Rebecca Gray – författare

Based on a revised Oxford University doctoral dissertation, this work examines the evidence from Josephus for prophetic figures in Jewish Palestine in the late Second Temple period, approximately 150 BCE to 70CE. Recent years have seen renewed interest in the question of how Jesus of Nazareth should be classified in terms of religious or social "type." Was he a teacher, prophet, miracle-worker, magician, charismatic or militant revolutionary? Although there is no real consensus among New Testament scholars on this question, "prophet" is probably the leading contender. If this designation is to be meaningful, however, a clearer picture of first-century Jewish prophecy in general is essential. The present work is intended as a contribution towards a better understanding of Jewish prophecy around the time of Jesus. Josephus is without question our most important source of information about events in Palestine in this period. Although Josephus is often cited in works on early Jewish prophecy, however, there has until now been no separate study of this material. Gray here not only offers the first comprehensive examination of Josephus' writings on specific prophetic figures, but also analyses in detail his general views on prohecy and the prohetic claim he makes for himself.

Isolated passages from the writings of Josephus are routinely cited in general studies of early Jewish prophecy, but the present work is the first comprehensive examination of this material. Gray begins with a discussion of the significance of the belief--widely attested in Jewish sources from the late Second Temple period--that prophecy had ceased. She proceeds to outline a general theory about the nature and status of prophecy in this period. Giving careful consideration to the prophetic claims that Josephus makes for himself, she argues that these claims are more substantial and more important for understanding Josephus than is usually thought. Gray goes on to examine Josephus'' reports concerning prophecy among the Essenes and Pharisees, and his accounts of the activities of the "sign prophets" and other figures. In every instance, Gray interprets the evidence about prophecy in relation to Josephus'' personal career and his thought and work as a whole. Drawing on a range of evidence, much of which has not played a significant role in other studies of early Jewish prophecy, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Josephus, the history of prophecy in Israel, or the historical Jesus.