Flavius Josephus was born in Jerusalem in 37 A.D. His father,
Matthias, was a priest, and his mother belonged to the
Asmonean princely family. So distinguished was he as a student
that, at the age of twenty-six, he was chosen delegate to
Nero. When the critical juncture arose for his nation, through
the rebellion excited by the cruelties of Gessius Florus, the
Roman procurator, Josephus was appointed governor of Galilee
The insurrection proved fatal, for Vespasian by his invasion
rendered resistance hopeless. Subsequently he lived in Rome,
and the date of his death is unknown. The works of this writer
are monumental. He wrote his vivid "Wars of the Jews" in both
Hebrew and Greek. His "Antiquities of the Jews" traces the
whole history of the race down to the outbreak of the great
war. Scaliger, one of the acutest of mediaeval critics,
declares that in his writings on the affairs of the Jews, and
even on those of foreign nations, Josephus deserves more
credit than all the Greek and Roman writers put together. His
fidelity and veracity are as universally admitted as his
direct and lucid style is generally admired. His account of
his own life and career is a masterpiece in this category of
literature, for it is written with blended modesty and
naïveté. In many passages of this "Autobiography" he does not
hesitate to assume great credit for his own courage, probity,
and skill, but in each case the justification is manifest, for
he constantly refers to the tortuous and treacherous
machinations of his virulent enemies. The "Autobiography" is
from beginning to end a thrilling and wonderful romance of
real life, for the hairbreadth escapes of this extraordinary
man are among the most singular recitals in the whole world of
adventure. The whole story is unique, as was the noble
individuality of the man himself.
_I.--Priest of the Blood-Royal_
The family from which I, Flavius Josephus, am derived is not an ignoble
one, but hath descended all along from the priests. I am not only sprung
from a sacerdotal family in general, but from the first of the
twenty-four courses of the Jewish priests, and I am of the chief family
of that course also. With us, to be of the sacerdotal dignity is an
indication of the splendour of a family. But, further, by my mother I am
of the royal blood; for the children of Asmonaeus, from whom that family
was derived, had both the office of the high-priesthood and the dignity
of a king for a long time together.
My father Matthias, to whom I was born in the first year of the reign of
Gaius Caesar, was not only eminent in Jerusalem, our greatest city, on
account of his nobility, but had a higher commendation on account of his
righteousness. I was brought up with my brother Matthias. As a child I
gained a great reputation through my love for learning, and, when I was
about fourteen years of age, was frequently asked by the high-priests
and chief men of the city my opinion about the accurate understanding of
points of the law.
In my twenty-sixth year I took a voyage to Rome. My object was to plead
before Caesar the cause of certain excellent priests whom Felix, then
procurator of Judaea, had put in bonds on a trivial pretext. I was
desirous to procure deliverance for them, not only because they were of
my own friends, but because I heard that they sustained their piety
towards God under their afflictions, and that they simply subsisted on
figs and nuts.
Our voyage was an adventurous one, for the ship was wrecked in the
Adriatic Sea, and we that were in it, being about six hundred in number,
swam all night for our lives. I and about eighty others were saved by a
ship of Cyrene. When I had thus escaped, and was come to Puteoli, I
became acquainted with an actor named Alityrus, much beloved by Nero,
but a Jew by birth. Through his interest I became known to Poppaea,
Caesar's wife, and having, through her, procured the liberty of the
priests, besides receiving from her many presents, I returned to
Jerusalem.
Now I perceived that many innovations were begun, and that many were
cherishing hopes of a revolt from the Romans.
_II.--The Prelude to the Great Crisis_
So I retired to the inner court of the Temple. Yet I went out of the
Temple again, after Menahem and the chief members of the band of robbers
were put to death, and abode among the high-priests and the chief of the
Pharisees. But no small fear seized upon us when we saw the people in
arms, while we were not able to restrain the seditious. We hoped that
Gessius Floras would speedily arrive with great forces. But on his
arrival he was defeated with great loss.
The disgrace that fell upon him became the calamity of our whole nation,
for it elevated the hopes of conquering the Romans on the part of those
who desired war. But another cause of the revolt arose in Syria from the
cruel treatment of the Jews in many cities, where they showed not the
least disposition towards rebellion. About 13,000 were treacherously
slain in Scythopolis, and the Jews in Damascus underwent many miseries;
but of these events accounts are given in the books of the Jewish War.
I was now sent, together with two other priests, Joazar and Judas, by
the principal men of Jerusalem, to Galilee, to persuade the ill men
there to lay down their arms, and to teach them that it were better for
us all to wait to see what the Romans would do. I came into Galilee, and
found the people of Sepphoris in no small agony about their country, by
reason that the Galileans had resolved to plunder it, because of their
friendship with the Romans, and because they had made a league with
Cestius Gallus, the president of Syria. But I quieted their fears. Yet I
found the people of Tiberias ready to take arms, for there were three
factions in that city.
The first faction, with Julius Capellus for the head, was composed of
men of worth and gravity, and advised the city to continue in allegiance
to the Romans; the second faction, consisting of the most ignoble
persons, was determined for war. But as for Justus, the head of the
third faction, though he pretended to be doubtful about war, yet he was
really desirous of innovation, as supposing that he should gain power by
the change of affairs.
By his harangues Justus inflamed the minds of many of the people,
persuading them to take arms, and then he went out and set fire to the
villages that belonged to Gadara and Hippos, on the border of Tiberias,
and of the region of Scythopolis.
Gamala persevered in its allegiance to the Romans, under the persuasion
of Philip, the son of Jacimus, who was governor of the city under King
Agrippa. He reminded the people of the benefits the king had bestowed on
them, and pointed out how powerful the Romans were, and thus he
restrained the zeal of the citizens.
Now, as soon as I was come into Galilee, and had ascertained the state
of affairs, I wrote to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem asking for their
direction. They replied that I should remain there; and that, if my
fellow-delegates were willing, I should join with them in the care of
Galilee. But these my colleagues, having gotten great riches from those
tithes which as priests were their dues, and were given to them,
determined to return to their own country. Yet when I desired them to
stay to settle public affairs, they complied, and we removed from
Sepphoris to Bethmanus, a village four furlongs from Tiberias, whence I
sent messengers to the senate of that city, asking that the principal
men should come to me.
_III.--Governor of Galilee_
When the chief men of Tiberias were come, I told them I was sent as a
legate from the people at Jerusalem, in order to persuade them to
destroy that house which Herod the tetrarch had built in Tiberias, and
which, contrary to our laws, contained the figures of living creatures.
I desired that they would give us leave to do so; but for a good while
they were unwilling, only being overcome by long persuasion. Then Jesus,
son of Sapphias, one of the leaders of sedition, anticipated us and set
the palace on fire, thinking that as some of the roofs were covered with
gold, he should gain much money thereby. These incendiaries also
plundered much furniture; then they slew all the Greeks who dwelt in
Tiberias, and as many others as were their enemies.
When I understood this state of things, I was greatly provoked, and went
down to Tiberias and took care of all the royal furniture that could be
recovered from such as had plundered it. Next I committed it to ten of
the chief senators. From thence I and my fellow-delegates went to
Gischala to John, to learn his designs, and soon discovered that he was
for innovations, for he wished me to give him authority to carry off the
corn that belonged to Caesar, and to lay it in the villages of Upper
Galilee. Though I refused, he corrupted my colleagues with money, and so
I, being out-voted, held my tongue. By various other cunning
contrivances which I could not prevent, John gained vast sums of money.
But when I had dismissed my fellow-delegates I took care to have arms
provided and the cities fortified. My first care was to keep Galilee in
peace, so I made friends of seventy of the principal men, and took them
on my journeys as companions, and set them to judge causes.
I was now about thirty years of age, in which time of life it is
difficult to escape from the calumnies of the envious. Yet did I
preserve every woman free from injury; I despised and refused presents;
nor would I take the tithes due to me as a priest. When I twice took
Sepphoris by force, and Tiberias four times, and Gadara once, and when I
had subdued and captured John, who had laid treacherous snares for me, I
did not punish with death either him or others. And on this account I
suppose it was that God, Who is never unacquainted with those that do as
they ought to do, delivered me still out of the hands of my enemies, and
afterwards preserved me when I fell into many perils.
At this time, when my abode was at Cana, a village of Galilee, John came
to Tiberias and stirred a revolt against me, so that my life was in
danger. I escaped only by fleeing down the lake in a ship to Taricheae,
whence I proceeded to Sepphoris. John returned to Gischala, where he
continued to cultivate bitter hatred against me. Through the
machinations of himself and Simon, a chief man in Gadara, all Galilee
was filled with rumours that their country was about to be betrayed by
me to the Romans.
Hereby I again incurred extreme peril, but I took a bold course. Dressed
in a black garment, with my sword hung at my neck, I went to face, in
the hippodrome, a multitude of the citizens of Taricheae, and addressed
them in such terms that, though some wished to kill me, these were
overcome by the rest.
Although the multitude returned to their homes, yet the robbers and
other authors of the tumult, afraid lest I might punish them, took six
hundred armed men and came to burn the house where I abode. Thinking it
ignoble to run away, I resolved to expose myself to danger; so I shut
myself up in an upper room, and asked that one of them should be sent up
to me, by whom I would send out to them money from the spoils I had
taken.
When they had sent in one of their boldest, I had him whipped severely,
and commanded one of his hands to be cut off and hung about his neck. In
this case he was put out, and those who had sent him, affrighted at the
supposition that I had more armed men about me than they had,
immediately fled.
I dealt in like manner with Clitus, a young man of Tiberias, who was the
author of a fresh sedition in that city. Since I thought it not
agreeable to piety to put one of my own people to death, I called to
Clitus himself, and said to him, "Since thou deservest to lose both thy
hands for thine ingratitude to me, be thou thine own executioner, lest
by refusal to do so thou undergo a worse punishment."
When he earnestly begged me to spare one of his hands, it was with
difficulty that I granted it. So, in order to prevent the loss of both
his hands, he willingly took his sword and cut off his own left hand;
and this put an end to the sedition.
_IV.--The Failure of His Foes_
The people of Gamala wrote to me, asking that I would send them an armed
force, and also workmen to raise up the walls of their city, and I
acceded to each of their requests. I also built walls about many
villages and cities in Upper and Lower Galilee, besides laying up in
them much corn. But the hatred of John of Gischala grew more violent by
reason of my prosperity. He sent his brother Simon to Jerusalem with a
hundred armed men to induce the Sanhedrin to deprive me of my
commission; but this was not an easy thing to do, for Ananus, one of the
chief priests, demonstrated that many of the people bore witness that I
had acted like an excellent general.
Yet Ananus and some of his friends, corrupted by bribes, secretly agreed
to expel me out of Galilee, without making the rest of the citizens
acquainted with what they were doing. Accordingly they sent four men of
distinction down to Galilee to seek to supersede me in ruling the
province.
These were to ask the people of Galilee what was their reason of their
love to me. If the people alleged that it was because I was born at
Jerusalem, that I was versed in the law, and that I was a priest, then
they were to reply that they also were natives of Jerusalem, that they
understood the law, and that two of them were priests. To Jonathan and
his companion were given 40,000 drachmae out of the public money, and a
large band of men was equipped with arms and money to accompany them.
But wonderful was what I saw in a dream that very night. It seemed to me
that a certain person stood by me, and said, "O Josephus, put away all
fear, for what now afflicts thee will render thee most happy, and thou
shalt overcome all difficulties! Be not cast down, but remember that
thou art to fight the Romans."
When I had seen this vision I arose, intending to go down to the plain
to meet a great multitude who, I knew, would be assembled, for my
friends, on my refusal had dispatched messengers all around to inform
the people of Galilee of my purpose to depart. And when the great
assembly of men, with their wives and children, saw me, they fell on
their faces weeping, and besought me not to leave them to be exposed to
their enemies.
When I heard this, and saw what sorrow affected the people, I was moved
with compassion, and promised that I would stay with them, thinking it
became me to undergo manifold hazards for the sake of so great a
multitude. So I ordered that five thousand of them should come to me
armed, and that the rest should depart to their own homes.
It was not long before Vespasian landed at Tyre, and King Agrippa with
him. How he then came into Galilee, and how he fought his first battle
with me near Taricheae, and how, after the capture of Jotapata, I was
taken alive and bound, and how I was afterward loosed, with all that was
done by me in the Jewish war, and during the siege of Jerusalem, I have
accurately related in the books concerning the "Wars of the Jews."
When the siege of Jotapata was over, and I was among the Romans, I was
kept with much care, by means of the great respect that Vespasian showed
me. After being freed from my bonds I went to Alexandria, where I
married. From thence I was sent, together with Titus, to the siege of
Jerusalem, and was frequently in danger of being put to death. For the
Jews desired to get me into their power to have me punished, and the
Romans, whenever they were beaten, thought it was through my treachery.
But Titus Caesar was well acquainted with the uncertain fortune of war,
and returned no answer to the soldiers' solicitation against me.
When Titus was going away to Rome he made choice of me to sail along
with him, and paid me great respect And when we were come to Rome I had
great care taken of me by Vespasian, for he gave me an apartment in his
own house.
When Vespasian was dead, Titus kept up the same kindness which his
father had shown me, and Domitian, who succeeded, still augmented his
respects to me; nay, Domitia, the wife of Caesar, continued to show me
many kindnesses.
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