Bibliography
| Title: Was Josephus a Pharisee? A Re-examination of Life 10-12 Secondary Title: JJS Volume: 40 Pages: 31-45 Type: Journal Article Year: 1989 Abstract: "Josephus' "following of the Pharisaic school" was merely a function of his entry into public life. His "Pharisaism" is less pronounced than scholars have maintained".
The conventional view that Josephus' Life 10-12 is an account of the lengthy preparations through which Josephus put himself before deciding to become a Pharisee faces serious obstacles. It does not adequately explain the logic of the paragraph, makes Life 10-12 wholly incompatible with the larger context of Josephus' thought, and places weight upon the crucial clauses in 12b that they cannot bear. To judge by normal Greek usage, Josephus' usual practice, and the context of 12b, the main clause (erzámen politeuesthai) refers to Josephus' entry into public life. His "following of the Pharisaic school" was merely a function of this entry into public life and not a deliberate, considered choice. Life 12, therefore, can neither justify the attribution of anti-Pharisaic passages in Josephus to some other source nor serve as the cornerstone of an alleged pro-Pharisaic apologetic in Antiquities and Life". - C.R.M. Keywords: Groups and Religious Movements in Palestinian Judaism |