The abuse and misuse of Josephus in Eusebius’ ecclesiastical history,books 2 and 3

Abstract

The history of Christianity in the western world seems to have been a history of the abuse and misuse of the Bible. Likewise, the reception history of Josephus in the western world seems to have been a history of the abuse and misuse of Josephus. This is at least true of Eusebius of the fourth century. In his Ecclesiastical History , Eusebius abused and misused Josephus to express his anti-Jewish message, which seems to have paved a way for Christian anti-Judaism in subsequent generations. The gist of Eusebius’s anti-Jewish message in his Ecclesiastical History is as follows: (1) Jews put the Saviour on the cross; (2) This is the crime against Christ; (3) The Jewish people, to whom the above-mentioned Jews belong, must be accused as a race. This chapter discusses how Eusebius used Josephus in his Ecclesiastical History , Books 2 and 3. Keywords: abuse and misuse; anti-Jewish message; Bible; Christ; Christianity; Ecclesiastical History ; Eusebius; Josephus

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