Workshop on the Jewish Reception of Josephus in the 19th and early 20th Centuries in Eastern Europe

This workshop was the third in the series and concerned the Jewish reception of Josephus in Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries (c. 1800-1914). Participants were invited to examine the uses of Josephus in a wide range of rabbinic, maskilic, and early Zionist contexts, raising, among others, questions such as these:

  • How did Josephus figure in debates on the renewal of Jewish religious, cultural, and political life in Central and Eastern Europe? How was he cited in controversies over assimilation?
  • How did Kalman Schulman’s Hebrew translations of the Life, Jewish War, and Antiquities shape the reception of Josephus in Eastern Europe?
  • What were the implications of educational and popular uses of Josephus?
  • What was the impact of the lively contacts between Eastern and Western Europe on the dynamics of the reception of Josephus?

The workshop was held at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies in Yarnton Manor on 6-7 January 2014.

Full Programme of Speakers (Download PDF)

Compiled Workshop Abstracts (Download PDF)