Proefschrift--Letteren--Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, 1995. / Titre de couv. : "Arbeid & bezieling" Résumé en anglais. Bibliogr. p. [447]-472. Index.

Thesis advisor: Kendra Eshleman / This paper reads Josephus' 'Bellum Judaicum' within the Greco-Roman historiographic tradition and argues that this work must be read within this context. Josephus adheres to the conventions of this tradition and an examination of this shows that specific objections raised by scholars who consider Josephus unreliable are better explained as him following these conventions. Josephus chooses to write in this tradition because it allows him to address a tripartite audience of Jews, Romans, and the Greek-speaking east in order to instruct all sides on the best ways to manage affairs between Rome and her subject nations. It further concludes that Josephus should be considered a reliable historian. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Classics Honors Program. / Discipline: Classical Studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1931. / Vita. "Select bibliography": p. ix-xii.

The Exodus story of the Israelites' slavery in Egypt and subsequent redemption was central to Jewish accounts of their national origins and was an important component of Jewish self-identification in antiquity. Although Greek and Latin sources appear ignorant of the Exodus story, ancient ethnographies of the Jews in non-Jewish sources claim that the Jews were originally Egyptian. This thesis examines how Josephus presents the Exodus story of the Jews' servile national origins in Egypt to a Roman audience who had biases against slaves, freedmen, and Egyptians, and little knowledge of Jewish origins apart from reports that they were Egyptian by origin. Josephus's first work Jewish War, a politico-military history, includes tangential remarks about Jewish origins, but implies in the proem that the Jews were originally Egyptian. Jewish Antiquities, which rewrites the biblical account of Jewish origins, explicitly denies that the Jews were originally Egyptian and deliberately omits mention of the Jews' servitude in Egypt at important points in the narrative where it would have been expected. In Against Apion, an apologia, Josephus subtly uses keywords and the rhetorical technique of insinuatio to prove that the Jews were not originally Egyptian without stating openly that this is a goal of the work. Several factors explain these results. Aristotle's theory of natural slavery, which posits that slaves are innately defective, was part of the ideological assumptions of first century CE Roman elites. Romans were also ambivalent about their own partly-servile origins in Romulus's asylum. Influenced by Augustan propaganda about Actium, first-century Roman sources deride Egyptians with a range of negative stereotypes. Josephus denies that the Jews were Egyptian and omits their servile origins at important points in the narrative where the Bible mentions it in order to portray the Jews as favorably as possible.

This research project concerns itself with the three disputed passages of Christian import as preserved in extant manuscripts of the AJ (Ἰουδαϊκὴ Ἀρχαιολογία a.k.a. Antiquitates Judaicae), viz.: AJ, XVIII, 3, 3 / 63 (i.e. the so-called Testimonium Flavianum), AJ, XVIII, 5, 2 / 116 -119 (i.e. the references to John the Baptist) and AJ, XX, 9, 1 / 200 - 203 (i.e. the references to James the brother of Jesus). Within the context of contemporary historicity research outcomes, and employing an interpretist/constructivist episteme, a series of critical analyses was undertaken aimed at verifying to what degree the three passages in question may be deemed to be in any way authentic and/or historically reliable. The result of the investigation proves beyond reasonable doubt that no reliable extra-biblical/scriptural accounts exist to support the historical existence of, inter alia, Jesus of Nazareth, James the Just or John the Baptist. Certainly, no such accounts ever appeared in Josephus’ original texts. Furthermore, and most importantly, the three passages are confirmed to be total forgeries initiated in the first four centuries of the Common Era most likely by Origen and Eusebius respectively. / PhD (Greek), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This research project concerns itself with the three disputed passages of Christian import as preserved in extant manuscripts of the AJ (Ἰουδαϊκὴ Ἀρχαιολογία a.k.a. Antiquitates Judaicae), viz.: AJ, XVIII, 3, 3 / 63 (i.e. the so-called Testimonium Flavianum), AJ, XVIII, 5, 2 / 116 -119 (i.e. the references to John the Baptist) and AJ, XX, 9, 1 / 200 - 203 (i.e. the references to James the brother of Jesus). Within the context of contemporary historicity research outcomes, and employing an interpretist/constructivist episteme, a series of critical analyses was undertaken aimed at verifying to what degree the three passages in question may be deemed to be in any way authentic and/or historically reliable. The result of the investigation proves beyond reasonable doubt that no reliable extra-biblical/scriptural accounts exist to support the historical existence of, inter alia, Jesus of Nazareth, James the Just or John the Baptist. Certainly, no such accounts ever appeared in Josephus’ original texts. Furthermore, and most importantly, the three passages are confirmed to be total forgeries initiated in the first four centuries of the Common Era most likely by Origen and Eusebius respectively. / PhD (Greek), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis I will examine and discuss the reasons given for the Jewish War of AD 66 - 70. Reasons put forward by modern scholars specializing in the study of the works of Flavius Josephus are examined and discussed. However, the bulk of my study centres on the reasons that Flavius Josephus supplies for the war as found in his major work Bellum Judaicum. One is lead to the conclusion that he firmly believes that reasons on the human and transcendent planes contributed to the catastrophic events that lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The worldview of this Jewish priest, general and accomplished historiographer was strongly influenced by the religious tenets of the Torah and the past history of the Jewish nation. He cannot countenance the wicked and evil deeds committed shamefacedly by his people against the clear standards that God had given to the nation, and believes that retribution by God will follow. He cannot forget occasions on the past when God intervened in the affairs of his nation by using a pagan world power to accomplish the purposes of God. He sees a similar recurrence of the events that lead to the destruction of the Jerusalem and the Temple in 587/6 BC being manifested in the Jewish War of AD 66 - 70. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word die redes wat vir die Joodse Oorlog van AD 66-70 aangebied word, ondersoek en bespreek. Veral die redes wat moderne geleerdes wat in die bestudering van Flavius Josephus se werk spesialiseer, word nagespeur en bespreek. Die grootste deel van die studie fokus egter op die redes wat Flavius Josephus self vir die gebeurtenis voorhou, soos wat hy dit in sy belangrike werk, Bellum Judaicum, uiteensit. 'n Mens kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat hy met groot oortuiging glo dat die redes wat tot die katastrofiese gebeure rondom die vernietiging van Jerusalem en die Tempel 'n bydrae gelewer het, op die vlak van sowel die menslike as bomenslike te vinde is. Die wêreldbeskouing van hierdie bedrewe geskiedskrywer en Joodse priester is deur beide die Torah se godsdienstige voorskrifte en volksgeskiedenis sterk beïnvloed. Hy kan nie sy steun aan die blatante en bose dade van sy volksgenote teen die duidelike standaarde wat God gegee het, toesê nie. Volgens hom moes God se vergelding volg. Hy kan ook nie vergeet hoe God in sy volk se verlede ingegryp het deur om goddelose wêreldmagte aan te wend om sy Goddelike doelwitte te bereik nie. Hy gewaar 'n soortgelyke herhaling van gebeurtenisse wat tot die vernietiging van Jerusalem en die tempel in 587/6 vC gelei het, in die aanloop tot die Joodse Oorlog van AD 66-70.

O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a compreensão de Judaísmo que o historiador Flávio Josefo desenvolveu em seus livros Bellum Judaicum, Antiquitates Judaicae, Vita e Contra Apionem. Através de algumas ponderações sobre a sociedade judaico-palestina do século I d.C. e das relações complexas entre História e Memória, pretende-se analisar Josefo e sua obra dentro de quadros que ressaltem os complexos e dinâmicos intentos literários de reconstrução e consolação experimentados por reflexões judaicas após a destruição de Jerusalém em 70 d.C. / The aim of this research is to discuss the comprehension of Judaism that the historian Flavius Josephus developed in his books Bellum Judaicum, Antiquitates Judaicae, Vita e Contra Apionem. By means of a few evaluations about the Jewish- Palestinian society of the 1st century AD and through the complex relations between History and Memory, the intention is to analyze Josephus and his work within the scenes that accentuate the complex and dynamic literary attempts of reconstruction and consolation experienced by Jewish reflections after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

This thesis investigates the problem of contemporary historiography and regime representation in Flavian Rome through a close study of a text not usually read for such purposes but which has obvious promise for a study of this theme, the Jewish War of Flavius Josephus. Having surveyed the evolution of our conception of Josephus' relationship to Flavian power, taken a broad account of issues of political expression and regime representation in Flavian Rome outside Josephus and examined questions relating to the structure and date of the work, I will provide a series of thematically-focused readings of the three senior members of the Flavian family, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian, as represented by their contemporary and client Josephus. Key topics to be explored include the level of independence of Josephus' vision, his work's relationship to how the regime is depicted in other contemporary sources, how Josephus makes the Flavians serve his own agenda (which is distinct from the heavy focus of most previous scholarship on how Josephus served their agenda), and the viability and usefulness of certain types of reading practices relating to figured critique which have recently become influential in Josephan scholarship. The thesis offers a new approach to Josephus' relationship to the Flavian Dynasty and sheds new light on contemporary historiography and political expression in the Early Principate.

O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a compreensão de Judaísmo que o historiador Flávio Josefo desenvolveu em seus livros Bellum Judaicum, Antiquitates Judaicae, Vita e Contra Apionem. Através de algumas ponderações sobre a sociedade judaico-palestina do século I d.C. e das relações complexas entre História e Memória, pretende-se analisar Josefo e sua obra dentro de quadros que ressaltem os complexos e dinâmicos intentos literários de reconstrução e consolação experimentados por reflexões judaicas após a destruição de Jerusalém em 70 d.C. / The aim of this research is to discuss the comprehension of Judaism that the historian Flavius Josephus developed in his books Bellum Judaicum, Antiquitates Judaicae, Vita e Contra Apionem. By means of a few evaluations about the Jewish- Palestinian society of the 1st century AD and through the complex relations between History and Memory, the intention is to analyze Josephus and his work within the scenes that accentuate the complex and dynamic literary attempts of reconstruction and consolation experienced by Jewish reflections after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD.