Â
Josephus LIVE
by Dr. James C. Savage
Sunday Evenings
8 LessonsÂ
Starts Sunday
October 18
October 18 to December 13
8PM Eastern Time
3-Week Free Trial
Sign Up Now
(You will not be charged anything
unless you continue beyond 21 days)
What did the Jewish world
behind the New Testament
actually look like?
Josephusâa Jewish priest and Pharisee who commanded Jewish forces in Galilee until his capture by Vespasianâs army in A.D. 67âprovides an eyewitness window into that world.
What will this class
help you understand?
- Who the Pharisees wereâtheir beliefs, interpretive practices, and importance for understanding the Gospels.
- How the various Jewish groups differed, preventing us from treating first-century Judaism as one uniform religion.
- What led to the Jewish revolt and Jerusalemâs destruction, providing essential historical background for the Gospels and Acts.
- How a first-century Jew interpreted Israelâs Scriptures and presented them to a Greco-Roman audienceâoffering a valuable comparison with the New Testament writers.
Schedule
10/18âLesson 1: General Introduction to Josephus and My Interest in Him
10/25âLesson 2: Josephus as Historian: Did he tamper with the evidence to ingratiate himself to his Greco-Roman audience?
11/1, 8, 15âLessons 3-5: Related Problems
- Identifying the Pharisees in relation to other Jewish groups.
- Reconstructing Pharisaic beliefs and interpretive methods.
- Understanding Halakah, Aggadah, and the Pharisaic oral tradition.
11/22âLesson 6: Josephus as Translator of Sacred Scripture in Light of His Following the Pharisees
11/29âThanksgiving Break
12/6âLesson 7: Josephus as Translator of Sacred Scripture in Light of His Following the Pharisees
12/13âLesson 8: Josephus as Translator of Sacred Scripture in Light of His Following the Pharisees
(You will not be charged anything
unless you continue beyond 21 days)
New Book!
This class grows out of Jim's forthcoming book on Josephus.
New Book
Forthcoming 2027
Â
6x9 Paperback,Â
400 pages.Â
In prepublication.
Publication date: TBA
Estimated final price: $45
Prepulication price: $34 (coming soon)
Secure checkout.
 We accept U.S. and international orders.
Not Yet AvailableDescription:
James C. Savage presents Josephus as more than a Jewish historian. This book argues that Josephus also functioned as a translator of sacred scripture, interpreting Israelâs traditions through both written biblical texts and authoritative ancestral traditions. By reexamining Josephus in this way, Savage offers a fresh perspective on how scripture, tradition, and interpretation worked together in early Judaism.Â
James C. Savage holds a PhD from Hebrew Union College in Jewish studies of the Greco-Roman period and a PhD from Union Institute in psychology. He is a student of OT and Jewish studies, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and the director of Life Quest Odysseys, a counseling practice based in Mayfield, Kentucky, where he and his wife Diane live on a 75-acre farm used as a retreat center.
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