Autobiography


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