Josephus and The Jewish War: A Complex Witness to a Catastrophic Revolt

Before embarking on a discussion of the various revolts against Rome, I wanted to talk about one of our main sources of information on this period, Flavius Josephus. It is because his work, "The Jewish War", has survived that we know so much about the First Jewish War (or, at least we think we do). Unfortunately, our information on the other 1st and 2nd century Jewish revolts (the Kitos War and the Bar KokhbaWar) is much more constrained as we simply do not have similar surviving works for those conflicts.

As a personal aside, it was reading "The Jewish War" during my undergraduate studies that first introduced me to the Jewish revolts against Rome. Reading Josephus' vivid account of this vicious war, I was immediately hooked and left wanting to find out more. Ultimately, this fascination directly led me to want to start producing wargames figures for this period.

Flavius Josephus (37–c.100 AD) remains one of the most significant—yet controversial—figures in ancient historiography. A Jewish priest, general, and later Roman citizen, Josephus's writings provide an unparalleled account of the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 AD) against Rome. Chief among these is "The Jewish War" (Bellum Judaicum), a seven-book history that stands as our primary narrative source for the revolt. Despite its immense value (as well as being a good piece of storytelling in its own right), this book is problematic. Josephus wrote with a particular agenda, and his portrayal of events is inseparable from his own complex identity and political circumstances.

A Leader Turned Historian

At the outbreak of the revolt, Josephus was appointed commander of Jewish forces in Galilee by the provisional revolutionary government in Jerusalem. Though relatively young, his education, priestly lineage, and aristocratic background made him a candidate for leadership. However, Josephus’s military role was marked more by pragmatism and restraint than revolutionary fervour.

His command in Galilee brought him into direct conflict not only with the Roman general Vespasian but also with radical elements within the Jewish camp, especially the Zealots and other militant groups who sought a full-scale war against Rome. Josephus frequently clashed with figures like John of Gischala, a more extreme and ambitious rival. These tensions foreshadow the tone of "The Jewish War", where Josephus portrays the revolt’s internal divisions, particularly the influence of zealotry and messianic extremism, as central to Jerusalem’s downfall.

Captured during the Roman siege of Jotapata in 67 AD (after somehow managing to survive a murder-suicide pact…) Josephus famously prophesied that his captor, Vespasian, would become emperor. This claim seems to have led to him being spared execution, becoming part of Vespasian’s household as a slave. After Vespasian's ascension in 69 AD, Josephus was granted his freedom and Roman citizenship, living thereafter under Flavian patronage in Rome. His writing career, particularly The Jewish War, was shaped under the watchful eye of the very regime that had crushed his people’s revolt.

A Problematic Narrator

Modern historians agree that Josephus's work, while indispensable, must be read critically. His dual role as a Jewish insider and Roman client coloured his interpretation of events. He portrayed the Jewish rebels as reckless zealots, whose extremism brought ruin upon the Jewish people. Conversely, he emphasized Roman clemency and justified the Flavian suppression of the revolt as a tragic necessity. Josephus aimed not only to inform, but also to vindicate his own choices and ingratiate himself with Roman elites. How much these elements colour and inform his narrative is subject to considerable ongoing debate.

His criticisms of radicalism and political fanaticism likely reflect both genuine ideological discomfort and a post-war strategy of self-preservation. Josephus repeatedly presents himself as a moderate voice drowned out by a violent minority, a perspective that distances him from the rebellion’s outcome while also appealing to Roman sensibilities.

A Vital Source Despite the Bias

Despite these complications, "The Jewish War" is a crucial resource for understanding the First Jewish Revolt. Archaeological evidence—from the siege works at Masada to burnt layers in Jerusalem—corroborates some (but not all) elements of Josephus’s account. His detailed descriptions of military strategy, internal Jewish politics, and the Temple’s destruction remain unmatched in other sources. Without Josephus, our knowledge of this formative moment in Jewish and Roman history would be fragmentary at best.

"The Jewish War" is a work of both historical record and literary self-justification. Josephus’s bias, far from disqualifying him, invites readers to engage more deeply with the historical complexities of rebellion, identity, and empire. His is a voice shaped by survival, speaking from the ashes of catastrophe—and it remains indispensable for understanding the revolt that changed Jewish history forever. It is to our detriment that we do not have a similar account of the subsequent Jewish revolts.

References

Rajak, Tessa. Josephus: The Historian and His Society. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983.

Mason, Steve. Josephus and the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003.

Goodman, Martin. Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. London: Penguin Books, 2007.

Chapman, Honora. “The Jewish War.” In A Companion to Josephus, edited by Honora Chapman and Zuleika Rodgers, Wiley-Blackwell, 2016.

Magness, Jodi. Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth. Princeton University Press, 2019.