Review of Glas, Flavius Josephus’ self-characterisation in first-century Rome

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Flavius Josephus’ self-characterisation in first-century Rome. A historiographical analysis of autobiographical discourse in the Judaean War.

Eelco Glas, Flavius Josephus' self-characterisation in first-century Rome. A historiographical analysis of autobiographical discourse in the Judaean War. Historiography of Rome and its empire, 19. Leiden: Brill, 2024. Pp. 285. ISBN 9789004697638.

Review by
William den Hollander, Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary. wdenhollander@crts.ca

... Eelco Glas rightly treats the Judaean War as a sophisticated work of literature that has been carefully crafted to communicate to a concrete historical audience in a unique cultural context, first-century Rome. His careful historiographical analysis of Josephus’ autobiographical discourse makes it abundantly clear that Josephus’ writings need to be understood as complex rhetorical texts with their own structure, themes, and purposes, and that, consequently, they cannot simply be looked or sifted through to discover the ‘historical Josephus,’ an approach that has usually resulted in condemnation of his character. ...

I noted the publication of the book here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.