Isaiah 10:34 and the “Ambiguous Oracle” in Josephus, Bellum 6.312–313 (Part One)

Abstract

One of the most disputed passages in Josephus is found only late in his account of the Jewish war against Rome, 66–70 CE. After relating numerous phenomena he considered portents of the destruction of Jerusalem with the Temple, he notes two oracles. The first, in Bell. 6.311, has never been traced back to a specific scriptural passage or Judaic tradition. The second, in 6.312–13, is the object of this study, in which I argue that Isa. 10:34 is the biblical verse behind the “ambiguous oracle.”