Bibliography
| Title: Josephus and Nicolaus on Women Secondary Title: Geschichte - Tradition - Reflexion. FS Martin Hengel zum 70. Geburtstag. Vol. 1: Judentum Pages: 221-262 Type: Book Section Year: 1996 Abstract: Asen, Ben A. in: OTA 20.3 (1997), 514-515: "I. claims that all the powerful women of the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties who dominate Josephus' writings are literary creations of Nicolaus of Damascus, who wrote historical drama and firmly believed that women were the root of all evil. This belief results in women attaining prominent and often demonic roles on the pages of his writings, but whether his historical judgement of their roles can be believed is another matter altogether. Nicolaus' personal resentment of his heroines in some of the cases, and dramatic requirements in others, can easily cloud our vision of these women's real roles. Perhaps, then, a historian like Josephus, who totally ignored women qua women, and only wrote about them when they were absolutely essential to his narrative, is not to be relied upon. Man ancient histories, beginning with Herodotus, accord royal women a major role in influencing events through their counsel, intrigue and sexual irresponsibility. In his historiography of the Herodians, Nicolaus was not alone either. D.R. Schwartz (I.'s teacher), has shown that one of the sources about Agrippa I's rule which Josephus used, describes women as forceful actors on the historical stage. A story concerning the evil character of Herodian women is even found in the NT (Matt 14:3-12). I. wonder whether the morbid impression we have of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and its family intrigues is not the result of the same historical genre, and hopes that this study will generate similar criticism of other classical works whose negative portrayal of women has been uncritically accepted". Keywords: Specific Examinations of Josephus, collections of Josephus |