The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus: A Biographical Investigation

The most interesting [aspect], however, may well be the report of the Jewish opposition
to the two Hasmonean brothers. The Jews make an accusation against Hyrcanus as well as
against Aristobulus; they also claim against the former that he has disregarded the laws of the
fathers and intended to enslave the people by force. Therefore Hyrcanus surely did not appear
as a weakly figure to them either. In Diodorus, the accusers contrast the situation in the past,
when the high priest led a free people, to the present where the rulers dominate an enslaved
people by means of mercenary troops. And Strabo (in Josephus 41) has repeated this
information from Theophanes even more pointedly when he blames Hyrcanus and Aristobulus
exclusively for a state of affairs that they found and did not, of course, amend. Surely this
much is correct, [namely] that after the very weak rule of Alexandra, Hyrcanus would have
inevitably made a move to seize the rulership, and it is understandable that the Jewish nobility
took the opportunity [so] offered in order to make an attempt once again to shake off the yoke
that was upon them. Thus, from all aspects Theophanes’ report really evinces the credibility
that we are to expect from this politician and writer who was active in an outstanding position
and who perhaps also participated in these very proceedings.
[155] In this section, therefore, the Antiquities provides us with truly significant new material
in comparison to the War, but – and this is the crucial [point] for our general query – this
material does not stem from the accepted common source of the War and the Antiquities, but
rather from an additional source [Nebenquelle], which Josephus had then combined with
the material from the War, and in doing so he took his new view of matters into account
in [his portrayal of] the details. This combination of the War with Strabo must still be
examined briefly; because we are now in a position to resolve the chronological confusion in
Josephus’ presentation, which has already frequently been observed. The War stated the route
very briefly: Syria - Damascus - Dium (131, 132). Strabo indicated the route more precisely:
Apamea on the Orontes [river], Lysias, Heliopolis, Chalcis (all these are sites in Syria), then he
crossed over the mountains and reached Damascus in Colesyria (Ant. 38 - 40). Both reports
therefore coincide with each other (cf. Ant. 14.104), only Nicolaus conveys it more tersely. In
the Antiquities, however, Josephus at first follows Nicolaus-War and as a result brings Pompey
to Damascus; but since Strabo reported that Pompey moved to Damascus from the winter
quarters (38), Pompey then had to be brought out of Damascus again. Josephus accomplished
this purpose by switching [the order] Syria-Damascus, which is the view in the War. Pompey
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