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

[lannamichaels]

I suspect there's a lot of "we better kill the women so they won't be raped" going on---

I'm curious where this impression comes from. I have not read Josephus, but otherwise: being raped isn't a crime. There is no sense that a woman's value only lies in virginity, and being raped by an invading army or while being enslaved is considered something that is normal to happen and not the fault of the woman. There is no death before dishonor and a following assumption that a woman's "honor" is her virginity, and so her life is worth less than her virginity. Killing a woman so she can't survive to be raped is not a culturally valued action. It is murder.

EDIT: So this was a Roman thing? I see. Honor killings are not a Jewish thing so this was very unlikely to be what was going on.