(271–304), operates under its own logic. Concentric or ring composition is,
however, a noteworthy aesthetic feature of Josephus’s designs.Jewish War
The first of the extant works written by Josephus, theJewish Warprovides
a vivid account of the conflict that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem
and its Temple in 70c.e.The decision of Josephus to describe the work as
theJewish War(J.W.1.1;Ant.1.203; 18.11; 20.258;Life412) has helped en-
courage the view that he was approaching the subject matter from a Ro-
man perspective. Although the choice might indicate at least one possible
target audience, a Roman readership, it most likely reflects the common-
place label being used at the time in Rome to describe the war, rather than
the standpoint held by Josephus. It is clear that Josephus was not the first
person, nor the last one, to write about the conflict (J.W.1.1-2, 7-8;Life336–
38, 360). According to Josephus, there was an earlier version written in his
native language, Aramaic, for those Jews who lived to the east of the Ro-
man Empire (J.W.1.3, 6). The precise nature of the relationship between
the original version and the extant Greek work is not possible to establish.
Given the extent to which theAntiquities1–10 “translation” offers a rewrit-
ing of the biblical narrative, there is good reason to view the Greek version
as far more than a literal translation of the earlier work. As acknowledged
by Josephus, the process of constructing the text in Greek required assis-
tance (Ag. Ap.1.50), a claim that appears to be confirmed by the fact that
Judean Wardisplays a greater sophistication and eloquence in style than
any of the latter works.Date
There is no external evidence indicating when the text was written. A
number of internal markers point to a date during the reign of Titus for
books 1-6 and suggest that book 7 was added during the reign of Domitian.
The latest datable event is the reference to the Temple of Peace constructed
by Vespasian (J.W.7.158-62), which was dedicated in 75c.e.In the context
of asserting the accuracy of his version of events, Josephus claims he pre-
sented copies of the text to Titus and Vespasian (Ag. Ap.1.50-51). If this
claim is accurate, it is best understood as Josephus sending selected ex-295JosephusEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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