Villains Called Sicarii: A Commonplace for Rhetorical Vituperation in the Texts of Flavius Josephus
Examining the presentation of sicarii in Flavius Josephus’s Judean War from a rhetorical perspective, this article argues that each reference to sicarii alludes to the clauses of a Roman law concerning sicarii, which Josephus has used as a commonplace for rhetorical vituperation against particular g...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2016
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In: |
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman period
Year: 2016, Volume: 47, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 475-507 |
Further subjects: | B
Sicarii
Flavius Josephus
Jewish revolt (66-70 ce)
ancient rhetoric
vituperation
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Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) |
Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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Summary: | Examining the presentation of sicarii in Flavius Josephus’s Judean War from a rhetorical perspective, this article argues that each reference to sicarii alludes to the clauses of a Roman law concerning sicarii, which Josephus has used as a commonplace for rhetorical vituperation against particular groups. Three literary-rhetorical tendencies of War are highlighted to show how this vituperation, as well as the connection between War’s sicarii and the so called Fourth Philosophy, is part of a general rhetorical strategy to shift the blame for the outbreak of the violent conflict to one particular rebel group. |
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ISSN: | 1570-0631 |
Contains: | In: Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman period
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700631-12340462 |