| SeattleUte |
05-30-2008 04:41 PM |
Josephus a fascinating character
It so happens I've been reading a lot of Josephus lately. What a fascinating character. A Jewish noble and priest who received some Greco-Roman Classical education and a member of the Sanhedren and belonged to the Phariisees and the Sadducees (apparently to hedge his bets). As a general he led the Jewish response to the Roman invasion in Galilee to put down the revolt that led to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70. Apparently he was incompetant, becuase the Romans crushed the resistance efficiently (and we've learned how efffective a guerrilla war might have been), or maybe it was just becuase Josephus couldn't get along with any of the peasant leaders of the revolt, against whom he turned up his nose like a pompous ass. He wound up under seige in Jotapata and by his own admission committed mass murder on his own men in the most ignoble circumstances. They made a suicide pact and drew lots to see who would be the last standing, Josephus won and instead of keeping his pact to kill himself surrendered to Vespasian (likely he went last because he was the leader). He made an educated guess that Vespasian would be Emperor (Vespasian was the most powerful Roman military commander and Nero was about to self-destruct), citing some arcane Hebrew scriptures and a falling star (aping Joseph). When the "prophesy" came true he became a Roman citizen and practically Vespasian's adopted son.
When the Romans laid seige to Jerusalem he did, according to his account, try to persuade the Jews to surrender, even at personal risk of bodily injury, after he convinced Titus to execute only their leaders and spare the temple. But his wife's and parents' eventual death in the ensuing maelstron doesn't seem to have given him much pause.
In the end, he got the last laugh, living to tell the tale and becoming immortal and lionized by Christians, because of a couple of passing references or an opportunity for a well-meaing monk to interlineate a couple of passing references to JC in his narratives, which were modeled on Herodotus and Theucydides. Meanwhile, we are left with only fragments of Tacitus, etc. Who could ask for more than for the immortality of one's written works and to finally and for the ages settle scores with your enemies and justify every ethically questionable turn (to say the least) of your complicated and interesting life? I love Josephus.
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