Josephus, Flavius Born A.D. 37 in Jerusalem; died after 100 in Rome. Ancient Je ish historian. Born into a priestl!

famil!, Flavius Josephus "ecame thorou#hl! ac$uainted in his !outh ith the teachin#s of the %harisees, &adducees, and 'ssenes, all of hich he descri"ed. &upportin# the reli#ious and political trends of the %harisees, he as active in political life. At the out"rea( of the Je ish )ar *++,73-, Josephus as appointed a militar! commander in .alilee, "ut after the defeat at Jotapata he turned traitor and surrendered to the Romans. /e acted as an interpreter durin# the sie#e and destruction of Jerusalem, after hich he settled in Rome, "ecame a Roman citi0en, and as appointed historio#rapher of the Flavian d!nast!, hose famil! name he too(. Josephus left four or(s *in .ree(-. History of the Jewish War descri"es events from 1+7 B.1. to A.D.. 73. *2ri#inall! ritten in Aramaic, it as first pu"lished in Russian translation in 1300. A translation into ancient Russian "! 4.A. 5eshchers(ii as pu"lished in 1367 under the title Josephus Flavius History of the Jewish War: Researches and Text.) Anti uities of the Jews descri"es the period from the 8creation of the orld9 to the "e#innin# of the Je ish )ar *Russian translation, vols. 1,:, 1300-. ;he or( !n the Anti uity of the Jews: A"ainst Apion *Russian translation, 1737- is an apolo#etic polemic a#ainst the first<centur! '#!ptian riter Apion, and #ife, an auto"io#raphical or(, as Josephus= attempt to >ustif! himself a#ainst the accusations that ere "ein# leveled a#ainst him. Because he used and cited man! valua"le sources and documents that have not "een preserved, Josephus= or(s have "een an important source for the stud! of the peoples of the ancient 'ast and the 5editerranean. ;he "asic tendencies of his or(s are a pro<Roman presentation of the Je ish )ar, attempts to >ustif! his "etra!al, and an apolo#ia for the Je s. Ra!mond F. &ur"ur# rites? @An evaluatin# the historical orthiness of The Jewish War, it must not "e for#otten that the $e%oirs are ritten from a Roman point of vie . Furthermore, the fact that Josephus is ritin# under imperial patrona#e tended to #ive the or( a pro<Roman "ias. A comparison "et een The Jewish War and the #ife does not present a consistent portra!al of the .alilean campai#n. Ba$uer, in &er 'uedische Histori(er Flavius Josephus suspects Josephus of deli"erate misrepresentation of details so that he mi#ht find favor ith his other patron, Cin# A#rippa AA.@ *)ntroduction to the )ntertesta%ental *eriod, p. 1+6-