The Jewish War: First half of Book 1
Feb. 14th, 2026 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cahnI am super not promising to always have this on Saturday, but yay long weekend!
Last week: I know some of you reading this study Talmud -- Josephus asserts at the very beginning that the "sufferings of the Jews" (presumably, in context of Josephus' writing, Titus destroying the temple, etc. though we won't get there for a while) are their own fault: "no foreign power is to blame." It was pointed out that the Talmud may (?) have its own opinion(s) as to whether the destruction of the Temple and the resulting diaspora was divine punishment? And regardless of the former, may also blame Titus? (I also don't know yet, because we haven't gotten there yet and won't for a while, whether Josephus himself thinks it's divine punishment or just plain old temporal consequences. My vague recollection of Feuchtwanger's Josephus is that he was thinking more of the latter, which is also very much borne out by this week's reading.)
This week: First half of Book 1 (Ch 22 / Par 444):
Okay, I must say the first part of this was a slog for me -- flitting between a lot of people I didn't know. Good thing we have this reading group or I might not have got through it. As it was, I had to take copious notes to even make a stab at writing up a summary (I won't promise I'll do this every week, but I had a little extra time and quite frankly I knew I wouldn't remember who any of these people were next week if I didn't), and I'm going to put them in comments so this post doesn't get super long. At least Josephus felt it was "inappropriate to go into the early history of the Jews," which would have made it really long. Anyway, it got substantially more interesting once Herod showed up!
Next week: Finish book 1.
Last week: I know some of you reading this study Talmud -- Josephus asserts at the very beginning that the "sufferings of the Jews" (presumably, in context of Josephus' writing, Titus destroying the temple, etc. though we won't get there for a while) are their own fault: "no foreign power is to blame." It was pointed out that the Talmud may (?) have its own opinion(s) as to whether the destruction of the Temple and the resulting diaspora was divine punishment? And regardless of the former, may also blame Titus? (I also don't know yet, because we haven't gotten there yet and won't for a while, whether Josephus himself thinks it's divine punishment or just plain old temporal consequences. My vague recollection of Feuchtwanger's Josephus is that he was thinking more of the latter, which is also very much borne out by this week's reading.)
This week: First half of Book 1 (Ch 22 / Par 444):
Okay, I must say the first part of this was a slog for me -- flitting between a lot of people I didn't know. Good thing we have this reading group or I might not have got through it. As it was, I had to take copious notes to even make a stab at writing up a summary (I won't promise I'll do this every week, but I had a little extra time and quite frankly I knew I wouldn't remember who any of these people were next week if I didn't), and I'm going to put them in comments so this post doesn't get super long. At least Josephus felt it was "inappropriate to go into the early history of the Jews," which would have made it really long. Anyway, it got substantially more interesting once Herod showed up!
Next week: Finish book 1.
Re: Paragraphs 240-444: Herod!
Date: 2026-02-16 04:13 am (UTC)but he doesn't want Herod to look like a complete ungrateful opportunist who switched sides once Antony is falling.
I was wondering about that a little! Because that does rather sound like the most economical explanation, but he sure was not saying that out loud.
Cleopatra, to make a long argument short so we don't get distracted
Oooooh. Well when I read Hand of Isis and rereadThrone of Isis I expect to hear the long argument :D :D
rich that Josephus goes on about Cleopatra having killed all her family and naming this as a uniquely evil trait of hers
...yeah.
A lot of drama. Including one by Voltaire. Who, being Voltaire, managed to use the drama for more drama
LOL. VOLTAIRE! Of course he did. And of course he made it into contemporary as well as historical drama!
Byron (as in, the poet, Lord Byron) collaborated with a Jewish composer, Isaac Nathan, in a song "Herod's lament for Mariamne".
Ooh. I couldn't find this song but I did find some of the other poems here. I wonder if the book has the Lament as well.