REVEALING THE HISTORY BEHIND THE CAESAREAN ACTA REGARDING PALESTINE IN JOSEPHUS' JEWISH ANTIQUITIES (XIV. 190-212)

Abstract

<p>The goal of this thesis to prove that in analyzing the Caesarean acta as recorded by Josephus in Book Fourteen of his Jewish Antiquities, a careful study of the language of the text, as well as its various documentary aspects, helps to reveal the history behind these documents. Although their organization, chronology and authenticity have long been the subject of much scholarly discussion, much of this discussion has paid insufficient attention to the documentary contexts of the decisions. Interpreting them with a view to the formulaic requirements of their respective genres, however, can help to clarify their organization and chronology, and provide us with a new documentary narrative for how Caesar's decisions concerning Judaea and its ruler were made and recorded.</p>