Josephus' effeminizing propaganda?

THE CLASSICAL QUARTERLY:

SELF-MADE ‘MEN’: THE PROGRESSIVE EMASCULATION OF THE BROTHERS ASINAEUS AND ANILAEUS IN JOSEPHUS, ANTIQUITIES 18

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 April 2026

The Classical Quarterly , First View , pp. 1 - 15
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009838826101190
Open Access

Joseph Scales and Isaac T. Soon

Abstract

This article analyses how Flavius Josephus presents the conquests of Asinaeus and Anilaeus, two robber-bandits who established a fiefdom in first-century Babylonia. In dialogue with common Roman tropes about gender and his previous writings on the notable physical features of men in times of war, this article focusses on how Josephus progressively effeminizes Asinaeus and Anilaeus. Although their military feats abound, their increasingly risky behaviour and their growing neglect of Jewish ways of life jeopardize their own character and the safety of their Jewish kin. With this strategy of emasculation, Josephus undermines those who self-interestedly seek power and influence.

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