Josephus and the 613
Josephus and the 613
Almost everyone in the field of scholarship is familiar with Josephus. His historical writings are most valuable for a multitude of scholarly endeavors. Few scholars have undertaken the time to embark on the daunting task of reading Josephus from cover to cover. Regardless, opinions of whom and what Josephus was all about vary from scholar to scholar.
Recent scholarship is beginning to take a new view of Josephus. In the past Josephus has been cast in a negative light. More recent scholarship is beginning to cast Josephus in a more favorable light. This is because they are viewing Josephus from the world that he actually lived in rather than try to contemporize his ideals. Nothing is more important to the accurate exegesis of a text that knowing the current events of the author. Without the works and writings of Josephus much data concerning the historical events of the first century would have been lost. Likewise, the ideals, cultural data and beliefs would be lost. We have learned from Josephus of the varied sects and diversity of Jewish groups that existed during his life time.
We shall not try to elaborate on this point with any depth at this juncture. Our focal point is Josephus’ relation to the idea of the mitzvot (613 commandments).
