Pt 2
Josephus's second work, the "Jewish Antiquities" (
Ioudaike Archaiologia), contains in twenty books the whole
history of the Jews from the
Creation to the outbreak of the revolt in A.D. 66. Books I-XI are based on the text of the
Septuagint, though at times he also repeats traditional explanations current among the
Jews in later times. He also quotes numerous passages from Greek authors whose writings are now lost. On the other hand he made allowance for the tastes of his
Gentile contemporaries by arbitrary omissions as well as by the free embellishment of certain scenes. Books XII-XX, in which he speaks of the times preceding the coming of
Christ and the foundation of
Christianity, are our only sources for many historical events. In these the value of the statements is enhanced by the insertion of dates which are otherwise wanting, and by the citation of authentic documents which confirm and supplement the
Biblical narrative. The story of
Herod the Great is contained in books XV-XVII. Book XVIII contains in chapter iii the celebrated passage in which mention is made of the
Redeemer in the following words:
About this time lived
Jesus, a man full of wisdom, if indeed one may call Him a man. For He was the doer of incredible things, and the teacher of such as gladly received the
truth. He thus attracted to Himself many
Jews and many of the
Gentiles. He was the
Christ. On the accusation of the leading men of our people,
Pilate condemned Him to death upon the cross; nevertheless those who had previously
loved Him still remained faithful to Him. For on the third day He again appeared to them living, just as, in addition to a thousand other marvellous things,
prophets sent by
God had foretold. And to the present day the race of those who call themselves
Christians after Him has not ceased.
Attempts have been made to refute the objections brought against this passage both for internal and external reasons, but the difficulty has not been definitively settled. The passage seems to suffer from repeated interpolations. The fact that the "Antiquities" testifies to the truth of
Divine Revelation among the
Jews as among the
Christians, and confirms the historical facts related in the
Bible by the incontrovertible testimony of
pagan authors, renders this work of Josephus of extreme value for the history of the chosen people. The accounts which he gives of the rise and mutual relations of the different
Jewish sects, which are so important in the history and sufferings of the
Saviour; his information regarding the corruption of the ancient
Jewish customs and institutions; his statement concerning the internal conflicts of the
Jews, and lastly his account of the last war with the Romans, which put an end to the national independence of the
Jews, are of prime importance as historical sources.
In his "Autobiography" (
phlaouiou Iosepou bios), written A.D. 90, Josephus seeks, not without attempts at self-glorification, to justify his position at the beginning of the
Jewish rising. In plan and language the book is probably influenced by the writings of Nicholas of Damascus, which Josephus had also used in the "Antiquities". His work entitled "Against Apion" (
Kata Apionos), divided in two books, is a defence of the great antiquity of the
Jews and a refutation of the charges which had been brought against them by the grammarian Apion of Alexandria on the occasion of an embassy to the Emperor Caligula.
The early
Christians were zealous readers of Josephus's "History of the Jews", and the
Fathers of the Church, such as
Jerome and
Ambrose, as well as the early ecclesiastical historians like
Eusebius, are fond of quoting him in their works.
St. Chrysostom calls him a useful expounder of the historical books of the
Old Testament. The works of Josephus were translated into Latin at an early date. After the art of printing had been discovered, they were circulated in all languages. The first German translation was edited by the
Strasburg Reformer Kaspar Hedio, in 1531, and a French translation was issued by Burgoing in
Lyons in 1558. Among the best-known translations in English is that by Whiston (London, 1737), revised by Shilleto (5 vols., London, 1888-9). In the middle of the nineteenth century the interest in the "Jewish Antiquities" was revived by a translation which the
Society of St. Charles Borromeo induced
Professor Konrad Martin, afterwards
Bishop of
Paderborn, to undertake in collaboration with Franz Kaulen (1st ed., Cologne, 1852-3; 2nd and 3rd ed. by Kaulen, 1883 and 1892). The test of Josephus's works has been published by Dindorf in Greek and Latin (2 vols., Paris, 1845-47) and Bekker (6 vols., Leipzig, 1855-6). There are critical editions by Naber, (Leipzig, 1888-96) and Niese (7 vols., Berlin, 1887-95; text only, 6 vols., Berlin, 1888-95). [size=-2]Consult SCHÜRER in Realencycl. für prot. Theol., s. v.; MÜLLER, Christus bei Flavius Josephus; EDERSHEIM in Dict. Christ. Biog., s.v. For fuller bibliography see SCHÜRER, Gesch. des jud. Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, I (3rd ed., Leipzig, 1901), 98-106.[/size] KARL HOEBER
Transcribed by Stephen W. Shackelford
In Memory of my father, Carl W. Shackelford
Source:-
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08522a.htm