7 Concluding Remarks

Abstract

This chapter establishes the foundations of scholarship that has grappled with the details of Josephus' life for centuries. It analyses Josephus' social life in the city of Rome after his arrival with Titus in the spring of ad 71 and begins with his first encounters with the city and its inhabitants. He may have stayed there until the spring of ad 66, which would have given opportunity for him to become familiar with the city of Rome and some of its inhabitants. According to his own testimony, Josephus managed to secure the release of the priests on whose behalf he had been sent to plea through the services of a Judaean mime-actor named Aliturus, whose close relationship with Nero enabled him to arrange an audience for Josephus with the emperor's wife. When he returned to Judaea after his embassy to Rome, Josephus became involved in the revolutions against Roman rule.Keywords: Aliturus; Josephus' life; Nero; Roman rule