The story of the conversion to Judaism of the Royal House of Adiabene, a satellite kingdom of Parthia, is contained in Book 20, the final book of Josephus's Jewish Antiquities. It is an ostensibly strange interlude in an otherwise chronological account of events in Judaea in the first century CE leading up to the Jewish Revolt against Rome. The narrative has often been thought of by scholars as a makeweight, copied from other sources, without much authorial intervention by Josephus. The thesis shows that the Adiabene narrative is no makeweight, but is crafted by Josephus to link closely to the themes of the Jewish Antiquities as a whole and indeed forms a coda to the work. The primary links are in the messages that Judaism is attractive to distinguished non-Jews, that Jews are a respectable people who can display Greco-Roman virtues and that the Jewish God is all-powerful and protects from harm those who worship him in piety. The links to the rest of the Jewish Antiquities are reinforced by the similarity of the characterisation of the hero Izates, King of Adiabene, with Josephus's characterisation of biblical heroes, and by a continuity of style of historiography, showing a definite authorial imprint. The thesis also concludes, contrary to most scholarly opinion, that Josephus viewed the hero, Izates, as a Jew before he became circumcised. The thesis concludes that much of the narrative's historiographical style would have resonated with a non-Jewish Greco-Roman readership, Josephus's probable audience, albeit his treatment of Parthian incest and extensive focus on circumcision would have probably seemed strange. In addition, Josephus's use of a royal Parthian as hero would have been credible, notwithstanding Greco-Roman cultural prejudices.

Title in German and English, text in German, abstract and keywords in English / This thesis deals primarily with the questions: Is Israel constantly chosen by God or have the devine promises gone over to the chuch? Are jews to be saved without the sacrifice of Christ? Should jews be missionised as gentiles alike? To give responses, the followings steps are worked out: At first an overview on the israelological models that have been opined during church- history is presented. Secondly church-documents are analyzed in spite of their missiological content. Thirdly an exegesis of Romans 9-11 is offered. Following this, those of the church-documents, whose israelology is closest to the witness of scripture, are presented. Finally a conclusion is offered, which states, that jews are constantly chosen, but not to be saved in another manner as gentiles. Therefore the church is continually obliged to bear the Gospel also to Israel. Jews and gentiles alike are to be saved by nothing but the blood of Jesus. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Text in German / This thesis deals primarily with the questions: Is Israel constantly chosen by God or have the devine promises gone over to the chuch? Are jews to be saved without the sacrifice of Christ? Should jews be missionised as gentiles alike? To give responses, the followings steps are worked out: At first an overview on the israelological models that have been opined during church- history is presented. Secondly church-documents are analyzed in spite of their missiological content. Thirdly an exegesis of Romans 9-11 is offered. Following this, those of the church-documents, whose israelology is closest to the witness of scripture, are presented. Finally a conclusion is offered, which states, that jews are constantly chosen, but not to be saved in another manner as gentiles. Therefore the church is continually obliged to bear the Gospel also to Israel. Jews and gentiles alike are to be saved by nothing but the blood of Jesus. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)