Josephus

Roman–Jewish historian and military leader (c. 37–c. 100)

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Lived 37–100, aged 63

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Wikipedia
75 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
37–100
Aged 63

Summary

Updated 2026-08-26

A Jewish general who switched sides mid-war, then spent the rest of his life writing the history of his people's destruction for his Roman conquerors.

Biography

About

Born Yosef ben Mattityahu around AD 37 in Jerusalem to a priestly father and a mother claiming Hasmonean royal blood, he commanded Jewish forces in Galilee during the First Jewish–Roman War until the six-week siege of Yodfat in AD 67. After surrendering to Vespasian's army, he declared the Jewish messianic prophecies pointed to Vespasian as future emperor—a claim that earned him slavery, then freedom when Vespasian took the throne in AD 69 and gave him the family name Flavius. He defected fully, became a Roman citizen, and served as translator for Vespasian's son Titus during the brutal siege…

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