A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

JOSEPHUS. JOSEPHUS. 611il
and among the rest Nicanor, a friend of Josephus, eaninoqtbe fixed with accuracy; but we know that
to induce him to surrender on a promise of safety. he survived Agrippa II. ( Vit. 65), who died in
His fanatical companions strove to persuade him A. D. 97. Josephus was thrice married. His first
that suicide was the only honourable course; and wife, whom he took at Vespasian's desire, was a
continuing deaf to his arguments, were preparing captive; his marriage with her, therefore, since he
to slay him, when he proposed that they should was a priest, was contrary to the Jewish law, acrather put one another to death than fall each by cording to his own statement (Ant. iii. 12, ~ 2);
his own hand. The lots were cast successively and his language (Vit. 75) may imply that, when
until Josephus and one other _were left the sole lie was released from his bonds, and had accomsurvivors; fortunately, or providentially, as he panied Vespasian to Alexandria, he divorced her.
himself suggests, although a third explanation may At Alexandria he took a second wife, whom he
-possibly occur to his readers. Having then per- also divorced, from dislike to her character, after
suaded his remaing companion to abstain from she had borne him three sons, one of whom, Hyrthe sin of throwing away his life, he quitted his canus, was still alive when he wrote his life. His
place of refuge, and was brought before Vespasian. third wife was a Jewess of Cyprus, of noble family,
Many of the Romans called aloud for his death, by whom he had two sons, viz. Justus and Simobut he was spared through the intercession of Titus, nides, surnamed Agrippa. ( Vrit. 76.)
and Vespasian desired him to be strictly guarded, With respect to the character of Josephus, we
as he intended to send him to Nero..osephus have already noticed his tendency to glorify his
then, having requested to speak with the Romaa own deeds and qualities, so that he is himself by
general in the presence of a few only of his friends, no means free from the vanity which he charges
solemnly announced to his captor that he was not upon Apion. ( Vit. passim, Bell. Jud. iii. 7. ~~ 3,
to regard him in the light of a mere prisoner, but 16, 8. ~ 8, c. Apion. ii. 12.) Nay, the weakness
as God's messenger to him, to predict that the in question colours even some of those convictions
empire should one day be hisand his son's; and of his, which might otherwise wear a purely relihe professed to derive his prophecy from the sacred gious aspect-such as his recognition of a particular
books of the Jews. According to Josephus's own Providence, and his belief in the conveyance of
account, the suspicion of artifice, which Vespasian divine intimations by dreams. (Bell. Jud. iii. 8.
not unnaturally felt at first, was removed on his ~~ 3, 7, Vit. 15, 42.) Again, to say nothing of
finding, from the prisoners, that Josephus had pre- the court he paid to the notorious Agrippa II., his
dicted the exact duration of the siege of Iotapata profane flattery of the Flavian family, "so gross
and his own capture; whereupon he loaded the (to use the words of Fuller) that it seems not
prophet of his greatness with valuable presents, limned with a pencil, but daubed with a trowel"
though he did not release him immediately from (see Dr. C. Wordsworth's Discourses on Public
his bonds. Clearly the prophecy, like that of the Education, Disc. xx.), is another obvious and reweird sisters to Macbeth, was one which had a pulsive feature in Josephus. His early visit to
tendency to fulfil itself. (Vit. 74, 75, Bell. Jud. Rome, and introduction to the sweets of court
iii. 7, 8, vi. 5. ~ 4; comp. Suet. Vesp.. 4, 5; Tac. favour, must have brought more home to him the
Hist. v. 13; Zonar. Ann. vi. 18, xi. 16; Euseb. lesson he might have learnt at all events from the
Hlist. Eccl. iii. 8; Suid. s. v.'IcUaforos; comp. example of Herod the Great and others-that adHaggai, ii. 7; Suet. Tit. 1.) - herence to the Roman cause was the path to
When Vespasian was declared emperor, at Cae- worldly distinction. And the. awe, with which
sareia, according to Josephus (Bell. Jud. iv. 10), the greatness and, power of Rome inspired him,
but according to Tacitus and Suetonius, at Alexan- lay always like a spell upon his mind, and stifled
dria (Tac. Hist. ii. 79, 80; Suet. Vesp. 7), he his patriotism. He felt pride indeed in the anreleased Josephus from his confinement of nearly tiquity of his nation and in its ancient glories, as
three years (A. D. 70), his chain being cut from is clear from what are commonly called his books
him, at.the suggestion of Titus, as a sign that he against Apion: his operations at Iotapata were
had been unjustly bound (Bell. Jud. iv. 10. ~ 7); vigorous, and he braved danger fearlessly, though
and his reputation as a prophet was, of course, even this must be qualified by his own confession,
greatly raised. He was present with Titus at the that when he saw no chance of finally repulsing
siege of Jerusalem, and was suspected as a traitor the enemy, he formed a design of escaping,- with
both by Jews and Romans. From the anger of the some of the chief men, from the city (Bell. Jud. iii.
latter he was saved by Titus, through whose favour 7. ~~ 15, &c.): nor, lastly, do we find in him any
also he was able to preserve the lives of his brother want of sympathy with his country's misfortunes:
and of many others after the capture of the city. in describing the miserable fate of Jerusalem, he is
Having been presented with a grant of land in free from that tone of revolting coldness (to give it
Judaea, he accompanied Titus to Rome, and re- the mildest name) which shocks us so much in
ceived the freedom;: of the city from Vespasian, Xenophon's account of the downfal of Athens.
who assigned him, as a residence, a house formerly (Hell. ii. 2. $~ 3, &c.) But the fault of Josephus
-occupied by himself, and treated him honourably to was, that (as patriots never do) he despaired of his
the end of his reign. The same favour was ex- country. From thie very beginning he appears to
tended to him by Titus and Domitian as well, the have looked on the national cause as hopeless, and
latter of whom made his lands in Judaea free from to have cherished the intention of making peace
tribute. He mentions also that he received much with Rome whenever he could. Thus he told
kindness from Domitia, the wife of Domitian. some of the chief men of Tiberias that he was well
(Vit. 75, 76; Phot. Bibl. p. 170.) The name of aware of the invincibility of the Romans, though he
Flavius he assumed as a dependent of the Flavian thought it safer to dissemble his conviction; and
family. His time at Rome appears to have been he advised them to do the same, and to wait for a
employed mainly in literary pursuits, and in the convenient season-7rpL/e',vovo a1 IpMv (Vit. 35i;
composition of his works. The date of his death comp. Bell. Jud. iii. 5); and we find him again, in
an2~