Josephus really intrigues me.
There is a question now whether or not he had access to a copy of Revelation based on some of his writings concerning 70ad Jerusalem?
I think this would make for a fascinating discussion, whether one is preterist, futurist, amill, etc.
First off, like the Apostle Paul, he is said to have been both a Jew and Pharisee, according to this source.
If so, wouldn't he have had some contact with some of the Apostles or Disciples of Christ at one time?
Discuss..........
Flavius Josephus | Jewish priest, scholar, and historian
Flavius Josephus, original name
Joseph Ben Matthias, (born ad 37/38, Jerusalem—died ad 100, Rome), Jewish priest, scholar, and historian who wrote valuable works on the
Jewish revolt of 66–70 and on earlier Jewish history. His major books are
History of the Jewish War (75–79),
The Antiquities of the Jews (93), and
Against Apion.
Flavius Josephus was born of an aristocratic priestly family in
Jerusalem. According to his own account, he was a
precocious youth who by the age of 14 was consulted by high priests in matters of Jewish law. At age 16 he undertook a three-year sojourn in the wilderness with the hermit Bannus, a member of one of the
ascetic Jewish sects that flourished in Judaea around the time of Christ.
Returning to Jerusalem, he joined the
Pharisees—a fact of crucial importance in understanding his later collaboration with the Romans. The Pharisees, despite the unflattering portrayal of them in the New Testament, were for the most part intensely religious Jews and adhered to a strict though nonliteral observance of the Torah.
History of the Destruction of Jerusalem & Josephan Studies Archives
Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest and Pharisee, was put in command of the national resistance in Galilee at the time of Israel's revolt against Rome. When he was captured at Jotapata; his life was spared upon his prediction to rival Vespasian, that the Roman general would soon become emperor. Upon the fulfillment of this prophecy shortly thereafter, he was commissioned to provide his captors with a history of the Jewish people, although he initially wrote a history of the Roman-Jewish war suited for both a Roman and a Jewish audience. His works, disputed though they may be regarding accuracy, are an indispensable source on the history of Roman Judea.
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Was Flavius Josephus familiar with the Apocalypse of John?
John's Revelation - “And there were noises and thundering and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.” (16:18)
Josephus - “for there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and any one would guess that these wonders foreshowed some grand calamities that were coming” (“Wars of the Jews” 4:4:5) John's
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Josephus Parallels? Revelation 16:19 and Wars of the Jews 5:1:1
Revelation - "Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” (16:19)
Josephus - “it so happened that the sedition at Jerusalem was revived, and parted into three factions, and that one faction fought against the other; which partition in such evil cases may be said to be a good thing, and the effect of divine justice.” (5:1:1)
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Josephus Parallels? Revelation 16:21 and Wars of the Jews 5:6:3
John's Revelation - “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.” (16:21)
Josephus - “Now the stones that were cast were of the weight of a talent, and were carried two furlongs and further. The blow they gave was no way to be sustained, not only by those that stood first in the way, but by those that were beyond them for a great space. As for the Jews, they at first watched the coming of the stone, for it was of a white color, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great noise it made, but could be seen also before it came by its brightness;” (5:6:3)....................
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The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD
Also see: Rapture refuted
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Roman: Emperor Nero |
General Vespasian |
General Titus | The Roman Army || Jewish: General / Historian Josephus |
Factional Leaders in Jerusalem ||
Administrators of Roman Judea Targets:
Jerusalem |
Herod's Temple // Maps of the Roman Invasion // Theological Timeline
CHRONOLOGY IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE WAR
Stage 1: Murder of James the Just, "Opposition High Priest" ; Irrevocable Split: 62
Stage 2: General Revolt in Jerusalem ; Zealot Occupation of Masada: August-September 66
Stage 3: The Campaign of Cestius Gallus and the Defeat of the Twelfth Legion: October-November 66
Stage 4: End of Collaborative Government, Priesthood ; General Flight: November 66 - March 67
Part 6: Vespasian Subdues Northern and Western Palestine: December 66 - December 68
Part 7: Three-way Power Struggle within Jerusalem After Roman Retreat: January 68 - May 70
Part 8: Romans Breach City Walls and Leave Jerusalem Desolate: May 10 - September 10, 70
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This is perhaps the best video I have seen concerning Josephus' Jewish Wars coinciding with Matt
