Pseudo-Hecataeus II

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As a pseudo-Hecataeus II (also pseudo-Hecataeus II ), a supposedly of Hecataeus of Abdera referred originating short text passage that Flavius Josephus , in his work over the originality of Judaism quotes (Book 2, 43). He refers to the supposedly non-Jewish text in order to present it as a “ witness ” for the age and virtue of Judaism .

Character of the text

Folker Siegert , Professor of Judaic Studies and New Testament at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster , revised all available sources for Flavius ​​Josephus' work On the Originality of Judaism in 2008 . The present text passage from Pseudo-Hekataios II is a forgery, the claims of which contradict other historical sources. Due to the short length of the text, it remains unclear whether the text goes back to Pseudo-Hecataeus I as the source. The linguistic style excludes the authorship of Hecataeus of Abdera and Flavius ​​Josephus.

Pseudo-Hecataeus II can be classified as a misrepresentation of history . It is also possible that this passage comes from a completely different source and that the name Hecataeus would be a scribal error in this case.

text

43 For  he ( Alexander the Great ) valued our people; as Hecataeus also says of us that because of the good disposition and reliability that the Judeans showed him, he gave Samaria to them, tax-free. "

- Flavius ​​Josephus, On the Originality of Judaism, Book 2, 43

literature

  • Folker Siegert: Flavius ​​Josephus: About the originality of Judaism (Contra Apionem) . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-525-54206-4 .
    • Vol. 1: First collation of the entire tradition (Greek, Latin, Armenian), literary-critical analysis and German translation (writings of the Institutum Judaicum Delitzschianum 6.1) .
    • Vol. 2: Additions, notes, Greek text (writings of the Institutum Judaicum Delitzschianum 6.2) .

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Folker Siegert: Flavius ​​Josephus: About the originality of Judaism, vol. 1 . P. 45.
  2. Folker Siegert: Flavius ​​Josephus: About the originality of Judaism, Vol. 1 . P. 166.