Editing Josephus (section)

=== Josephus's original audience ===
Scholars debate about Josephus's intended audience. For example, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' could be written for Jews—"a few scholars from Laqueur onward have suggested that Josephus must have written primarily for fellow Jews (if also secondarily for Gentiles). The most common motive suggested is repentance: in later life he felt so bad about the traitorous ''War'' that he needed to demonstrate … his loyalty to Jewish history, law and culture."{{sfn|Mason|1998|p=66}} However, Josephus's "countless incidental remarks explaining basic Judean language, customs and laws … assume a Gentile audience. He does not expect his first hearers to know anything about the laws or Judean origins."{{sfn|Mason|1998|p=67}} The issue of who would read this multi-volume work is unresolved. Other possible motives for writing ''Antiquities'' could be to dispel the misrepresentation of Jewish origins{{sfn|Mason|1998|p=68}} or as an apologetic to Greek cities of the Diaspora in order to protect Jews and to Roman authorities to garner their support for the Jews facing persecution.{{sfn|Mason|1998|p=70}}

Later rabbinic authorities condemned or marginalized Josephus, and he is largely absent from traditional Jewish sources until [[Isaac Abarbanel]], who was fluent in Latin and differentiated between the different compositions of Josephus, one addressed to the Jews in Hebrew and another in Greek and Latin. In some places Abarbanel refers to Joseph ben Gurion but appears to be referencing the [[Sefer Yosippon]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Avioz |first=Michael |date=2019 |title=The Place of Josephus in Abravanel’s Writings |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26833120 |journal=Hebrew Studies |volume=60 |pages=357–374 |issn=0146-4094}}</ref>