Josephus’s Rhetorical Construction of the Galileans as Proximate Others

• Published in: Journal for the study of the New Testament Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 61 - 89
• Main Author: Lim, Sung Uk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2025
• Subjects: politics; ethnicity; geography; Judeans/Jews; proximate others; rhetoric; Galileans; Roman empire; Culture; religion
• ISSN: 0142-064X; 1745-5294
• DOI: 10.1177/0142064X251351861

This study explores Josephus’s rhetorical portrayal of the Galileans in an intricate web of interactions with the Judeans/Jews. The Galileans’ identity, as presented by Josephus, is a literary construct that is rhetorically flexible and malleable when viewed through various analytical lenses, such as ethnicity, geography, politics, religion, and culture. Ethnically, Josephus depicts the Galileans as a fragmented yet significant presence in the Hasmonean and early Roman imperial periods. Geographically, they emerge as a group in Galilee as opposed to a uniform presence in the region. Politically, they are an assertive actor who resists imperial threats but whose mob impulses can be harnessed by a capable Judean aristocratic leader. In terms of religion and culture, they exhibit a close connection to the Jewish tradition. By portraying the Galileans as proximate others to the Judeans/Jews in a landscape of political turmoil, Josephus legitimizes their raison d’être and elevates their role in the historical narrative. I suggest that his rhetorical strategy is ideologically motivated: Josephus’s portrayal of the Galileans aims to improve the security of the Judeans/Jews in a diasporic imperial context, where maintaining an elastic identity was crucial after 70 CE.