The Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus: A Biographical Investigation

Life 99 and War 622 correspond to each other — only with the necessary shift in direction: the
burning of Gischala intended here is nothing other than a reverberation of the planned attack
of Tiberias according to Life 99. But from here it now follows further that, when the Life, in
addition to the attack on Tiberias that is consistent with its outlook, describes such an attack
against John of Gischala (101 - 102), then here again an inverse influence of the War has
occurred in the Life; because this story could not evolve before the existence of the War with its
definite bias directed against John. In other words: the Life was expanded after the
appearance of the War by a section that matches the bias of the War just as
much as it is contrary to that of the L ife (cf. page 60).
Once this has been factually established, we observe formally as well, that the report
about the attack on Gischala in the Life really is nothing other than an expansion of the old
text. The report about the bitterness of the Galileans ends in 100; Josephus has calmed their
zeal for war since he did not want to let it come to a civil war (ταῦτα λέγων ἔπαυσα τῆς ὀργῆς
τοὺς Γαλιλαίους). With this the final point has been definitively reached, yet the affair
suddenly erupts [88] afresh: again the Galileans gather together, again Josephus thanks [them]
for their zeal for war, again he is resolved to end the disputes without bloodshed: καὶ πείσας τὸ
πλῆθος τῶν Γαλιλαίων εἰς τὴν Σέπφωριν ἀφικνούμην (103).
This repetition of the events is naturally not historical but, as has now become obvious,
Josephus has duplicated the entire presentation of the theme in order to incorporate the
strike, newly derived from the War, into the Life.
In this case, therefore, only the very easy task of precisely differentiating the old
context from the expansion still remains. In sections 100 and 103 are the duplications that we
have already detected so often in Josephus [who used them] just like Polybius as a means of
interweaving insertions. Therefore the old text runs either from 99 to 103 or from 100 to 104,
or the transition is to be set in the middle. The second possibility is immediately discarded
because a new fact (arrival in Sepphoris) that belongs to the old part is given at the end of 103.
The fact that we now know that Josephus composed the War on the basis of the old context of
the Life is decisive for the choice between the two other possibilities. Now, the parallel idea
(War 623) that is at issue for our segment has nothing in common with section 100 of the Life,
in contrast it clearly presents an imitation of section 103. Not only is the structure the same (I
praised their zeal but I did hold them back since I wished to end the disturbances without
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