Did Luke Use Josephus?

How Three Notorious Rebels Might Help to Date Luke-Acts

To be a student of the Gospels is also to be a student of Flavius Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian and contemporary of the evangelists (c. 37-100). Much of what we know about Jesus’ setting is derived from Josephus’ works. Yet one fact about them eludes most of his readers: they were very nearly never written.

In a past life, Yoseph ben Mattityahu was a commander of Galilean forces in the first Jewish revolt. Not long after the war broke out, his fortress was surrounded by the Romans. Hidden in a cave, Yosef suggested that his troop draw lots to kill each other. In the end, only Yosef and one other soldier were standing, and so they – quite understandably – decided to hand themselves over to the Roman as prisoners. (The maths behind this is known as ‘Roman roulette’ or the ‘Josephan problem.’)

Joseph became Josephus for a rather crafty move upon his capture. Predicting – or rather, prophesying – that Vespasian would rise to Princeps, the Emperor bestowed upon him the imperial name Flavius, and allowed Josephus the leisure to pursue his writing projects. This resulted in three important tomes: a (rather aggrandising) auto-biography, an account of the aforementioned Jewish War, and a twenty-volume history of the Jews, from creation to the present (known as the Antiquities of the Jews.)

In these works, we find ourselves firmly in the historical environ of the Gospels: we learn more about figures like John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate and James the brother of the ‘so-called Christ’, as well as many of the factions that pop up in the Gospels and Acts. Thus, we are informed about the Pharisees, the Sadducees, as well as a number of the rebel uprisings, from whom Josephus now so fashionably distances himself.