The Jewish War Book

Let us begin by preparing ourselves for Josephus' account of "The Jewish Revolt" with a breathtaking tour of The Temple Mount prepared by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.



With the loot from the Temple destruction and the sale of thousands of prisoners into slavery, Vespasian financed The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. Vespasian did not live to see the completion of his Colosseum. His son Titus, who defeated the Jews, inaugurated it ten years after his victory with games that lasted for more than a hundred days.

Thus, the destruction of the Temple devoted to the worship of God, the creator of life and the repository of human blessings, financed an entertainment facility dedicated to the worship of artful killing and death.

To make a cultural comparison, here is a virtual tour of the completed Colosseum.



Now we are almost ready for "The Jewish Revolt," but we need some additional information about its author since Josephus has become an integral feature of the story by his own treachery. In some respects, the reader is listening to a criminal spin his alibi. But listen we must, because this is the only eyewitness account we have of so many of the strategies, tragedies and gory details of the Jewish War. Like a cynical lead investigator, the reader has to sort through the contradictions of this apologia whenever Josephus appears as a player to come away with a broader sense of what actually happened at the scene of the crime.

Josephus was born into a priestly family. He was educated in a rabbinic school and studied with the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes trying to decide on which sect to join. After living with an ascetic hermit in the desert for three years of meditation he returned to Jerusalem as a Pharisee.

A few years later, Josephus is given a minor diplomatic role, traveling to Rome to appeal to Nero on behalf of some fellow priests who had been charged with an unspecified crime. He wins their acquittal.

Back in Jerusalem, as war is about to break out, Josephus sides with the moderates to argue against the nationalists who are willing to take on the Roman empire. When the nationalists win the day and war is inevitable, he accepts their appointment as commander of Galilee.

As the Romans reduce every fortified town and village in Galilee, they finally surround Jotapata where Josephus is holed up with a few survivors. Here is where Josephus' account becomes the cringeworthy indictment of his own character that follows him in his footsteps almost two thousand years later.

First, his troops catch him trying to escape from the death trap. He claims that it was only his intention to go out and rally reinforcements in order to return and rescue them. He manages to talk himself out of being executed by his own troops who then decide that rather than surrender to the Romans, they should each commit suicide. Josephus argues that suicide is a dishonorable death and that instead, they should draw lots to kill one another. Naturally, "lucky" Josephus draws one of the last two tickets and when it comes down to himself and a lone survivor, he suggests that they should surrender to the Romans.

When taken to Vespasian, Josephus makes the outlandish prophesy that his captor will one day become emperor. Hearing other Jews assert that Josephus has the gift of prophesy, Vespasian spares him. When the prophesy comes true shortly after Nero's death, Josephus is released and is literally handed the keys to the kingdom that will later award him a house in Rome that had once belonged to Vespasian himself, tax free estates in Judea and a pension to write his histories.

Josephus, son of Matthias, will eventually take the name Flavius Josephus in honor of his new patrons and write his history of the Jewish revolt.

The original text was written in Aramaic. Later Josephus has it translated into Greek for the Gentile community. Most upper class Romans were fluent in Greek as were Vespasian and Titus, who reviewed the text before releasing it for distribution. This edited edition also serves as an apologia for his tarnished reputation.

As a side point of interest, ancient scrolls were about 10 inches wide and 30 feet long. They were often referred to as a book, but by modern standards they would be considered a long chapter. Scribes were paid per hundred lines of script. In the first century, reading books was a rich man's pleasure. One can only imagine how magnificent and imposing the interior of the Royal Library of Alexandria must have looked with its collection of thousands upon thousands of scrolls containing the written word of the ancient world!

Now, back to "The Jewish Revolt" as told by a traitor and a scholar who was indeed an eyewitness.

Josephus begins his account by giving a history of the region from the Maccabaean revolt in 65 B.C. up to a very detailed account of the murderous reign of the warlord and despot, Herod.

After more than a third of the book, the reader suddenly experiences whiplash when a massacre of Jewish men, women and children makes war imminent. This is what the reader has been waiting for!

Agrippa warns the gathered citizenry against going into battle against an empire that has conquered nation after nation after nation. Even skeptical scholars suggest that Josephus was very likely present when Agrippa delivered his famous, passionate appeal, but that he greatly embellished it.

The nationalist faction wins the day against the moderates, but that factionalism will play out and devolve into fratricide within the walls of Jerusalem while both sides are battling the Romans laying siege outside.

The reader will soon identify the tactical folly committed by the radicals in assuming that they could possibly win a defensive war against the only nation on earth that maintained a peacetime army that trained strenuously every day, a disciplined army supported by calvary, archers and siege engines that the Jewish forces lacked. As a behind-the-lines eyewitness, Josephus gives us the only description of the composition, deployment, command and tactics of units of the first century Roman war machine.

There is a respite in the fighting as Rome finds itself between emperors and Vespasian lacks imperial orders. Finally Vespasian becomes Emperor and his son Titus assumes command of the Roman forces. In short order, Titus reduces all of the surrounding fortress cities and encircles Jerusalem. Famine, panic and desperation consume the city.

Surrounded by the Romans who breach wall after wall, Jerusalem is wracked by murderous, factional infighting. Time after time, using Josephus as a mediator, Titus offers clemency if Jerusalem will only surrender. Both factions reject every offer, executing anyone suspected of surrendering.

Breaching the final wall, the Romans enter without mercy and lay waste to the city.

Amid the smoldering ruins, Titus allows Josephus to help himself to any spoils from the ruins as a reward for his service. He passes on the loot but accepts some copies of the Scriptures, the release of his brother, fifty friends and several women and children of acquaintances lined up for deportation and enslavement as well as three friends who were being crucified. One of those crucified actually survives his ordeal. Titus also rewards him with an estate outside of Jerusalem as compensation for his former property within the destroyed city.

The looting of the Temple and the taking of thousands of prisoners deflates the price of both gold and slaves throughout the region. There will still be enough profit to build the famous Colosseum

It is only natural to assume that ten years later in Rome, Titus would invite his famous historian to join him in the royal box for some entertaining games in the Colosseum. The same literary lion who devoted nine pages of his history to a minutely detailed description of the wonders of the destroyed Temple. How could Flavius Josephus refuse his Emperor and patron?

Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant!
Hail Caesar, those of us about to die salute you!