Flavius Josephus and Flavian Rome

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter, 2006 by Daniel Maoz

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS AND FLAVIAN ROME. Edited by Jonathan Edmondson, Steve Mason, & James Rives. Oxford, UK. Oxford University Press, 2005. Pp. xvi 400. Cloth, $135.00.

For readers familiar with the name Josephus--whether as a Jewish general named Yosef ben Mattityahu who fought in the Galilee in resistance against the Romans and then as a captive who bore witness to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem or as a Roman historian named Titus Flavius Josephus who penned thirty books including the JEWISH WARS, ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, AGAINST APION, and LIFE--s book offers a first look at what was occurring in Rome under Flavian rule at a time when the Christian Church was in its infancy. In a Preface, Mason notes that former Josephan studies have largely concentrated on Judaean and Roman history rather than, as is the case of this book, "on the author-audience context in Rome, where Josephus was writing." It advances the most recent considerations of a Jewish historical figure whose writings coincide with the study of earliest Christianity.

This collection of fourteen essays brings together critical approaches to the study of Josephus that are normally undertaken separately: religious and Jewish studies, Christian origins, classical studies, ancient history, archaeology of ancient Judaea, Roman history. It supposes that the thirty extant volumes of Josephus are rarely studied with a focus on the Roman audiences that they address. As Mason summarizes, the overall purpose of the collection is "to explore the extent to which [Josephus'] Roman situation affected his view of the world he wrote about" (14). This is carried out within the framework of three overarching units of study, coordinated by a detailed Introduction by Jonathan Edmondson.

Essays within the first unit, "Josephus in the Sodal and Political Context of Flavian Rome," contextualize Josephus' social and political position in Rome, postulating who might be the primary audiences for his works: Hannah M. Cotton & Werner Eck, Josephus' Roman Audience: Josephus and the Roman Elites (Ch 1); G. W. Bowersock, Foreign Elites at Rome (Ch 2); Daniel R. Schwartz, Herodians and Ioudaioi in Flavian Rome (Ch 3); Tessa Rajak, Josephus in the Diaspora (Ch 4).

In the second unit, "The Impact of the Jewish War in Flavian Rome," the focus is on how the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE was not only a turning point for Jews but also a source of legitimacy for the new Flavian dynasty. Once again, the Roman audience's perspective plays a defining role in not only what but also how Josephus portrayed this signal event: Fergus Millar, Lust Year in Jerusalem: Monuments of the Jewish War in Rome (Ch 5); T. D. Barnes, The Sack of the Temple in Josephus and Tacitus (Ch 6); James Rives, Flavian Religious Policy and the Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (Ch 7); Martin Goodman, The Fiscus Iudaicus [Jewish Treasury] and Gentile Attitudes to Judaism in Flavian Rome (Ch 8).

Contributions to the third and final unit, "Josephus: Historiography and Literature in Flavian Rome," explore to what, if any, degree Josephus was influenced by Greek and Roman literary and historiographical trends: Christina Shuttleworth Kraus, From Exempla to Exemplar? Writing History around the Emperor in Imperial Rome (Ch 9); Christopher P. Jones, Josephus and Greek Literature in Flavian Rome (Ch 10); Louis H. Feldman, Parallel Lives a Two Lawgioers: Josephus' Moses and Plutarch's Lycurgus (Ch 11); Steve Mason, Figured Speech and Irony in T. Flavius Josephus (Ch 12); Honora Howell Chapman, Spectacle in Josephus' Jewish War (Ch 13); John M. G. Barclay, The Empire Writes Back: Josephan Rhetoric in Flavian Rome (Ch 14).

Not every scholar will concur that the various critical lenses employed to address issues relating to Josephus' writings can be effectively choreographed into a coherent unit as the editors have set out to accomplish. In this reviewer's opinion, however, FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS AND FLAVIAN ROME will contribute significantly to the preparation of a new generation of scholars in classical, historical, and literary fields of study, especially as they become familiar with the writings of Josephus and his Roman audience.

Daniel Maoz

University of Waterloo

Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada