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The Works of JosephusA note on how the works are referenced on this site.
The Life of JosephusTimeline Josephus' life in the context of events in Rome and early Christianity. Genealogy Descent from the Hasmoneans (Maccabees). The War
Image by Ritmeyer Archaeological Design. Josephus on the Destruction of the Temple Chronology of the War
HolidaysThe collection of all occurrences of Passover stories in Josephus' writing; with commentary. Pentecost / Shavuos Everything Josephus has to say about the celebration of the festival of Pentecost (Shavuos) -- including the most violent protest prior to the War. Sukkot The Feast of Tabernacles, with its great crowds in Jerusalem, often marked the beginning and end of dynasties. Here is a summary of these events in the works of Josephus Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur The holiest days of modern Judaism are barely mentioned by Josephus. Why? Purim Esther's story. Hanukkah Did Josephus censor his description of Hanukkah? WomenAn overview. Queen Alexandra The female ruler of Judea. Mariamme The story of the the last Hasmonean princess, whom Herod married to secure his kingdom, and their stormy marriage. Esther - Her Point of View Josephus' retelling of the story of Esther. "Trouble-quiet Sowers of Unrest": Representations of Women, from Josephus to Cary by Maria M. Oberg. Elizabeth Cary, the 17th century English playwright, drew from Josephus to compose her work The Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry.The manner in which these two authors portray the actions of speech of women is the subject of this engrossing study Rulers and NationsGenealogical chart of the Jewish rulers of Judaea, drawn from Josephus' account. Ancient Jewish Coins Related to the Works of Josephus The history of the rulers of Judaea as revealed in ancient silver and bronze coins. Gaza The relations between Judeans and the people on the coast have often been difficult, as Josephus relates. Modern Aspectsby Jim Bloom (December 2001) Remarks on Josephus in the Light of Current Events: 2001 by G. J. Goldberg (December 2001) LinksJosephus Works at PACE: Brill, Whiston and Greek Josephus Bibliography On-Line at PACE Perseus Greek Texts and Translations Resource Pages for Biblical Studies New Testament Gateway Ritmeyer Archaeological Design Categorized Josephus LinksJosephus in GeneralArticles Archaeology and Josephus Judaism and Early Christianity Language Literary Works Connected to Josephus  |
Josephus' Account of Jesus: The Testimonium FlavianumThe earliest description of Jesus outside of the Gospels is found in Josephus' Jewish Antiquities. Yet for centuries scholars have doubted that a Jewish writer could have written an account that contains basic tenets of Christian belief. This conflict is resolved by understanding the source of Josephus' composition. In the following article published in 2022, Josephus's methods for paraphrasing his sources are examined in depth. Josephus's Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianumby Gary J. Goldberg published in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus: Volume 20, Issue 1 (Feb 2022)This article is Open Access and available here for download: Josephus's Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianum(PDF). An online version can be read here. Abstract The controversial account of Jesus found in Josephus's Jewish Antiquities 18.63-64, known as the Testimonium Flavianum, has puzzling similarities to Luke 24.18-24, a portion of the Emmaus narrative. This article proposes an explanation based on established research into Josephus's methods of composition. Through a phrase-by-phrase study, this article finds that the Testimonium can be derived from the Emmaus narrative using transformations Josephus is demonstrated to have employed in paraphrasing known sources for the Antiquities. Precedents are identified in word adoption/ substitution and content modification. Consequently, I submit that the Testimonium The following articles summarize and expand on this research. In this post, I give an introduction to the paraphrase article and its implications. 2. Evaluating the Josephus-Jesus Paraphrase Model The Basis for the New Approach to the TestimoniumThe 2022 article on Josephus's paraphrase makes reference to the 1995 article that first outlined the coincidences with the Emmaus narrative. The earlier article may be downloaded here (PDF file):
The Coincidences of the Testimonium of Josephus and the Emmaus Narrative of Luke, by G. J. Goldberg The Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 13 (1995) pp. 59-77 Note: The following articles elaborate on the 1995 article. They have yet to be upgraded to include the evidence and arguments of the 2022 article.
Introduction. 1. The Mystery of Josephus' Jesus Account 2. The Josephus-Luke Connection 3. The Testimonium-Luke Comparison Table 4. Statistical Analysis of Jesus Texts 5. Quantitative Content Analysis of Jesus Texts 6. Critique of John Meier's Argument in A Marginal Jew in Light of the Lukan Connection 7. Conclusions: Answers to Frequently Asked Testimonium Questions 8. Testimonium Bibliography The New TestamentSide-by-side comparison of Josephus and the New Testament. Jesus of Nazareth All of the references by Josephus to Jesus, James, and Pontius Pilate John the Baptist A discussion of Josephus' account of John the Baptist and its relation to New Testament passages. The Star of Bethlehem Speculation on a prophetic image. Honi the Circle-Drawer A popular miracle-worker is killed in Jerusalem at Passover. Mail and Frequently Asked QuestionsWhere does Josephus tell the story of Masada? Does Josephus describe Jesus' physical appearance? What are the oldest manuscripts we have of Josephus' works? Did Josephus write the "Discourse on Hades?" Could Luke and Josephus both be right about Lysanias, Tetrach of Abilene? What are your credentials? Josephus in America Josephus on Audio Archaeological Correction: Gamla and Cana The Veil of the Temple A Rope on the High Priest? Michal's Idol Translating the Sodomites Books and Articles
Editions of Josephus MONTY PYTHON AND THE WORKS OF JOSEPHUS "What Jesus blatantly fails to appreciate is that it's the meek who are the problem." First-Century Judaea  |
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What's NewNote: To make use of newer technology, latest articles are currently being posted at
JosephusBlog.org. Latest post Evaluating the Josephus-Jesus Paraphrase ModelThe origin of Josephus's passage about Jesus is best explained by the paraphrase model detailed in "Josephus's Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianum". In this post, I expand on the article with a convenient color-coded summary that displays the paraphrase evidence at a glance. I also elaborate on the difference between this model and earlier proposals and discuss some of the implications for the dating of the gospels and the nature of early relations between Christians and Jews.
Recently Added New Solution to the Josephus-Jesus Mystery Brings Fresh Evidence To a Problem Long Thought Unsolvable
The journal article is:Josephus's Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianumby Gary J. Goldberg Published in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus: Volume 20, Issue 1 (Feb 2022)This article is published on the Brill JSHJ site as Open Access and is available here for download: Josephus's Paraphrase Style and the Testimonium Flavianum(PDF).
King David's PandemicJanuary 29, 2022
The Bible tells the story of a nation-wide pandemic under King David, circa 1000 BCE. The terrible plague was attributed to a mysterious sin by the king and ended with an act of redemption of great consequence to Jewish history: the establishment of the site of the Jerusalem Temple. When Josephus retold this story for a skeptical Roman audience in the first century CE, he struggled with having to explain the actions of a just Deity who unleashes a deadly disease upon an innocent populace. In this article I will examine how Josephus changed the story to emphasize the human suffering and heroism during the plague. And I will try to relate the story to the current global pandemic, which began circa November 2019 CE.
The Asteroid, Sodom, and Josephus Dec 2, 2021
The recent conclusion that an asteroid or comet caused the destruction of urban centers in the Jordan Valley over 3600 years ago leads to serious consideration as to whether the cataclysm was the source of the biblical story of the destruction of Sodom. The plausibility of this identification depends on whether the time and place of the biblical story can be reconciled. On this, Josephus provides some critical information. He also wrestles with the plausibility and meaning of the mass destruction for his skeptical non-Jewish readers. And why was this event intertwined with the story of Abraham? Updated Link Steve Mason's PACE website has a new home as of June 2021.
The Flavius Josephus Home Page address is www.Josephus.org. Please send comments to: gary@josephus.org Last update: July 8, 2012  |
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The image of Josephus at the top of this page is from the frontispiece of the 1792 edition of the works of Josephus translated by Thomas Bradshaw. It shows, oddly enough, the Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva "attending Josephus, who is Composing his WORKS according to the LIGHT of unerring TRUTH."
The Flavius Josephus Home Page is edited by G. J. Goldberg
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