rative with appeals to the reader and refutations of slander but almost
always otherwise allowing his judgments, both positive and negative, to
remain implicit. What changes in Contra Apionemis that Josephus now
places his historical material directly in the service of his forthright posi-
tive and negative appeals. He claims that he will now refute Judaism’s
detractors, correct the ignorance of others, and “teach all those who wish
to know the truth concerning the antiquity of our race” (C.Ap.1.3).Contra
Apionemis therefore a streamlined, methodical chapter, which may be
schematized as follows:
Introduction (1.1–59) [exordium]
General Introduction: recapitulation of Antiquitates judaicae;reasons for
writing now (1.1–5)
Programmatic Digression: Greek and Oriental Historians [narratio?];
Oriental historians are the best, and the Judeans are the best of them
(1.6–59)
Body (1.60–2.286)
I. Proof of Judean Antiquity [probatio]
(a) Reasons for Greek Silence about Judeans (1.60–68)
(b) Oriental Evidence for Judean Antiquity: Egyptian, Phoenician,
Chaldean (1.69–160)
(c) Overlooked Greek Evidence for Judean Antiquity (1.161–218)
II. Refutation of Slanders, including Apion’s, concerning Judean antiquity
(1.219–320; 2.1–144) [refutatio]
Conclusion (2.145–296) [peroratio]
Positive Portrayal of Judean Culture (2.145–286)
Summary and Epilogue (2.287–296)
After an opening digression, in which he challenges the notion that
Greek writers should be privileged as the source of all knowledge, Josephus
moves to the main argument. First, he will show that Judean culture is old,
even though that point is not widely understood. Second, he will refute, one
by one, the Judeans’ chief literary opponents. Finally, he will offer a posi-
tive synopsis of Judean culture on its own terms—in effect, an extended and
highly charged peroration. On the face of it, then, about half of the work
(the middle part) is denunciative, and half persuasive. On closer analysis,
however, even the denunciative material attempts to show the superiority
of Judean culture. Throughout, Josephus makes use of polemical contrast
(sygkrisis) between Judean and Gentile cultures. We shall take up the main
units in order, but focus our attention on the final section.