Life After Death in Early Judaism: The Evidence of Josephus

The historian Flavius Josephus remains crucial for understanding numerous problems central to the study of Judaism and Christian origins. C.D. Elledge's book provides a comprehensive analysis of what Josephus reveals about Jewish hope in life after death, including such crucial passages of Josephus' works as his portrayal of Abraham, the Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Eleazar ben Jair. When viewed as a recurrent motif throughout his writings, Josephus uses life after death as a device that offers apologetical praise of Judaism to outsiders, addresses the problem of theodicy, and reinforces the moral ideals of his presentation of history.