Cohen JJP 1982

This article discusses Josephus, the famous Jewish writer and hisorian of the first century CE. The author compares Josephus to both the Biblical prophet Jeremiah of the sixth century BCE, and the Greek historian Polybius who lived and wrote in the second and third centuries BCE. Cohen claims that Josephus possessed qualities that can be found in both the prophet and the historian. He claims that Josephus possessed the ability of Polybius to preserve historical facts while practicing historical criticism, and that he exhibited the theological, and even prophetic, qualities of Jeremiah.

Cohen claims that Josephus probably knew the writings of Jeremiah well and had at least a second-hand knowledge of Polybius' writings. Cohen spends a great deal of time equating the prophecies of Jeremiah with what he calls "prophecies" of Josephus. It almost seems as though he is trying to capture some sort of theological respect for Josephus who is mostly known for his works of Jewish history.

Cohen does not categorize Josephus as having more qualities from either Jeremiah or Polybius; his goal in this article is to present the fact that there are historical similarities between the two and Josephus.

Josephus, Jeremiah, and Polybius on JSTOR.

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