A question for experts about Josephus, War 3:10.6

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Giuseppe
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A question for experts about Josephus, War 3:10.6

Post by Giuseppe »

I would have a question about the passage of War 3.10.6:

Hereupon Titus sent one of his horsemen to his father, and let him know the good news of what he had done; at which, as was natural, he was very joyful, both on account of the courage and glorious actions of his son; for he thought that now the greatest part of the war was over. He then came thither himself, and set men to guard the city, and gave them command to take care that nobody got privately out of it, but to kill such as attempted so to do.

Is it true that what we have really in manuscripts is the following passage:

Hereupon Titus sent one of his horsemen to his father, and let him know the good news of what he had done; at which, as was natural, he was very joyful, both on account of the courage and glorious actions of his son; for he thought that now the greatest part of the war was over. He then came thither himself, and set men to guard the city, and gave them command to take care that nobody got privately out of it, but to kill «...».

i.e., a lacuna where we would have expected the mention of the real target that Vespasian wanted to kill?
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Baley
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Re: A question for experts about Josephus, War 3:10.6

Post by Baley »

Hi Giuseppe,

I couldn't find a Greek text but consulted the Latin Josephus Project for the Latin edition of Edward Cardwell from 1837, which is based on the Galenius edition of 1534. In this edition the passage you quoted runs as follows:

Titus vero missis equitibus res gestas patri nunciat. Quibus ille compertis, quod necesse fuit, et filii virtute admo dum laetus, et facinoris claritudine (maxima enim belli pars videbatur exempta) tum quidem statim circundari civitatem custodibus jussit, ne quis ex ea subterfugeret, caedemque eva deret.

At least the Latin text doesn't seem to have a lacuna.
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Baley
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Re: A question for experts about Josephus, War 3:10.6

Post by Baley »

Flavii Iosephi opera by B. Niese (Berlin, Weidmann, 1895) gives the Greek text as follows.

Τίτος δ᾽ ἐκπέμψας τινὰ τῶν ἱππέων εὐαγγελίζεται τῷ πατρὶ τὸ ἔργον. ὁ δ᾽, ὡς εἰκός, ὑπερησθεὶς τῇ τε τοῦ παιδὸς ἀρετῇ καὶ τῷ κατορθώματι, μεγίστη γὰρ ἐδόκει καθῃρῆσθαι μοῖρα τοῦ πολέμου, τότε μὲν ἐλθὼν περισχόντας τὴν πόλιν φρουρεῖν ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς μὴ διαλάθοι τις ἐξ αὐτῆς, καὶ κτείνειν προσέταξεν

No lacuna here either, but then again I don't know how Niese edited his Greek text.
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