Josephus’s Rhetorical Construction of the Galileans as Proximate Others
This study explores Josephus’s rhetorical portrayal of the Galileans in an intricate web of interactions with the Judeans/Jews. The Galileans’ identity, as presented by Josephus, is a literary construct that is rhetorically flexible and malleable when viewed through various analytical lenses, such a...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2025, Volume: 48, Issue: 1, Pages: 61-89 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Josephus, Flavius 37-100
/ Galilee
/ Judea
/ Jewish War (66-70)
|
| RelBib Classification: | HD Early Judaism TB Antiquity ZA Social sciences ZB Sociology ZC Politics in general |
| Further subjects: | B
Geography
B Ethnicity B Jews / Judeans B Roman Empire B Religion B Rhetoric B proximate others B Politics B Galileans B Culture |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This study explores Josephus’s rhetorical portrayal of the Galileans in an intricate web of interactions with the Judeans/Jews. The Galileans’ identity, as presented by Josephus, is a literary construct that is rhetorically flexible and malleable when viewed through various analytical lenses, such as ethnicity, geography, politics, religion, and culture. Ethnically, Josephus depicts the Galileans as a fragmented yet significant presence in the Hasmonean and early Roman imperial periods. Geographically, they emerge as a group in Galilee as opposed to a uniform presence in the region. Politically, they are an assertive actor who resists imperial threats but whose mob impulses can be harnessed by a capable Judean aristocratic leader. In terms of religion and culture, they exhibit a close connection to the Jewish tradition. By portraying the Galileans as proximate others to the Judeans/Jews in a landscape of political turmoil, Josephus legitimizes their raison d’être and elevates their role in the historical narrative. I suggest that his rhetorical strategy is ideologically motivated: Josephus’s portrayal of the Galileans aims to improve the security of the Judeans/Jews in a diasporic imperial context, where maintaining an elastic identity was crucial after 70 CE. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X251351861 |
