nero’s reign. This was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews against the Roman Empire, the second being the Kitos War (115-117 AD) and the third the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-136 AD).
The devastating result of this first revolt was the complete destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD, resulting in the end of the Jewish sacrificial system. The war was over April 16, 73 AD at the siege of Masada where 960 Jews committed suicide rather than be taken as prisoners.
“I fail to see how victory over a feeble enemy can be any indication of power.” – Josephus, The Jewish War 1.8
When the Jewish revolt against Rome began, Josephus was chosen to be the military governor of Galilee, a position he made clear he did not want because he knew it was impossible for the Jews to win against Rome. His job was to fortify towns and villages in preparation for a Roman attack. Josephus’ first battle was at a village called Garis, which he wrote about extensively. His army was pushed back to Yodfat, also called Jotapata.
In July 67 AD after a 47-day siege at the Jewish town of Yodfat, his army was overrun. The Romans killed thousands and survivors committed suicide, which for the Jews at that time was considered noble.
Josephus recorded that he was trapped in a cave with 40 others who had pledged to kill themselves rather than become slaves to Rome. Josephus opposed this idea and suggested drawing lots to kill each other one at a time instead of commit suicide (The Jewish War 3.8). Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, Josephus and one other were the last alive and chose to surrender to the Roman commander Flavius Vespasian.
Prophet or Traitor?
As a prisoner, Josephus claimed to have had a vision from God that Vespasian would become emperor, saying that it was revealed to him that God was using Rome to punish the Jewish people and he himself had been chosen to announce these things. This so-called revelation did not go unnoticed by his fellow Jews as extremely self-serving.
After Vespasian did indeed become emperor, he released Josephus in 69 AD, considering him to have the gift of prophecy. Josephus then acted as a negotiator during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, where his parents were being held hostage by a rebel faction leader, Simon bar Giora.
Jewish Prisoner to Roman Citizen
In AD 71, Josephus went to Rome with Vespasian’s son, Titus, and was granted Roman citizenship and the family name, Titus Flavius Josephus. His historical works were written in Rome under Flavian support. He was awarded a pension, a captive Jewish wife and a place to live in defeated Judea.
HIs married life was tumultuous. He divorced his first wife not long after they were married and took a second wife only to have her leave him. His third wife was an Alexandrian Jew whom he had three sons with but only one survived childhood, Flavius Hyrcanus. Then in AD 75, after divorcing his third wife, he married a fourth, a distinguished Greek Jewish woman from Crete with whom he had two more sons, Flavius Justus and Flavius Simonides Agrippa.
The Writings of Flavius Josephus
Josephus wrote four main works that are major sources of information to us today about the history and life of Jews and Christians in the first century.
His first work, The Jewish War, was written in AD 75. The account starts with the period of the Maccabees and ends with the fall of Jerusalem.
His second and longest work, Jewish Antiquities, is 21 volumes in length and was completed in AD 94. Here, Josephus gives a defense of the Jewish people by outlining the great accomplishments of Old Testament heroes such as Abraham and Moses.
Against Apion is a two-volume work that compares the longevity of the Jewish religion with the relatively recent traditions of the Greeks.
The Life of Josephus is an autobiography thought to possibly be an appendix to his book Antiquities where Josephus retells parts of the Jewish War.
Josephus adds important details to the dates given in the New Testament by linking Caesar Augustus, who called for the census of the Jews in Luke 2, with Herod the Great, who the Magi visited on their way to see Jesus.
Josephus writes about other biblical figures such as John the Baptist who he confirms was beheaded by Herod Antipas. He mentions Roman emperors Tiberius (Luke 3:1), Gaius, Claudius (Acts 11:28, 18:2, 23:26), Nero, Vespasian and Titus who ruled Rome during the early church.
Josephus writes about Roman prefects Pontius Pilate, Antoninus Felix and Porcius Festus whose names we see in the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. Other details are filled in concerning biblical figures and institutions such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Sanhedrin, the tetrarchy of Philip and the institution of High Priest.
There is a controversial passage about Jesus Christ found in Antiquities 18.3.3 called Testimonium Flavianum. Part of it says Jesus was a wise teacher who won over many Jews and Greeks, was condemned to die on a cross and “the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” Some phrases about Jesus being the Messiah and having “accomplished surprising feats” are thought by many to be added on by a Christian copist because they would be unlikely statements coming from a Jew.
Where Josephus’ information can be compared to other sources and archaeological evidence, he is seen to be extremely accurate for events in his own time and for history recent to his life. When it comes to earlier biblical history (such as the Exodus and the kings of Israel and Judah) he is less reliable, sometimes making inaccurate or contradictory statements.
However, he writes that he had access to ancient Jewish documents, including early copies of the Bible, that have since been destroyed. This makes his writings an intriguing source for investigators of early biblical history where one cannot be sure if a recorded detail is an invention, an unwarranted conclusion or an accurately preserved account passed down from ancient Jewish sources.
Conclusion
Josephus was an ambiguous figure who we know about from his own writings. He claimed to be a prophet, but his own people saw him as a traitor. He saw the hopelessness of fighting against Rome and, starting out as a reluctant Jewish military leader, ended up switching to the Roman side. There are many different ways to view him and no matter how we do, we are still indebted to him for his accounts given as a Jewish man who lived in Rome in the first century and witnessed the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem first hand and the horrible persecutions of the early Christians. The books of Flavius Josephus help us Keep on Thinking.
TOP PHOTO: The destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez (1791-1882), Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, Italy. (public domain)
