The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus: A Biographical Investigation

page 104 ff.) – in conformity to the orders from Jerusalem. In the following [period] as well,
this relationship is not yet changed at first. Admittedly, according to our conclusions Josephus,
in his administrative report, is dealing exclusively with the issues that concern him and his
administration of Galilee, and he never directly speaks about the relations with Rome.
Nevertheless, these play a complex [role] in the internal circumstances in Galilee
and discussing them allows [us] to identify a gradual shift with respect to Rome, even if the
facts that appear crucial to us are not [immediately] evident as such.
The exposition that Josephus gives of his relationship to Tiberias is most instructive in
this regard. The Tiberians were the ones who most disputed Josephus’ policy; 41 through John of
Gischala they became aware of the consequences of this policy, and they therefore attempted
in diverse ways to evade the pressure that Josephus exerted on them by virtue of his
connection with the robbers. At first they joined John who promised them protection from the
robbers apparently in another way than [that of] Josephus to whom they had to pay money for
the maintenance of the [very] troops with which he dominated them. Josephus sees in the
action of the Tiberians an act that was directed exclusively against him personally:
῾ἀποστάντας τῆς πρός με πίστεως προστίθεσθαι αὐτῷ (87). Since John did not afford the
Tiberians sufficient protection against Josephus, who in fact forced them again into joining
[him], they attempted it the next time with Agrippa, and requested that he occupy the town as
protection against the robbers; they were determined to defect from Josephus (ἀφίστασθαί μου
διεγνώκασιν 158) and to turn to Agrippa (θέλειν γὰρ αὐτῷ προστίθεσθαι 155) – thus it reads
with the exact same phrase that Josephus had used above. Obviously Josephus is thinking there
only about his very own personal position in Galilee. That any thought of high treason, [118]
which would be justified in the action of the Tiberians, is excluded is shown most convincingly
by the conclusion that ends the narrative in section 175 ff.: there Josephus explains to the
Tiberians that he, too, fully recognizes the magnitude of the Roman power, but that, taking the
robbers into consideration, he considers that the moment for joining Rome had not yet come.
They should therefore be patient and not be dissatisfied with his leadership. Thus Josephus
sees joining Rome as a desirable goal in principle, which is unattainable only for the time
being. At this point one is very obviously not standing within a war against Rome now either;
41 Therefore he also discussed them negatively throughout his works with the exception of the
War, which was intended for Agrippa and was not to criticize his protégés for that reason.
104