Evidence of later editing/doctoring of Josephus's works

[MrMacSon]

There has been long-standing general agreement Antiquities 18.3.3 - the so-called Testimonium Flavium - is doctored.

There is recent discussion and proposals that there is interpolation or emendation of a passage in Antiquites 20.9.1

Carrier, R (2012) Origen, Eusebius, and the Accidental Interpolation in Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.200.

• • the Journal of Early Christian Studies 20:4, 
pp489-514.

• Abstract: Analysis of the evidence from the works of Origen, Eusebius, and Hegesippus concludes that the reference to “Christ” in Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.200 is probably an accidental interpolation or scribal emendation and that the passage was never originally about Christ or Christians.

There has been discussion elsewhere that other Josephean passages are doctored -

Sid Green, a net-acquaintance, argues that Hippolytus in Refutation of All Heresies copied his information on the Essenes from Josephus, and the way that he presents the information indicates that Josephus has undergone editing by Christians.

• <snip>

It's important to note that Hippolytus normally follows Josephus faithfully, line by line, sometimes even preserving interesting words or language from Josephus. There are, however, several interesting, and Green argues, telltale, differences.

First, Josephus writes:

• then, that he will maintain just actions toward humanity; that he will harm no one, whether by his own deliberation or under order; that he will hate the unjust and contend together with the just;

...while Hippolytus, normally faithful to Josephus, suddenly veers from the Josephean text:

• next, that he will observe just dealings with men, and that he will in no way injure any one, and that he will not hate a person who injures him, or is hostile to him, but pray for them.

Clearly the description in Hippolytus makes the Essenes more "Christian" in their outlook than the extant Josephus text does, since Hippolytus has the Essenes praying for their enemies. Did a Christian editor change the text of Josephus to make it less Christian, or did Hippolytus make the Essenes more Christian? If the latter, what could possibly have been his motive?

continues ...

http://michaelturton2.blogspot.tw/2012/ ... stian.html

Is there evidence other passages were edited or doctored?

[Stephan Huller]

There are countless theories or examples. For starters read Shaye Cohen's argument about an Aramaic hypomnema behind both Life and Jewish War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaye_J._D._Cohen

Then read Thackeray's arguments about the synergoi summed here by our own Roger Pearse (so you know it is not just prompted by 'desperate haters' of Christianity - http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manus ... uities.htm:

Josephus received aid from Greek assistants (synergoi). Two of these -- the principal assistants -- are most visible in the later books, where the author seems to have handed over composition to them. Books 15-16 are the work of an assistant who also worked on the Jewish War, a cultured writer with a love of the Greek poets and Sophocles in particular. Books 17-19 show the marked mannerisms of a hack, a slavish imitator of Thucydides. In these books the two assistants have practically taken over the entire task. In the earlier books they have lent occasional assistance.

Danny Schwartz has done a lot of source criticism and conjectures about emendations. But the presence of the synergoi is key to any argument here. The same situation seems to have occurred in Paul with the sudden appearance of 'fellow workers' (unknown to the Marcionites) and moreover to Polycarp's role distributing and 'assisting' Ignatius get his epistles out. Pattern.

[MrMacSon]

.
WORKSHOP ON THE RECEPTION OF JOSEPHUS BY JEWS
AND CHRISTIANS FROM LATE ANTIQUITY TO c. 1750 (January 2013)

http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/research/jos ... acts_0.pdf

[MrMacSon]

.
The sourc-critical movement ... proposed various evidences that Jospehus was a rather dull copyist who failed to impart any independent judgement or outlook on his material [p 45]

Flavius Josephus on the Pharisees: A Composition-Critical Study
.