Bibliography
| Title: Josephus' Portrait of Jehu Secondary Title: JSQ Volume: 4 Pages: 12-32 Type: Journal Article Year: 1997 Abstract: Harrington, Daniel J. in: NTAb 42.1 (1998), 121: "The space that Josephus gave to Jehu (see 2 Kgs 9:1-10:36) in his Antiquities (9:105-139, 159-160) indicates that Jehu was of very considerable interest to him. After discussing the portrait of Jehu in rabbinic literature, the article considers how Josephus presented him with reference to the cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, piety), his treatment of Jehu and civil strife, and his "improvements" in the story (clarifications, increased suspense, drama)".
Horst, Pieter Willem van der in: JSJ 29.2 (1998), 218-219: "Whereas in the Bible Jehu has the characteristics of both a hero and a villain, Josephus stresses Jehu's clever strategy and tactics, initiative, fearlessness, decisiveness, and moderateness. He omits the accusation that Jehu was lying to his colleagues as well as the biblical statement that he turned the temple of Baal into a latrine. Josephus makes Jehu's killing of the false prophets more acceptable to his roman readers by stressing that these people undermined the tradition of their ancestors, and he glosses over the accusation that Jehu had permitted the golden calves to be worshipped by saying that it is the people, not Jehu, 2who too, this initiative. Other negative traits in the biblical narrative about Jehu are treated in a similar way".
Kugler, Robert A. in: OTA 20.3 (1997), 513: "In another of his many articles devoted to Josephus' portraits of biblical figures F. deals here with Jehu, an ambiguous character in Scripture; while he is praised for annihilating the house of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kgs 10:30) he is also excoriated for failing to observe God's law and especially for continuing the worship of golden calves in Bethel and Dan (2 Kgs 10:29,31). After examining the portrait of Jehu in rabbinic texts for comparative purposes. F. surveys the way in which Josephus treats Jehu principally in Ant. 9.105-139, 159-160. In addition to offering a few enhancements of the biblical narrative regarding Jehu (2 Kings 9-10), F. shows that Josephus is true to his apologetic aims in his portrait of the king: Jehu is credited with exhibiting the cardinal virtues of which Romans were fond, he is shown to oppose civil strife, a societal condition despised by Rome, and his promotion of the Baal cult is explained away as the result of the people's insistence on such worship. The biblical link between Jehu and the arch-villain and chief sinner, Jeroboam, is also eliminated". Keywords: Antiquities |