Meaning & use
Flavius Josephus
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Meanings
proper nounproper
A Jewish historian of the first century who first fought against Rome, then wrote detailed histories of the Jewish people and their wars.
Grammar: Usually written by surname alone after first mention: Josephus described the siege.
Patterns
- according to Josephus
- the writings of Josephus
Flavius Josephus recorded the fall of Jerusalem in great detail.
Historians compare the account of Flavius Josephus with Roman sources.
Flavius Josephus wrote his books after settling in Rome.
proper nounproper
The works written by this historian, treated as a source of evidence about ancient Judea and Rome.
Grammar: Used without an article: Josephus tells us that the city was burned.
Patterns
- read Josephus
- cite Josephus
Students had to read Josephus for the ancient history course.
Scholars often cite Josephus when discussing first-century Judea.
The museum quoted Josephus beside the map of the old city.
Common combinations
- the historian Josephus
- The historian Josephus described life in Galilee.
- The Jewish War
- The Jewish War is Josephus's account of the revolt against Rome.
- Antiquities of the Jews
- Antiquities of the Jews traces Jewish history from creation.
- according to Josephus
- According to Josephus, the siege lasted months.
Word family
- Josephan adjective
- relating to Josephus or his writings
- Flavian adjective
- relating to the Roman dynasty whose name he took
Commonly confused: Flavius Josephus or Joseph?
Flavius Josephus vs Joseph
Joseph is a common given name, including the biblical Joseph; Josephus is the Latinized name of the historian.
Practice
Flavius Josephus is best known as ______.
Choose one answer.
Josephus wrote histories of the Jewish people and the war with Rome. He was not an emperor, although he took an imperial family name, and he lived long before the medieval period.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Flavius Josephus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.