Josephus Latinus - Steps towards a new edition

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Reinhold F. Glei
• Subject Area: Greek and Latin Philology
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391322781

The translations made of the works of Flavius Josephus (a Jewish historian, 37/38 - ca. 100 CE) in late antiquity are commonly referred to as Josephus Latinus. Two of these translations - the translation of the Antiquitates Judaicae, comprising 20 books (on the history of the Jewish people from the beginning to the time of the author), and of the work Contra Apionem, comprising 2 books (an apology of Judaism) - were made at the instigation of and by scholars associated with Cassiodorus (mid-6th century CE); the translation of the Bellum Judaicum (on the Jewish fight against foreign rule, especially on the war against the Romans 66-70 CE), comprising 7 books, even goes back to the 4th century CE and was ascribed to famous authors like Ambrosius, Hieronymus or Rufinus. The Latin tradition (over 230 manuscripts) is not only relevant for constituting the original Greek texts, but especially for gaining insight into the reception of Josephus in the Latin Middle Ages. Critical editions (albeit editions whose textual basis does not meet modern standards) only exist for the two books against Apion as well as for books 1-5 of the Antiquitates.The project mainly pursues three objectives. First, to identify and assess those manuscripts which are relevant for a new edition of the Josephus Latinus (with the help of a so-called Sample/Test Edition of a passage from AJ 2,7 ff.); second, to analyse the translation technique in order to establish criteria for a new edition; third, to produce a critical edition of books 6 and 7 of the Antiquitates (on the reign of kings Saul and David), following the edition of books 1-5 made by Franz Blatt (1958). In addition to that, the project is also meant to set in motion (as a long-term perspective) efforts to produce a new edition of the entire Josephus Latinus.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants