Josephus and the Exodus

Erkki Koskenniemi analyses the interpretation of the narratives of Exodus 1–15 in the works of Josephus. He begins with a detailed explanation of the ways in which Josephus’ retellings differ from the underlying scriptural accounts, especially in their presentation of Moses and in the emphasis on the damage inflicted by the plagues on those who provoke God to anger. He then considers some of the key specific issues raised by Josephus’ treatment of these texts, including the extent to which his picture of Moses is influenced by Hellenistic literary and cultural norms, and by a wish to counter negative versions of the history of the Jews in contemporary circulation. His conclusions on these points sometimes challenge the scholarly consensus, as he argues that the influence of Hellenistic ideas on Josephus has often been overstated.