The Jewish War: First half of Book 4

[cahn]

Last week: Josephus really hypes Vespasian up! Galilee is also very nice! Discussion of Josephus' prophecy of Vespasian, both in Josephus and in Feuchtwanger's novelization, with detours into Antonia and Caenis.

This week: Internal strife in Jerusalem! Lots of internal strife!

Next week: Last half of book 4.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, that's the Vulgate translation (about which I read the article). I am guessing the Koine Greek has a similar term, but my Latin is better than my Greek, so I lazily didn't bother to check. The verse I quoted was John 18:40, which reads in Greek:
ἐκραύγασαν οὖν πάλιν πάντες, λέγοντες, Μὴ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν· ἦν δὲ ὁ Βαραββᾶς λῃστής.
(Wikisource: https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AC_%CE%99%CF%89%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%BD%CE%B7%CE%BD#18:1)
As I conjectured given the similarity in meaning, the Greek does indeed appear to say "lestes".

[cahn]

Huh! I had not realized that the Matthew mention of Barabbas doesn't mention that he's a robber/terrorist/revolutionary (I think), just that he's a "notorious/notable prisoner" (RSV/KJV translation). (It is very on-brand for me that Barabbas brings Matthew to mind for me because I'm more familiar with the Bach St. Matthew Passion than his St. John passion, and the mention of Barabbas in the former sticks in my head because of Bach's rather disturbing harmonization there. I'll have to go back and see what he does in the St. John.)