Josephus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Flavius Josephus, author of The Jewish War.
It is said that, in Britain from the 18th Century, copies of Josephus' works were as widespread and as well read as The Bible. Christians valued "The Antiquities of the Jews" in particular, for the retelling of parts of the Old Testament and apparently corroborating the historical existence of Jesus. Born Joseph son of Matthias, in Jerusalem, in 37AD, he fought the Romans in Galilee in the First Jewish-Roman War. He was captured by Vespasian's troops and became a Roman citizen, later describing the siege and fall of Jerusalem. His actions and writings made him a controversial figure, from his lifetime to the present day.
With
Tessa Rajak
Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Reading
Philip Alexander
Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies, University of Manchester
And
Martin Goodman
Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Oxford and President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
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LINKS AND FURTHER READING
Tessa Rajak at the University of Reading
Philip Alexander at the University of Manchester
Martin Goodman at the University of Oxford
READING LIST:
Jonathan Edmondson, Steve Mason and James Rives (eds.), Flavius Josephus and Flavian Rome (Oxford University Press, 2005)
Louis H. Feldman, Josephus’s Interpretation of the Bible (University of California Press, 1999)
Martin Goodman, The Ruling Class of Judaea: The Origins of the Jewish Revolt against Rome, A.D. 66-70 (Cambridge University Press, 1987)
Martin Goodman, Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations (Allen Lane, 2007)
Rebecca Gray, Prophetic Figures in Late Second Temple Palestine: The Evidence from Josephus (Oxford University Press, 1997)
William den Hollander, Josephus, the Emperors and the City of Rome (Brill, 2014)
Josephus (trans. G. A. Williamson), The Jewish War (Penguin, 1981)
Steve Mason (ed.), Flavius Josephus, Translation and Commentary (Brill, 1999)
Steve Mason, Josephus, Judea and Christian Origins: Methods and Categories (Baker, 2008)
Tessa Rajak, Josephus: The Historian and his Society (Duckworth, 2002)
Zuleika Rodgers (ed.), Making History: Josephus and Historical Method (Brill, 2006)
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Melvyn Bragg |
| Interviewed Guest | Tessa Rajak |
| Interviewed Guest | Philip Alexander |
| Interviewed Guest | Martin Goodman |
| Producer | Simon Tillotson |
Broadcasts
- Thu 21 May 2015 09:00BBC Radio 4
- Thu 21 May 2015 21:30BBC Radio 4
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