Josephus

Most notably, within traditional writings it is firstly a case of non-materialism alongside this egalitarian society hypothesised by both Philo and Josephus in sects such as the Pharisees, Essenes and Fourth Philosophy that can arguably also live and co-exist harmoniously when being practiced by a single person. The most common area agreed on by both contemporary and modern scholars is, however, the resilience of Jews and their ability to adapt. I find that by completely discarding the Lachrymose theory it dulls down the power of their resilience and their capacity to recover from difficulties: it instead needs to be paired with this ‘success story’. Thus, despite the plethora of Judaic sects in the first century CE, there are indeed many commonalities, as mentioned before these are: non-materialism, egalitarian, and resilient. This is not a complete list of all similarities, just the three…

Chapter Fourteen PAUL’S TRIALS The elders, including James, were glad to see Paul, but, because of the Jews, they were concerned for his safety. They suggested to Paul that those Jewish scalawags might be calmed if he were to take a vow. Paul was no stranger to taking a vow, so he did not object. But, before there was time enough to complete the purification ceremony, the Jews incited the people. They said that Paul was teaching against the Law and that he had brought Greeks into the…

It was night, when the disciples followed Jesus to Garden of Olives. They looked worried as they men stopped in the garden. Jesus left his disciples to go pray to his father (God). The disciples kept watch, while Jesus was talking with God. I saw Jesus start to shake and tremble, I wondered what was happening, it was as if someone was attacking him but know one was there. Soon he got up, while he got up, I saw a group of soldiers heading their way. Jesus and disciples came together, while the…

Throughout his complete works, Josephus identifies three main sects of Judaism that were present within his lifetime: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Throughout his different works he offers many descriptions of these different sects. He describes the Pharisees in the most detail, likely because he asserts that the Pharisees drew much support from the common man and that he himself was once a Pharisee (Antiquities 13.10.5). It is useful to help understand these three sects by…

the inhabitants of the city but to all Jewish culture. When examining the causation of this destruction historians turn to one of the most important primary sources of the event the historian Flavius Josephus. Josephus who was there for the occurrence gives scholars their fundamental understanding of this significant historical incident. Josephus in his narrative “The Jewish Wars” where he chronicles the struggle of the Jews with the Romans is where he records…

According to Josephus and Artapanus, ancient Israelite commentators, the Jewish diaspora in the hellenistic period was forced between two worlds, on one side, the values of the Graeco-Romans, and on the other the Mosaic law. Hence, in conformity with the Graeco-Roman period producing the most changes in Judaism, Josephus and Artapanus hellenized their biblical historical narratives as a provenance of advertising Greek culture on ancient Jewry. While Josephus attempted to earn the respect of the…

Flavius Josephus was born in Jerusalem in 37A.D. Two of his most important works are The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews. His works have become a major source of information to the western world regarding 1st Century Judaism and the rise of fledgling Christianity. In the first ten volumes of the twenty volume set of Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus follows the historical books of the Hebrew Bible beginning with Adam and Eve in the Greek language for the gentiles. In Antiquities of the…

During the Roman Empire, Jews and Christians were treated indifferently compared to polytheists. During the Great Revolt (66-70 CE), Rome invaded Judea and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE. In "Sources for the Cultures of the West" Document 7.1, Josephus explains how Jews were treated during the Roman invasion of Jerusalem. "The number of corpses that lay in piles everywhere was indeed a horrible sight...The number of Jews who died of famine in the city was prodigious, their sufferings…

This religious study will define the betrayal of Flavius Josephus in the First Jewish-Roman War and the haphazard application of the Jewish messianic tradition in regards to the victory of Vespasian over the Zealots. Josephus was a leader of the zealots during the early stages of the First Jewish Roman War, yet he was defeated and taken prisoner by the Romans at the city of Jotapata. The writings of Josephus reflect the haphazard application of the Jewish messianic tradition when he foretells…

by Flavious Josephus, a Jewish-Roman philosopher. Outside of the writings of Josephus, the only primary sources of the war are limited to archeological findings, which present evidence that has been interpreted in various, sometimes conflicting, ways by scholars. It is not unusual when examining a conflict that occurred in antiquity to have a limited amount of information, but it is still important to examine the sources from which our knowledge of events stem. Josephus authored his account of…