Josephus: Patriot, Priest, Politician. His Vita and Contra Apionem as Witness to his Concerns for Jews and Judaism
| Zuleika Rodgers Abstract:Josephus wrote his Vita and Contra Apionem at Rome in the 90s CE. This was a period of enormous transformation internally for Judaism as the Jews attempted to adapt to the loss of their temple, land and holy city. Moreover, they faced cultural and religious prejudices which often resulted in serious political repercussions. Josephus, in choosing to defend his people in this period, indicates that there are historical concerns which he felt needed to be addressed and it is these which inform his literary endeavour. This thesis aims to provide an insight into those personal and national interests. The starting point for this task is Vita, which is a personal apologetic, and here it is compared with Bellum Judaicum. From our detailed analysis of how these two works treat Josephus’ actions during the war in Galilee in 66-67 CE, it is concluded that Josephus in Vita was responding to allegations made by Justus of Tiberias and this debate reflects the ongoing divisions between those who had held a moderate position with regard to the war with Rome. The orientation of Vita is one of inner-Jewish politics and the nature of Josephus’ response indicates that he wished to present his credentials, both to the Jews and the Romans, as a credible candidate to represent his people at the Imperial court. However, this stance was neither taken to further the cause of the developing Rabbinic movement nor to ingratiate himself with this group. Rather his qualifications resided in the fact that he was a priest from an aristocratic family who had attempted to unify the Jews during the war. Given that Josephus wished to take a role as a representative of the Jews and as Contra Apionem is a formal defence of his people, the two works are compared for points of contact. In Contra Apionem support for the position uncovered in the initial analysis of Vita was afforded and moreover the information brought to light, led to a clearer perspective on Josephus’ personal and communal aspirations. He defined Jewish identity for the Roman world in terms of the superiority of its law and lawgiver, but the polity which he describes as being ideal is centred around the Temple and the leadership of the priesthood. Josephus’ vision for the continued existence of the Jewish people included a special role for his own priestly class who could unite the people without the necessity of a secular leadership or state, which might threaten the Roman imperium. This thesis aims to provide a new perspective, not only upon the motivation behind Josephus’ work, but also upon the aspirations of his class in the post-Temple period before the revolt of 135 CE, which can be considered a turning point for the Jews both religiously and politically. |