Josephus' Story of the later Monarchy (AJ 9,1-10,185)

Josephus recounts events of the period extending from the later reign of Jehoshaphat of Judah through the immediate sequels to the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in Antiquitates Judaicae (AJ) 9,1-10,185. Begg's monograph - a followup to his earlier work, Josephus Account of the Early Divided Monarchy (AJ 8,212-420) (BETL 108, 1993) - provides a detailed investigation of this portion of AJ. In particular, it seeks to address a range of overaching questions: which sources - both biblical and extra-biblical - did Josephus draw on in constructing his account of the later monarchy? Which text-form(s) of the Biblical sources were used by him? What sort of rewriting techniques has he applied to the data of his sources and what is distinctive about the Josephan version of events which results from their application? Finally, what messages may Josephus' account be intended to convey to his two intended audiences, i.e. cultivated Gentiles and fellow Jews?

This study is envisaged as a contribution to a fuller appreciation of Josephus' work as an interpreter of the Bible.