Joseph (XIII)

Joseph. de Vita sua, p. 998. & Antiq. l. 20. c. 9.XIII. JOSEPH, Josephus, the historian, a Jew, sirnamed Flavius, the son of Matthias, of the race of the Priests, was born at Jerusalem in the first year of the reign of Caius, of J. C. 37. He was so well instructed, and made so early a proficiency, that at fourteen years of age the very High Priests consulted him in matters relating to the Law. From the age of sixteen to nineteen he busied himself in very laborious exercises in the wilderness, under the conduct of one Banes; and after having well examined the three principal sects which were then in repute among the Jews, he adhered to that of the Pharisees. At nineteen years Idem de Vita sua,p. 998. De Vita,p. 998, 999. De Vita,p. 998, 999.of age, that is to say, in the year 56 or 57 of J. C. he returned to Jerusalem, where he began to enter upon publick business. About the year 65 of J. C. being above six and twenty, he made a journey to Rome, to serve some of his friends. In his voyage he was shipwrecked, and out of more than six hundred persons, who were in his vessel, he and fourscore others only were saved by swimming all night. He obtained his friends liberty by Poppæa’s means, whom Nero had married in the year 62. It appears that he had three wives. He tells the Jews, that his wife was at Jerusalem. In another place he says, that Vespasian made him marry one of Cæsarea, whom he soon forsook to marry another woman of Alexandria.

De Vita sua, p. 1030. De Vita,p. 1000. De Bello, l. 2, c. 42. &seq.In the beginning of the war between the Jews and Romans, and in the year of J. C. 66, he was sent into Galilee, in quality of Governor. There he performed many memorable actions which he has himself particularly described in his books concerning the Jewish wars. Vespasian besieged him in Jotapata, a city of Galilee, where he defended himself in such a manner, as was admired even by the Romans. When they had taken the place, Josephus fled into a very private cave; where he found forty of the Jews, who De Bello, l. 3. c. 24 p. 850, 851.had already retired thither. They were discovered there at three days end; and Vespasian, who desired extremely to have him alive, sent three times to offer him his life. Josephus made some scruple of relying upon the veracity of the Romans; but at last determining to trust them, his companions opposed his resolution, and declared to him, that it was necessary for him either to die by his own hands or theirs. He made a fine discourse to them upon this occasion, to shew the unlawfulness of self-murder, and that it is a weak not a generous action. They were not to be wrought upon by his arguments; and all that he could prevail with them to do, was to draw lots who should die first: They drew, and the lot so happened, that all the rest being dead, he was left alone with one other, whom he persuaded without much difficulty to prefer life to death.

He surrendred therefore to Vespasian, De Bello, l. 3. 27. p. 854.who was inclined to keep him, in order to send him to the Emperor Nero at Rome. Josephus being informed of his design, desired to speak with Vespasian in private. He had an audience at which Vespasian only was present, with Titus and two of his intimate friends. Josephus foretold that he would be advanced to the Empire after Nero, and some others who should immediately succeed him: and to convince him of the truth of this prediction, he told him, that he had foretold the day upon which Jotapata would be taken; which by the relation of the Jewish prisoners happened accordingly. Altho Vespasian at that time did not much reckon upon the prediction of Josephus, the event shewed the truth of it soon after, for he was proclaimed Emperor in the year of J. C. 69. Sometime after he held an assembly at Berytus, wherein after he had publickly commended the courage of Josephus, he ordered his chains to be broken which hitherto he had been bound with; that so he might do him honour as well as give him liberty; for it was a custom thus to break those fetters which De Bello, l. 4. c. 38, 39. p. 900, 901.were put on unjustly.

Josephus attended Titus at the siege of Jerusalem, and he endeavoured several times to bring the Jews to a consideration of their interests, and engage them to have recourse to the clemency of the Romans. His remonstrances and discourses were all in vain: the Jews answered him only with affronts and curses. One day as he De Bello, l. 5. c. 35. p. 939.was speaking to them pretty near the walls, he received a blow with a stone, which laid him senseless on the ground. The Jews run out in haste to take him, but the Romans being the strongest carried In the year of J. C. or the vulgar Æra 70. De Vita, p. 1031, 1032.him off, and had his wound dressed. After the city was taken he procured the liberty of several Jews, and Titus besides gave him the sacred Books, which he desired of him. The war being at an end, Titus returned to Rome, and carried Josephus thither with him, in 71. Vespasian appointed him a lodging in the house which belonged to him before he was Emperor, made him a citizen of Rome, assigned him a pension, gave him lands in Judea, and always shewed him a great deal of affection. Titus expressed as much to him. He assumed the name of Flavius which was that of Vespasian’s family, because he looked upon himself as the Emperor’s freedman.

Amidst the leisure which he enjoyed at Rome, he employed himself in writing the history of the Jewish war, from memoirs which he had prepared for this purpose: he composed it first of all in his own language, which was a kind of Syriac; and this work soon spread among the Arabians, Joseph. de Bello, Prolog. p. 705.Adiabenians, Babylonians, Parthians, and Jews beyond the Euphrates. Afterwards he translated it into Greek for the benefit of the Romans. At what time he learnt the Greek language is not known. He confesses that he never could pronounce it well, because he did not learn it when he was young; the Jews having very little esteem for the study of Antiq. l. 20. c. 9. p. 703.languages. He calls upon all those as witnesses to the truth of his narration, who had been present in this war. And as soon Joseph. de Vita, p. 1026. Hieronym. de Viris illustr.as this work was finished, he presented it to Vespasian, Titus, and King Agrippa, who all approved and highly commended it. Titus ordered it to be placed in a publick Library, and signed the copy, which was to be lodged there; with his own hand; as being the original out of which the history of the destruction of Jerusalem was to be learned. We are the more concerned to remark these circumstances, in that the history of the war of the Jews shews the accomplishment of those predictions, which Jesus Christ before his death had delivered, and a just punishment of the sin committed by the Jews in crucifying him.

Matth. xxiv. Luke xix. 43, 44, &c.After Josephus had written his history of the war between the Jews and Romans, he undertook to draw up a general history of his nation, beginning from the original of the world, and carrying it down to the twelfth year of Nero; of J. C. 66, wherein the Jews revolted. He undertook this work at the instance of one Epaphroditus paphroditus, who is believed to be¹ Nero’s celebrated freedman, whom Domitian put to death in the year of J.C. 95. Josephus finished this work in the fifty sixth year of his age, the thirteenth of Domitian, and the 93 of J.C. He professes neither to add nor diminish any thing of what is contained in the sacred Books from whence he had taken what he relates. But complaints have been made against him, that he has not strictly kept to his promise, but has on several occasions, either suppressed, altered, or disguised some facts which are Possevin. Apparat. p. 967. 968.plainly set down in Scripture. Possevin has made a catalogue of the faults which are to be observed in Josephus, and many more might be added to them.

Antiq. l. 20. c. 9. p. 705.With his Antiquities he has joined the Books, which he wrote relating to his own life, at a time, wherein several persons were still living who were able to contradict him, if he had varied from the truth; and this account has passed for part of the twentieth book of his Antiquities. It is inscribed to the same Epaphroditus, to whom he dedicated his ten books of the Jewish antiquities. Epaphroditus dying in the year of J.C. 95, the book containing his life must be of the year 93 or 94. The principal part of this work is employed in describing what he did, while he was Governor of Galilee.

As several persons seemed to question what he had said concerning the antiquity of the Jews, and the history of them composed by him, he undertook a new work intitled Against Appion; or according to Eusebius and S. Jerom, Of the Antiquity of the Jews. He dedicated it to the same Epaphroditus, of whom we have made mention. Herein by a great number of Contra Apion. l. 1. p. 1033. Eufeb.hist Eccl. l. 3. c. 9. de Præparat. Evang. l. 8. c. 7. Hieronym. de viris illustr. c. 13.passages taken out of profane Authors, he shews the antiquity of the Hebrew nation, and the agreement of several antient and foreign writers, in relating many great events described in the history of the Jews. Lastly he makes an apology for his nation against Appion, and against some others who slandered it.

To conclude, there is a very eloquent discourse cited under his name with this title Of the empire of reason, which in some Greek Bibles is intitled, The fourth book of Maccabees; because in this he speaks of the Martyrdom of the seven brothers, the Maccabees, the history of whom is related in a more simple and concise manner in the second canonical book of the Maccabees. But 2 Macc. vii.we can scarce believe this work to be Josephus’s. First by reason of the difference of Style. Secondly, Because Josephus no where cites or speaks of it, as he does of his other works. Thirdly, because there are many things in it contrary to the Scripture, and the true history of the Maccabees. See our Preface to the fourth book of Maccabees, p. 420, 421.

Josephus has spoken very advantageously of Jesus Christ, saying that he was Antiq. l. 18. c. 4. t. 621, 622.the Messiah, and the Christ foretold by the Prophets; that he wrought many miracles; that after he was put to death, he appeared again within three days alive; that he had many Disciples, and that the sect of Christians, who took their name from him, Blondel des Sybill. l. 1. c. 7. p. 28, 29.was still in being. Some of the moderns have questioned the truth of this passage, but the Antients having cited it, and it being in all the copies of Josephus, we see no reason to give it up. You may consult, if you please, concerning this place, Francis de Roye, M. Huet in his Demonstratio Evangelica, & M. de Tillemont, note 40. upon the destruction of the Jews; and Huet. Demonstr. Evangel. propos 3. art. xi.lastly a little piece published in 1661 by Christopher Arnoldus, wherein he hath collected thirty letters from several learned men, who give their opinions on this subject, and nine and twenty extracts from different works relating to the same thing.

Antiq. l. 18. c. 7. Antiq. l. 20. c. 8. Photius Codice 47. Hieronym. de Viris illustr. Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 9. Vide apud Grot. l. 7. c. 6. Origen. in Matth. Græc. p. 223.Josephus has likewise given testimony to S. John Baptist in a very advantageous manner, and to S. James minor, bishop of Jerusalem, whom he describes by the name of the brother of Jesus called the Christ. It was before mentioned in his history, that the Emperor Claudius expell’d the Jews out of Rome, and that the Jews imputed the destruction of Jerusalem to the death of S. James minor. It is surprizing that he has said nothing concerning the murder of the Innocents; but there are many other things which have been omitted by him. The old Latin version of Josephus’s works still extant, is thought to be Rufinus’s, Priest of Aquileia. Photius expresses a great esteem for the history of Josephus; and S. Jerom makes a magnificent encomium on him: calling him the Livy of the Greeks. Lastly Eusebius says, that his statue was erected at Rome in consideration of his writings. We do not meet with his name in any of the sacred books. But as we cite him frequently in this Dictionary, and have borrowed many particulars from him, we thought ourselves obliged to mention him somewhat at large in this place.

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