The Text of Josephus's Works: An Overview

Abstract

In the past few years Flavius Josephus has been the focus of much scholarly attention, but no recent study supplies a comprehensive introduction to the text of all of his works. The present article aims to fill this conspicuous gap, examining the various types of authorities (i.e., principal Greek manuscripts, ancient Latin translations, and the indirect tradition) upon which the text of Josephus is based.

Josephus'sJudean War

“…the Greek text we use is reconstructed from a variety of manuscripts dating from the ninth century or later. these exhibit thousands of small vari ants, not surprisingly, but aside from apparent lacunae of a few words here and there, the text seems complete and readable in seven volumes (Leoni 2009). How and when Josephus composed the Greek history that underlies our manuscripts seem tolerably clear.…”

The Shepherd and his Flock: A Reading of Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities

“…9 The young Judean priest from Jerusalem, the shepherd of his people, was becoming the voice of the Jewish Diaspora in Rome. 10 He was now one of the Romans, yet at the same time had a unique outsider perspective. As we shall see, this "in-between" status becomes crucial to Josephus's identity as a historian and author.…”