Josephus, the Historian and His Society

Professor Tessa Rajak investigates various aspects of Josephus's life and thought in an effort to place him in the context of the Jerusalem high priestly aristocracy in which he grew up. She not only studies his judgments on the Jewish revolt against Rome, particularly their social and political aspects, but also explores the cultural and literary contexts of his writings. She underscores the consistency in Josephus's different version of his conduct, suggesting how each account reveals several renderings of what occurred. Furthermore, she believes that the influence of Roman imperial patronage upon Josephus's work is much less significant than historians suppose. Finally, she contends that Josephus was essentially a Jewish writer.