מנהגי מוות, קבורה ואבל בכתבי יוסף בן מתתיהו

This article explores customs related to death, burial, and mourning as they appear in the writings of Josephus. The objective of this study is to examine the extent of Greek and Roman cultural influence upon Josephus’ formulation of these customs. Some such customs are described in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, his rewriting of the Hebrew Bible, where certain death, burial, and mourning customs feature. Other
descriptions appear in the rest of his writings. The article explores sources from the Hebrew Bible, the ancient Near East, the New Testament, the Apocrypha, rabbinic literature, and works of Greek and Roman authors. Our conclusion is that we must not be too quick to assume Greek or Roman influence upon Josephus’ writings – rather, each case must be examined individually. Some descriptions in Josephus’ rewriting of
the Hebrew Bible indeed seem to be under direct influence of Greco-Roman culture. In other instances, however, Josephus’ familiarity with these Greco-Roman customs led him to present the Jewish religion as distinctly different from other religions. Additionally, in some cases, Josephus was familiar with inner-Israelite traditions and presented these in his writings, so that there is no need to assume any Greek or
Roman influence.