Flavius Josephus (ca. 37-100 CE)
Seminar with Dr. David Trobisch

Short Description*

Josephus, the first century Judean historian, writes about Jesus of Nazareth, John the Baptist, Pilate, James the Just, the fall of Jerusalem, Pharisees and Sadducees, the canon of Jewish Scripture and many other topics half a century before the New Testament was put together and published for the first time. His geographic descriptions have been validated by modern archeology, his portrayal of the religious scene at the time of Jesus forms a welcome contrast to the descriptions from the Dead Sea Scrolls and from Early Christian writings.

We will start with his autobiography (Life) and then read excerpts from his other three books: Jewish War, Antiquities, Against Apion. The objective is to equip you with enough background information to read and enjoy his books on your own.

Homework

If there is a passage you would like to read in class and have us discuss it, note it and send me an email. We will read from the following chapters in class.

2^nd week: The Jewish War

Book 2, Chapter 8. Essenes
Book 3, Chapter 8. Josephus’ Capture
Book 6. Fall of Jerusalem
[Book 7. Fall of Massada]

3^rd week: The Antiquities

Book XVIII
- 3 (1-5 = 55-83) Pilate, Jesus
- 4,6 – 5, 3( = 106-129) John the Baptist
Book XX
- [if you have time: 7-8 = 137-196 Nero, Felix, Festus]
- 9 Jesus’ brother James
- 11 (2-3 = 259-268) End of the work

4th week: Against Apion

Book 1 (5-8=23-43)
PDF copies: The Slavonic Additions

Process

Participants will meet four times for 2.5 hours in a small group setting. In our meetings we will read excerpts and discuss striking parallels and differences to New Testament writings.

Dates, Location, Cost

First Group:

Dates: Tuesday 8/14 3:00-5:30 PM. 8/21. 8/28. 9/4.
We will finalize dates and times when we first meet on 8/14 at 3:00 PM.
Location: Walter’s Study. 3994 East Farm Road 156, Springfield, MO 65809.
Cost: $ 125.00.

Second Group:

Dates: Thursday 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM. 8/16, 8/23, 8/30, 9/6.
Place: Community Christian Church of Springfield. 4806 E. Cherry, Springfield, MO 65809.
Cost: $ 125.00.

If you are interested, please send me an email at david.trobisch@gmail.com.

Books

Bring a Christian Bible
Any edition of Josephus complete works will do.

If you buy one, I suggest:

The New Complete Works of Josephus: Revised and Expanded Edition, 1999, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Link to Amazon.

PDF files (free):

Life (complete text)
- Excerpts
Jewish War
Antiquities
- Books I - X
- Books XI - XX
Against Apion

eBooks:

Public Domain editions to download: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1050
Kindle: CLICK HERE
Nook: CLICK HERE

Contact

Feel free to contact Dr. David Trobisch by email at david.trobisch@gmail.com.

* The image depicts Epaphroditus, Josephus' Roman publisher.

Flavius Josephus (ca. 37-100 CE) Seminar with Dr. David Trobisch