The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus: A Biographical Investigation

the Parthians just at that time; the Roman garrisons had to be strengthened; one stood at the
eve of serious events. What could be more effective here than if a man who had organized a
great rebellion himself, was to provide testimony about the futility of such an undertaking?
The Roman emperors made the material available to the Jew, [256] which he required for his
literary propaganda. Time and again it is brought to the awareness of the reader that any
resistance to Rome is madness, but nowhere is it expressed more clearly than in the long
speech, which is placed in Agrippa’s mouth in 2.345 to 404. Josephus had already presented the
first book to his patrons and had obtained complete approval for it (Life 365); no wonder that
from now on material was made available to him in flowing abundance. Josephus had already
completed the first recording of the second book as well when one of the most important
documents was delivered to him, the survey of the allocation of troops in the Roman empire.
Its unique value and also its derivation from official documents have long been recognized. But
what is this document doing in the “Jewish War” if its function was not to make literary
propaganda? More and more it was recognized to what advantages Josephus’ pen could be
exploited; thus he became the officiosus of Roman politics.
Josephus, for his part, had to consider how such a document was to be accommodated
within his history; for the historian in antiquity there could be no doubt that only a speech
afforded the possibility for this, and Agrippa imposed himself as speaker; in fact, he did stand
behind the Roman government and had attempted to operate in accordance with them.
Josephus himself had already recounted that Agrippa attempted to reassure the Jews in a
meeting, who had wished to send a legation to Nero [in complaint] against Florus (War 2.342),
however, because of that [attempt] he had almost been stoned (406). 87 Here the place was
87
Arguably, no detailed evidence is required in order to recognize that Josephus first attached
the text [of section] 406 directly to the beginning of 344. Agrippa’s professed second speech is a
faint reflection after the long address that preceded [it]. The discussion about the deployment
of Roman troops disrupts the cohesive context. The original text read: Ἀγρίππᾳ δὲ τὸ μὲν
χειροτονεῖν Φλώρου κατηγόρους ἐπίφθονον, τὸ περιιδεῖν δὲ Ἰουδαίους εἰς πόλεμον
ἐκριπισθέντας οὐδὲ αὐτῷ λυσιτελὲς κατεφαίνετο· προσκαλεσάμενος δὲ // ἐπειρᾶτο πείθειν τὸ
πλῆθος ὑπακούειν Φλώρῳ μέχρις ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ πέμψει Καῖσαρ διάδοχον· πρὸς ὃ παροξυνθέντες
ἐβλασφήμουν εἰς τὸν βασιλέα etc. In order to insert the new material, Josephus shaped the
text in this way as we now read it. The expansion was thus carried out later, but it stands
absolutely within the viewpoint of the War, it is therefore certainly much older than the
Antiquities. Expansions in direct connection to the first recording are also proven for the
Antiquities [cf.] page 219.
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