عنوان

The Trauma of Autopsy and the Transgression of History in Josephus' Jewish War

Number

LA119157

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

The Trauma of Autopsy and the Transgression of History in Josephus' Jewish War

General Material Designation

[Article]

First Statement of Responsibility

Sarah Christine Teets

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

In the opening of the Jewish War, Josephus claims not only that his history represents the true and full account of the war, but that, in violation of Greek historiographical conventions, its language expresses his personal grief. Josephus' expression of personal emotion differentiates him from the Greek tradition, in which lament is customarily expressed in other genres. Josephus borrows instead from the biblical tradition of lament to mourn the fall of Jerusalem. The concept of moral injury from trauma studies describes the psychological damage caused by betrayal in combat settings, a phenomenon which Josephus' comments about the causes of the disaster resemble. This elucidates why Josephus emphasizes his emotions in his history, drawing on past Jewish responses to imperial-colonial encounters to shape his personalized response to the catastrophe of his own day. In the opening of the Jewish War, Josephus claims not only that his history represents the true and full account of the war, but that, in violation of Greek historiographical conventions, its language expresses his personal grief. Josephus' expression of personal emotion differentiates him from the Greek tradition, in which lament is customarily expressed in other genres. Josephus borrows instead from the biblical tradition of lament to mourn the fall of Jerusalem. The concept of moral injury from trauma studies describes the psychological damage caused by betrayal in combat settings, a phenomenon which Josephus' comments about the causes of the disaster resemble. This elucidates why Josephus emphasizes his emotions in his history, drawing on past Jewish responses to imperial-colonial encounters to shape his personalized response to the catastrophe of his own day.

Date of Publication

2020

Physical description

261-284

Title

Journal for the Study of Judaism

Volume Number

51/2

International Standard Serial Number

1570-0631

Subject Term

empire

Subject Term

historiography

Subject Term

Jewish War

Subject Term

Josephus

Subject Term

trauma

Sarah Christine Teets

Call Number

10.1163/15700631-BJA10003

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y