The Life of Flavius Josephus
This autobiography recounts a Jewish historian's early life and his command in Galilee during the revolt against Rome. Josephus answers accusations from Justus of Tiberias, a rival writer who challenged his account of the war.
88 pages 1h 42m reading time
- One of the earliest surviving autobiographies from the ancient world, and the only first-person life story we have from a Jewish leader of the first century.
- Argues that its author acted honorably as a commander in Galilee, defending choices that many of his own people saw as betrayal when he went over to the Romans.
- Shows a writer openly shaping his own life story to answer critics, which makes it an early example of a public figure using memoir to protect his reputation.
- Became a key source for historians studying Galilee in the time just after Jesus, describing its towns, its rival leaders, and its tensions with Rome.
- Was printed with Josephus's other works in William Whiston's 1737 translation, which became a standard book in English-speaking homes, often kept beside the Bible.
A rival's delayed attack
Josephus says Justus held back his history for 20 years, until the leaders who could check it had died.
Added to a larger work
It was written as an add-on at the end of Josephus's long history of the Jewish people, Jewish Antiquities.
Written for a Roman patron
Josephus dedicated it to Epaphroditus, a wealthy supporter in Rome who backed his writing.
Mostly about a few months
Most of the book covers only his short time in Galilee, with little about his later years.
Clashes with his earlier book
In places, its story of Galilee does not match what Josephus wrote years before in The Jewish War.
The rival's book vanished
Justus's history is lost, so we mainly know his charges through the answers Josephus gives here.
Translated from Greek by William Whiston