JOSEPHUS, the Jewish historian, was horn in the first year of the reign of Caligula, A. D. 37, and was descended from one of the noblest families in Judea. His father Mathias was sprung from one of the principal branches of the race of the priests, and his motile: from the royal blood of the Asmoneans or Maccabees, who had held, for a con siderable time, the supreme authority among the Jews. He speaks rather boastingly of his early proficiency in learning ; and professes to have been able, at the age of fourteen years, to confer with the principal men of Jerusa lem on the more intricate points of the law. At the age of sixteen, he united himself with a celebrated Essenian phi losopher, snaring, for the space of three years, in all the austerities of his sect ; but, at the end of that period, he returned to Jerusalem, and attached himself to the sect of the Pharisees. In the 26th year of his age he made a voy age to Rome, in order to employ his influence in behalf of certain priests of his acquaintance, whom Felix had sent thither to take their trial before the Emperor. He was shipwrecked on his way in the Adriatic Sea ; and was one of 80 out of 600, who were saved by a vessel of Cyrene, whk it providentially came in sight after their own had gone down. Upon landing at Puteoli, he became acquainted with one of his countrymen, an actor of plays, and a fa vom he of Nero, through whose interest lie was enabled to accomplish the object of his journey. After his return to Judea, lie found the nation in general ripe for an insurrec tion against the Roman government, and exerted his utmost endeavours to dissuade his fellow-citizens from so despe rate an entermize. Upon the breaking out of the war, he was appointed to the chief command in Galilee, where he distinguished himself by his able and prudent management of afraiis in a period of general insubordination. Upon the arrival of Vespasian in that quarter, he was unable to with stand the Roman legions, and was closely besieged in the city of Jotapata. After a resolute defence of seven weeks, he was compelled to take refuge, with forty of his most de termined followers, in a cave, where for some time they endured the greatest privations ; and at length, seeing no prospect of escape, adopted the resolution of putting one another to death, rather than surrender to the Romans.
Finding it impossible to divert his companions from their desperate purpose, he persuaded them to decide, by draw ing lots, the order in which they should be put to death ; till at last only he and another remained alive, whom he pre vailed upon to submit with himself to the conquerors. He was highly favoured by Vespasian, whose future accession to the empire he had confidently foretold ; nor was he less kindly treated by Titus, whom he attended (luring the siege of Jerusalem, and from whom he obtained the freedom of many friends and acquaintances at the destruction of the Jewish capital. Ile accompanied his patron to Rome, where he obtained from the Emperor an annual pension for his support, and was also honoured with the privilege of a Rom.m citizen. Ile experienced similar protection under 'nuts and Domitian, and enjoyed full leisure for the of his literary labours. He wrote, in Greek, " The History of the Jew ish War," in seven books, which Titus approved by his own signature, and commanded to be placed in the imperial library ; " the Antiquities of the Jews," in twenty books, in which he has accommodated the sacred history too much to the taste of the Gentiles, from a wish to recommend his unhappy countrymen to the fa vour of the Greeks and Romans ; "Two Books against Appion" of Alexandria, an enemy of the Jewish people ; " An Account of his own Life ;" and "A Discourse on the Empire of Reason," or the martyrdom of the Maccabees, which is esteemed the most eloquent of his works. He proposed also to compose a treatise on the Jewish opinions and laws, which there is no appearance of his having ever accomplished; and in which he was perhaps interrupted by his want of encouragement under Nerva and Trajan, and his removal from Rome to Judea, which seems to have taken place between the 56th or 60th year of his age.
lie was a man of great learning, singular abilities, and reputable character ; and. in what regards the transactions of his own times, may be considered as an impartial, ac curate, and candid historian. The best edition of his works is that by Ilavercamp, published at Amsterdam in 1727, in two volumes folio. (q)