Josephus and the New Testament PDF
Preview Josephus and the New Testament
JOSEPHUS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT JOSEPHUS and the New Testament STEVE MASON HENDRICKSON P U B L I S H E RS PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS 01961-3473 Copyright © 1992 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 3473 Peabody, Massachusetts, 01961-3473 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-943575-99-0 Second printing — November 1993 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mason, Steve, 1957- Josephus and the New Testament / Steve Mason p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-943575-99-0 (pbk.) 1. Josephus, Flavius. 2. Jewish historians—Biography 3. Bible. N.T—Biography 4. Bible. N.T—Criticism, in terpretation, etc. I. Title DS115.9.J6M38 1992 933'.05,092—dc20 92-33067 CIP All translations of New Testament texts are the author's. Citations from Josephus are from the Loeb Classical Library (LCL) unless otherwise indicated. The Pilate Inscription on p. 104 is from the collection of Southwest Missouri State University Used with permission. The coins on the cover and on pp. 57 and 197 (First Jewish Revolt and Judea Capta) are used with permission, copyright © the British Museum. For Glenna, Cara, and Ian, the joys of my life Table of Contents Introduction: The Purpose of This Book 1 Chapter 1: The Use and Abuse of Josephus 7 Chapter 2: The Career of Josephus 35 Chapter 3: The Writings of Josephus 53 Chapter 4: Who's Who in the New Testament World? ^ 85 Chapter 5: Early Christian Figures Mentioned by Josephus 151 Chapter 6: Josephus and Luke-Acts 185 Conclusion: The Significance of Josephus for New Testament Study 230 Index of Subjects 237 Index of Ancient Sources 240 Introduction: The Purpose of This Book When I first became interested in Josephus a dozen years ago, I was discussing my new passion with a lawyer friend who also had a strong, though not professional, interest in the New Testament world. He said, "I must sit down some time and read Josephus right through, from cover to cover." We have since lost touch and I don't know whether his ambition was ever fulfilled, but I doubt it. "Reading Josephus through" is a daunting task and probably not the most efficient way to come to terms with the ancient author. When visiting a new city, we first buy a map of the place in order to orient ourselves, so that we get some idea of the "big picture." This book is intended as a kind of map to the world of Josephus—his life, thought, and writings—for readers of the New Testament. I offer it to all those who have bought or borrowed the works of Josephus, out of a keen interest in the New Testament world, only to feel frustrated at the obscurity of his writings. Every student of the Bible realizes that Josephus is ex tremely significant for New Testament study. He was born in AD 37, just a few years after Jesus' death and not much later than Paul's conversion to Christianity. He grew up in Jerusa lem and was intimately acquainted with the religion of Israel, its temple and its feasts, at one of which Jesus was arrested. He knew a lot about the important background figures in the Gos pels—King Herod and his sons, Roman governors like Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees and Sadducees—and he was a priest him self. Having worked for a time in Jesus' home region of Galilee, he wrote in detail about its fertile landscape and social condi tions. Josephus was reaching maturity at about the time that
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