Who was Josephus, the Roman Jew? Jews of Italy pt. 3

Brief overview of the life and work of Josephus, important chronicler of the Roman-Jewish war and Jewish history to the 1st century. Part of the Jews of Italy series at henryabramson.com.

[@AbelieverofourLord]

I love these discussions and you have a gift of presenting them in such a captivating and informative way. Thanks!

[@georgetaylor5433]

This is no discussion, it is a one man show.

[@chooselife903]

Excellent teaching. You always have a way of making the details bring stories to life. Great lectures about jewish Italians. My family from Sicily were destroyed during the spanish inquisition ...of which i have documented from the Palermo inquisition lists...and I have brought my ancestors back to their true heritage by returning to Judaism.

[@TheSteven2418]

Berachot

[@robertomorales8286]

From Puerto Rico.Excelent lecture.Now i am reading the Jewish Wars of Josephus.

[@shches8480]

Thank you so much for this lecture! Definitely a favorite topic of mine.

[@michaelglynn4641]

Thank you that was a wonderful presentation of a summary of the life of Josephus fascinating fascinating fascinating much appreciate you please keep it up thank you.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you so much, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the class!

[@PortlandLife]

Thank you Hillel! Shalom aleichem from Portland Oregon! You keep me in touch with our people history in a place and time where that can be difficult.

[@gerardcosloy6946]

Dr. Henry, we love you. You are an absolute treasure of knowledge.

[@robertsias7107]

Thanks professor for your fascinating lectures on history

[@TaborsJourneyInKenya]

Shalom Thanks For Making These Videos!

[@gloriashayah2793]

Very awesome, as usual!! And I went to high school in the 70s too! As a side note, the proper French expression is «Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil» (I live in Quebec, and we use it quite often) 🙂

[@gloriashayah2793]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD Maybe it was used that way in Ontario? Here is a link that displays the use of the expression throughout the government of Canada (where I work): www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/plus+ça+change+plus+c%27est+pareil.html

[@tiamatxvxianash9202]

Your term referring to Josephus as a "Cultural Broker" was awesome. I consider him as a "Founding Father" of the Jewish Disapora. The Talmud's "He who saves one life, saves the world entire", I feel applies to himself also. He chose life; his life in order to help tell the tale. Although there is nobility in dying for one's country/cause, it takes a scholarly mind like Josephus to choose living for one's country/cause. Additionally I feel the "Trojan Horse" analogy can be used with him too. Sure he submitted to the authority of Rome, but he knew that he would be a historian of the "eternal" existence of the Jewish Spirit.

[@HBrawl-Stars]

We do like the jokes especially when they are bad!!😁

[@edwardmiessner6502]

That's why Mad Magazine was so good! It's publisher was Jewish, and nearly everyone who wrote or illustrated for the scrappy little 'zine at 485 Madison Avenue, NYC were Jews. Speaking as a Gentile.

[@Dovid2000]

Very good lecture, as always. Josephus remains a very important figure for our understanding the history of that 1st-century CE in Galilee and Judea. I would have enjoyed hearing more on your take of Josephus' views on Jewish Halacha/custom and where his take on them may have actually differed from what our rabbis say today. For example, in one place, Josephus says that when an Israelite is sold by the court as a slave (Hebrew bondman) and is given a gentile wife by his Master (to raise slave children unto his Master), if he decides to stay on, and works until the year of release (Jubilee), that his gentile wife and children are also released with him. This view, repeated also in the Aramaic Targum, seems to be a novelty, as most rabbis in their Codes of Jewish law do not see it that way. Nevertheless, this was an interesting lecture.

[@edoboleyn]

People on the internet don’t like the jokes?! They’re part of the educational experience!

[@satis8507]

very happy you posted this online, i used to despise josephus, but now i see he wasnt that bad for the jews, nevertheless i do think that he and the flavians made up xtianism

[@Tubulous123]

Thank you!!!

[@jancomestor4820]

I do like your jokes, dr. Abramson.

[@davidsavage6324]

I loved your "If Martians landed..." analogy, it almost seemed like you were Speaking Real Disclosure Between the Lines. You watch David Wilcock? Maybe someday a lecture on E.T. life in Rabbinic literature. Right off the bat, Aliens, Angels and Demons by Ariel Bar Tzadok has been quite an enlightening source.

[@daniel-meir]

It is a common opinion that during the Roman period in Israel Jews spoke Aramaic. But in 915 Saadya Gaon moved to Tveriya (Tiberia) and testified that even women and children were pronouncing Hebrew correctly and gave an example of a mother calling her son. This means that in early 10th century Hebrew was a spoken language at least there.

[@xUncleA123x]

I love your jokes, don't stop! :D

[@marcelomeireles2114]

We do love it! You should do a stand up set about jewish history, professor!! It would be such a huge success on internet!!! Imho.

[@jokas7732]

Josephus was a naughty boy. I look at his pictures, he looks like family. I can just imagine what was going on in his head. He paid a price, being cut off from his people, no doubt he had shame and torment for what he did, but without his ambiguous decision, we wouldn’t know what happened. If only he knew how it would turn out 2,000 years later. I’m mad at Josephus but I want to hug him at the same time.

[@micheldrichard7987]

Merci!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you for supporting the research! Thank you for being a Member and Public Subscriber!

[@justinpridham7919]

Epitome I think is this --> epi - prefix - taken from the Greek that means "on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, among. tome - a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thanks!

[@user-qr3kx8mo8d]

I recently finished reading the book "the Jewish war" and my impression is that Josephus was naturally exaggerating a lot of things, for instance he would say that the Jews harmed the romans very badly in a certain battle although the romans defeated them and then he would go over the numbers and say the jews managed to kill 13 romans whereas the romans slaughtered 3000 Jews. This example also, in my opinion, shows that Josephus wasn't impartial and as many critics say he was possibly kissing up to the roman emperor who would have to approve of his book in order for it to be manifested. That said, my favorite part in the book is the battle over the Galil where the description given by Josephus of that war and his own wittiness and the depiction of the suffering and bravery of the Jews was awe inducing (though very painful as a Jew to learn how much our ancestors suffered)

[@guywhousesapseudonymonyout4272]

Will there be a kosher riverboat tour on the East River? If there is one in the works, sign me up!

[@MRayner59]

Too bad half the audio isn't working.

[@davidsavage6324]

On the natural gas and oil: I seem to remember that besides the off shore Med. natural gas and, I think, some oil; The HUGE GAME-CHANGING natural gas and oil reserves discovered in the Golan Heights a few years ago, I believe, full legal status for exploration and profit was given to some Genie company will with a bunch of one percenters, I seem to remember Richard Murdoch and Dick Cheney. (This is old info, I've never looked into updates, so do your own fact checking of course.)

[@dgetzin]

Awesome - one of my favorite religion in antiquity scholars talking about one of my favorite unreliable narrators.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

The Josephus Problem (not Paradox) doesn't involve drawing lots. It's a counting sequence problem that assumes serial executions of people in a circle by jumping over a specific number of people each time. In this way it is possible to survive by placing oneself (and one's accomplice) on specific points in the circle. This has nothing to do with how the suicide pact went in The Jewish War, because they actually did draw lots each time. The Josephus Problem in math is a misinterpretation of the suicide pact story that assumes Josephus rigged the whole thing, from which it was conjectured that he simply used math to make sure he and his accomplice survived the counting process. However, it's impossible to do it the mathematical way if an element of randomness is added by casting lots.

[@LloydKrausAdjustableBeds]

If people listened to him Israel and the Temple would still be here but instead the call him a traitor

[@LloydKrausAdjustableBeds]

Josepheus explains why Jrerusalem fell:thou shalt not kill. How come no one talks about that

[@GodsOath_com]

Josephus was born a Jew but died a Christian. He wrote the first Bible Commentary at the same time as the Apostles were writing the New Testament.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Unlikely that he converted.

[@samuelbenitez4200]

Hey no volume

[@cindys9491]

If Josephus did say it, maybe he meant "he was the Christ to them," since he was talking about his followers.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Maybe

[@jimmyrodasmolestina979]

Moses was the first historian he wrote the first 5 books of the Bible under divine spiritual God's active force inspiration

[@jimmyrodasmolestina979]

@Janette Davis in 70 ce

[@MichaeldeSousaCruz]

Wasn’t Josephus the author of the Gospel of Matthew?

[@LloydKrausAdjustableBeds]

You have to read Josepheus that everything is judged on righteousness

[@sonofkingsolomon7900]

Did Paul and Josephus know each other?

[@Woman_in_the_Wilderness]

Why is there no sound in this video?

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Might only play in one ear.

[@Woman_in_the_Wilderness]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD oh yes, thank you!

[@irlserver42]

I love your lectures and all Dr. Abramson - but is anyone really buying that iphone case? xD

[@irlserver42]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD I think the other products are actually ok! Keep up the scholarship. I'm not Jewish, and seriously doubt antisemites would listen to a serious historical lecture about Judaism. Nevertheless teaching this history is very valuable to people not in the "Torah World" Keep up the good work!

[@TheSteven2418]

Joseph Atwell Ceasars Messiah Brothers and Sisters, sons and daughters

[@menachemsalomon]

I understand there is some disagreement about Josephus's stance within the Jewish community, whether he was aligned with the Sages (the Pharisees) or the Tzedukim (Sadducees). You didn't address this issue in this lecture, though I think you did in previous lectures. (Are you familiar with R' Avigdor Miller's position and comments on the matter?)

[@Qraze69]

those signs must be showing scrolls in 2d

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Hmm

[@andrejmucic5003]

I love your jokes!

[@dafyddaprhys782]

The truth of a man is one who sees God and not the truths of man. The essence of ‘Flavius Josephus’ is consistent through his writings. He did not fear God. He bent to his advantage situations as they occurred and was successful in winning his way by his nature into living within the Fluvian court. Therefore it depicts a character of self preservation so in the instance of acknowledging ‘Yeshua the Nazarene’ without further mention is quite feasible. He was pleasing the interests of his company. The Flavian family subsequently made Christianity the one faith of the Roman Empire so it would be most unlikely that Josephus would not have given mention or acknowledge this fast growing faith. But whether he did or not in today's Court of Justice he would possibly be defined as a unreliable witness.

[@cloroxlavenderscent4307]

Well the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty was Domitian.

[@govnak]

Sephus was a turncoat jew he made a pak wit rome he was 1 of the jews dat had a liscense todo after da ordinance of the heathens he wrote in favour of rome not da God of israel God of Moses abraham an Jacob

[@Sandhoeflyerhome]

One thing to bear in mind, Christians always point to Jo' mentioning "Jesus" and they say he was the first "historian" to mention Jesus. These two paragraphs are later forgeries and were dropped into the Jo story some 2 hundred years later. The paragraphs are totally at odds with the flow of the preceding and follows texts. Of a different style and are of n historical value, this is now the accepted academic position. Clearly a religious forger (which was common at the time) attempted to offer credibility to the Jesus story.

[@Sam-fp8zm]

Josephus was Christian.

[@gabrielmondragon7317]

B''H

[@smilemore1388]

soooo biased can you give me some normal history

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

I found this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal,_Illinois#:~:text=The%20town%20was%20laid%20out,the%20creation%20of%20the%20town.&text=The%20town%20was%20renamed%20Normal,incorporated%20on%20February%2025%2C%201867.

[@smilemore1388]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD Wikipedia is not a credible source

[@craigdylan3953]

Your "jokes" are not only distracting , but they are not remotely funny., Keep to the subject and stop pretending you have some kind of built in Jewish Humor...believe me, you don't. But the subject is interesting, you don't need to interject your pathetic 'humor'. Unless you have such a weak ego, you think your subject is boring and you have to lace it with 'humor'. You don't have it; keep it straight, use the Yidddisms here and there, but keep away from humor. It's like pretending to be a dentist or doctor: You are not. Other than the lame attempts at jokes I find the subject matter fascinating and of importance. " yeah he was a real jew, he liked eggrolls...." very bright for a thirteen year old in the Borsht Belt but not so bright now....

[@gregoryleonwatson8631]

Not only is Josephus writing for a Roman audience but he was "adopted" by Vespasian - a Flavian Ceasar , thus called Flavius Josephus. This was - some how - kind of left out. One has to wonder why such a adoption ever took place ? What did Josephus do to placate these Flavians ? At what lengths did he go to beseech these Romans to be rewarded by so much , during a time when Jews were being slaughteted and The Temple lay in ruin ? Should Flavius Josephus ever be trusted as a "historian" or a Jew ? Should he ever be trusted a Jewish Historian ? Perhaps all he should ever be known as is a teller of quaint stories. I , for one - albeit a humble one , think Flavius Josephus - a Roman puppet - can not be trusted and should be thought of as a shovah ( turncoat ) - a teller of lies.