Bibliography
| Title: Josephus' Portrait of David Secondary Title: HUCA Volume: 60 Pages: 129-174 Type: Journal Article Year: 1989 Abstract: "In the portrayal of David in his paraphrase of the Bible in the Antiquities, Josephus did not provoke the Romans by excessive praise of the ancestor of the Messiah, but he did use David's qualities of character to answer the denigrators of the Jews".
"In Antiquities Josephus gave David a distinguished ancestry without stressing it unduly. He used the figure of David to answer the denigrators of the Jews; he noted David's wealth and ascribed to him the cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, and piety. Whereas the rabbis stressed David's religious achievements, Josephus appealed to the political, literary, and romantic interest of his readers. In deference to the Romans Josephus toned down David's revolutionary ideals and his role as ancestor of the messiah". - D.J.H.
"In the portrayal of David in his paraphrase of the Bible in the Antiquities, Josephus was confronted with a dilemma. On the one hand, as the beneficiary of so many gifts from the Romans, he could hardly praise David, who was the ancestor of the Messiah, and who ipso facto would lead a revolt against Rome and establish an independent state. On the other hand, David was a great folk hero, and his qualities of character could be used in answering the calumniators of the Jews. Josephus' solution was to adopt a compromise; thus he gives David a distinguished ancestry without stressing it unduly. He uses the figure of David to answer the denigrators of the Jews; he notes David's wealth to refute the canard that the Jews are beggars; he ascribes to him the cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, justice and piety to counteract the charges that the Jews were not original, that they were cowards, that they were immoderate, that they lacked humanity (a corollary of justice), and that they were impious. When David is elevated, it is not so much for his own sake as it is to increase the drama of the situation". Keywords: Antiquities |