In previous studies I have concluded that the Jewish high priest, Annas, is the “fallen star” of Revelation 9:1. That is, he brought the independent Jewish state back into existence, represented in the smoke arising from the pit of the abyss (Revelation 9:2). Nevertheless, the first century AD Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, would not agree with my position, because he completely exonerates all the “high priests and the men of power.”[1] Therefore, it becomes necessary to discover whether or not Josephus’ record is completely unbiased and true. If his record is true, my understanding about Revelation chapter nine is completely wrong, because my whole argument hangs upon the corruption of the high priests, especially Annas, and their desire to govern themselves.
In Josephus’ autobiography he tells us that he was the son of Matthias,[2] the son of Annas. This Matthias was the high priest who encouraged Herod Agrippa, the king, to execute James, the brother of John the Apostle, in order to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3), i.e. the Jewish authorities. Moreover, after his capture during the war, Josephus sought to ingratiate himself with Vespasian[3] in order to not only save his own life, but the lives of his family and friends:
Moreover, when the city Jerusalem was taken by force, Titus Caesar persuaded me frequently to take whatsoever I would of the ruins of my country; and did that he gave me leave so to do. But when my country was destroyed, I thought nothing else to be of any value, which I could take and keep as a comfort under my calamities; so I made this request to Titus, that my family might have their liberty: I had also the holy books by Titus’s concession. Nor was it long after that I asked of him the life of my brother, and of fifty friends with him, and was not denied. When I also went once to the temple, by the permission of Titus, where there were a great multitude of captive women and children, I got all those that I remembered as among my own friends and acquaintances to be set free, being in number about one hundred and ninety; and so I delivered them without their paying any price of redemption, and restored them to their former fortune.[4]
There are two things that we need to take from this excerpt. The first is that Josephus was highly regarded by Titus, the son of Vespasian, the Emperor. In being so regarded, he was able to save both his family and friends. Secondly, it should be understood that Josephus was permitted to take the holy books into his possession when the Temple was destroyed. So, if my studies are correct, Josephus had in his possession copies of both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, which were given to the high priest, Theophilus. Therefore, with this excerpt I am able to place these New Testament books into the hands of Josephus, but none of the critics are able to logically and objectively place copies of Josephus’ works into the hands of Luke, which they need to do, if they wish to justify their claims that Luke copied Josephus. I have the greater evidence here, showing Josephus had New Testament records, from which he was able to copy and change according to his desire to enhance his own record.[5]
Josephus blames the outbreak of the war upon the zealots, but this doesn’t seem logical. The zealot factions were not united. Each leader sought to become the leader of the whole rebellion, so they were always warring with one another in order to gain the upper hand. Does this sound like an effort the people would gather around? As I perceive the political climate in first century Jerusalem, nothing of any import gets done without the backing of the high priests and the important businessmen of the land. If they are not behind the matter, neither will the people be behind it. The zealots were unable to get the people to desire Barabbas over Jesus, but the high priests were able to convince the people to choose Barabbas (Matthew 27:20-21, 26). Thus, the high priests were able to convince the people to follow them, even when it meant being against a miracle worker like Jesus who showed nothing but compassion for the people.
Josephus’ efforts to exonerate the high priests from the blame of the war falls flat, as one looks back on his record today. According to his own testimony, he sought to save his own life and the lives of those he cared for, which included his family and friends. He was the grandson of Annas, the high priest. Why would he blame the priests for the Jews’ rebellion against Rome in a work that he dedicated to the Emperor, Vespasian? How could Josephus save his family and at the same time give a copy of his work, The Wars of the Jews, to Vespasian, if that work condemned the very people he wished to save? Therefore, I believe there is a reasonable claim here that Josephus was not totally forthcoming in his record of how the war began. I don’t believe such an event could have occurred without the general backing of the high priests, the Sanhedrin and the important men of the Jewish community. This same thing is true of any nation today, why would it be different for the Jewish nation of the first century AD?
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[1] Josephus: Wars of the Jews; 2.14.2; 2.17.2-5
[2] Josephus: :The Life of Flavius Josephus: 1
[3] For example: Josephus: Wars of the Jews; 3.8.9;
[4] Josephus: Life; 75
[5] See my study: Herod’s Official Story about Peter in which I seek to show how Josephus change Luke’s account of Peter’s escape in Acts 12.
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