Brothers in Arms: Josephus’ Portrait of Moses in the ‘Jewish Antiquities’ in the Light of His Own Self-Portraits in the ‘Jewish War’ and the ‘Life’

Abstract

In the Jewish Antiquities , Josephus is surprisingly keen to amplify the rebellions and factions against Moses. The Israelites time and again accuse Moses of acting tyrannically, and the worst seditions ever are said to have happened while Moses was a general. When it comes to handling civil war, the picture of the experienced general recurs in Josephus’ own self-portraits in the Jewish War and the Life . The present article explores the similarities between Josephus’ portrait of Moses and Josephus’ own self-portraits. Though Josephus does not himself explicitly direct his readers’ attention to the parallels between his portrait of Moses and his own self-portraits, we may assume that his readers were able to grasp the parallels because of the common use of σύγκρισις in the Greco-Roman world. Josephus’ rhetorical strategy may indirectly have been to praise his own conduct in his praise of Moses.