Roman–Jewish historian and military leader (c. 37–c. 100)
For other uses, see Josephus (disambiguation).
Flavius Josephus
Imaginary portrait by Thomas Addis Emmet, 1880
Born
Yosef ben Matityahu[2]
c. AD 37[3]
Jerusalem, Roman Judea
Died
c. AD 100[3] (aged 62–63)
Children
5 sons
Academic background
Influences
Philo of Alexandria[1]
Pharisees
Greco-Roman world
Academic work
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
Flavius Josephus[a] (/dʒoʊˈsiːfəs/;[8] Greek: Ἰώσηπος, Iṓsēpos; c. AD 37 – c. 100) was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing The Jewish War, he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry.
He initially fought against the Roman Empire during the First Jewish–Roman War as general of the Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in AD 67 to the Roman army led by military commander Vespasian after the six-week siege of Yodfat. Josephus claimed the Jewish messianic prophecies that initiated the First Jewish–Roman War made reference to Vespasian becoming Roman emperor. In response, Vespasian decided to keep him as a slave and presumably interpreter. After Vespasian became emperor in AD 69, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the Emperor's family name of Flavius.[9]
Flavius Josephus fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. He became an advisor and friend of Vespasian's son Titus, serving as his translator when Titus led the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Since the siege proved ineffective at stopping the Jewish revolt, the city's pillaging and the looting and destruction of Herod's Temple (the Second Temple) soon followed.
Josephus recorded the Great Jewish Revolt (AD 66–70), including the siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).[10]The Jewish War recounts the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation. Antiquities of the Jews recounts the history of the world from a Jewish perspective for an ostensibly Greek and Roman audience. These works provide valuable insight into first-century Judaism and the background of Early Christianity.[10] Josephus's works are the chief source next to the Bible for the history and antiquity of ancient Israel, and provide a significant and independent extra-Biblical account of such figures as Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, John the Baptist, James, brother of Jesus, and possibly Jesus of Nazareth.
^Josephus 1737, 18.8.1.
^"Flavius Josephus".
^ abMason 2000.
^ abCite error: The named reference Hollander-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Collins-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Ben-Ari-2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Goodman 2019, p. 186.
^"Josephus". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers.
^Mimouni 2012, p. 133.
^ abHarris 1985.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Flavius Josephus (/dʒoʊˈsiːfəs/; Greek: Ἰώσηπος, Iṓsēpos; c. AD 37 – c. 100) was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing The...
Antiquities of the Jews, written by the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus around AD 93–94, contain two references to Jesus of Nazareth and one reference...
source, Flavius Josephus, a Jewish rebel leader captured by the Romans, in whose service he became a historian. According to Josephus the long siege by...
In computer science and mathematics, the Josephus problem (or Josephus permutation) is a theoretical problem related to a certain counting-out game. Such...
the Jewish high priest during the years of Jesus' ministry, according to Josephus. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John indicate he was an organizer of...
pp. 96, 167. Josephus, The Wars of the Jews II.19.9 Josephus, The Wars of the Jews III.1.2 Josephus, The War of the Jews III.4.2 Josephus, The Wars of...
Josephus, also called Josephe or Josephes, is the son of Joseph of Arimathea and an early keeper of the Holy Grail in some tellings of the Arthurian legend...
are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman–Jewish historian Josephus. Herod also appears in the Christian Gospel of Matthew as the ruler of...
is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Josephus in the 13th year of the reign of Roman emperor Domitian, which was 94 CE...
Josephus Lyles (born 22 July 1998) is an American sprinter. He attended T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. His personal best of 19.93...
source. Lawrence Schiffman states that after studying Josephus and the Temple Scroll, he found Josephus to be historically more reliable than the Temple Scroll...
The Life of (Flavius) Josephus (Greek: Ἰωσήπου βίος Iosepou bios), also called the "Life of Flavius Josephus", or simply Vita, is an autobiographical text...
and doctrines such as the Oral Torah and the resurrection of the dead. Josephus (c. 37 – c. 100 CE), believed by many historians to have been a Pharisee...
Flavius Josephus. In the New Testament, the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas demands and receives the head of John the Baptist. According to Josephus, she was...
The Slavonic Josephus is an Old East Slavic translation of Flavius Josephus' History of the Jewish War which contains numerous interpolations and omissions...
Josephus Tan Joon Liang (born 15 October 1979), better known as Josephus Tan, is a Singaporean criminal defence lawyer known for his pro bono work. In...
ritual purity, and held a dualistic worldview. According to Jewish writers Josephus and Philo, the Essenes numbered around four thousand, and resided in various...
the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 72 to 73 CE, at the end of the...
Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862 – January 15, 1948) was an American diplomat and newspaper editor from the 1880s until his death, who managed The News &...
the two other major sects at the time, the Pharisees and the Essenes. Josephus, writing at the end of the 1st century CE, associates the sect with the...
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti (4 December 1735, Vienna – 17 February 1805, Vienna) was an Austrian naturalist and zoologist of Italian origin. Laurenti is...
Josephus. AJ. 19.9.2.. and endnote 1 ; Josephus. AJ. 20.1.3.. ; Josephus. AJ. 20.5.2.. ; Josephus. AJ. 20.7.1.. ; Josephus. AJ. 20.7.8.. ; Josephus....
The new complete works of Josephus by Flavius Josephus, William Whiston, Paul L. Maier ISBN 0-8254-2924-2 pp. 662–663 Josephus XX by Louis H. Feldman (1965)...
Macedonia. According to Josephus (Antiquities 1.6.1.), from Javan were derived the Ionians and all the Grecians. According to Josephus (Antiquities 1.6.1)...
Jan Carel Josephus van Speyk (31 January 1802 – 5 February 1831) was a Dutch naval lieutenant commander with the United Netherlands Navy who became a hero...
Global Information