Josephus
37 – 100 Judean (later Roman citizen) military commander, historian
Jewish general turned Roman historian whose works are the main source for first-century Judea and the revolt against Rome.
- Religion
- Judaism
- Affiliations
- Jewish rebel command, later the Flavian court in Rome
Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu, was a Judean priest and commander who led forces in Galilee during the First Jewish-Roman War. Captured by the Romans, he went over to their side, took the family name of the Flavian emperors, and became a historian writing in Greek under their patronage. His works, above all The Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities, are the principal surviving source for Judea in the first century, including the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Masada. His account is invaluable but written from the position of a defector reliant on Roman favor, which colors how he presents both the rebels and his own conduct. Later Jewish tradition long regarded him as a turncoat.
In the timeline
- 66 – 73 First Jewish-Roman War rebel commander in Galilee, later the war's chief chronicler
- 70 Destruction of the Second Temple the historian who recorded it
- 73 Fall of Masada the historian whose account is the main source