Matthias (father of Josephus)
Encyclopedia
Matthias was an ethnic Jew
living in Jerusalem.
Matthias came from a wealthy family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
. He was the son born to Josephus
and his wife, an unnamed Jewish noblewoman. The parents of Matthias were distant relatives. Matthias’ mother was a descendant of Josephus’ paternal great grandfather, Simon Psellus
. His paternal grandparents were Matthias Curtus
and his unnamed Jewish wife. Through his paternal grandfather, he was the descendant of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed Judea
from 103 BC-76 BC.
He was a contemporary to the Herodian Dynasty
governing Judea
and the surrounding territories. Matthias followed his paternal ancestors and served as a Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was an aristocratic priest. One of his duties was to oversee the affairs of the Jewry in Jerusalem and Palestine
during the Roman occupation
.
Matthias married an unnamed Jewish noblewoman, who had descended from royalty and of the former ruling Hasmonean Dynasty. Matthias with his wife had two sons:
Josephus in his writings highly praises his father and describes him as a distinguished Jew. He describes him that way because not just of his birth alone but he was praised for his sense of justice for being a very eminent man in Jerusalem. Matthias and his family had connections to the Sadducees
.
Matthias and his wife were alive during the First Jewish–Roman War. The war occurred from 66 until 73. In the year 70 during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem
, Matthias; his wife and Josephus’ first wife were in the city during the siege. The three were held as prisoners by the Jewish rebels because they didn’t trust them. Josephus who was commander-in-chief in Galilee
received news through his father about the situation in Jerusalem. Josephus through his intervention was able to save his brother from Roman imprisonment, however he was unable to save his father; mother and his first wife as the three perished during the siege.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
living in Jerusalem.
Matthias came from a wealthy family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib was the head of a family of priests, which was made the first of the twenty-four priestly divisions organized by King David.- High Priest :...
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
. He was the son born to Josephus
Josephus (grandfather of Josephus)
Josephus was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Josephus was the son born to Matthias Curtus and his unnamed Jewish wife. He came from a wealthy family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the...
and his wife, an unnamed Jewish noblewoman. The parents of Matthias were distant relatives. Matthias’ mother was a descendant of Josephus’ paternal great grandfather, Simon Psellus
Simon Psellus
Simon Psellus was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Simon’s ancestors were contemporary to the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty and Seleucid dynasty over Judea. He was a wealthy man who served as a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Simon belonged to the first of the twenty-four orders of Priests in...
. His paternal grandparents were Matthias Curtus
Matthias Curtus
Matthias Curtus was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Matthias came from a wealthy family who descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was the son of Matthias Ephlias and the daughter of the High...
and his unnamed Jewish wife. Through his paternal grandfather, he was the descendant of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus was king of Judea from 103 BC to 76 BC. The son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and appears to have married his brother's widow, Shlomtzion or "Shelomit", also known as Salome Alexandra, according to the Biblical law of Yibbum...
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
from 103 BC-76 BC.
He was a contemporary to the Herodian Dynasty
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
governing Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
and the surrounding territories. Matthias followed his paternal ancestors and served as a Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was an aristocratic priest. One of his duties was to oversee the affairs of the Jewry in Jerusalem and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during the Roman occupation
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Matthias married an unnamed Jewish noblewoman, who had descended from royalty and of the former ruling Hasmonean Dynasty. Matthias with his wife had two sons:
- MatthiasMatthias (brother of Josephus)Matthias was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Matthias came from a wealthy, aristocratic family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was the first born son of Matthias...
- JosephusJosephusTitus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, the Roman Jewish Historian
Josephus in his writings highly praises his father and describes him as a distinguished Jew. He describes him that way because not just of his birth alone but he was praised for his sense of justice for being a very eminent man in Jerusalem. Matthias and his family had connections to the Sadducees
Sadducees
The Sadducees were a sect or group of Jews that were active in Ancient Israel during the Second Temple period, starting from the second century BC through the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The sect was identified by Josephus with the upper social and economic echelon of Judean society...
.
Matthias and his wife were alive during the First Jewish–Roman War. The war occurred from 66 until 73. In the year 70 during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (70)
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in...
, Matthias; his wife and Josephus’ first wife were in the city during the siege. The three were held as prisoners by the Jewish rebels because they didn’t trust them. Josephus who was commander-in-chief in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
received news through his father about the situation in Jerusalem. Josephus through his intervention was able to save his brother from Roman imprisonment, however he was unable to save his father; mother and his first wife as the three perished during the siege.
Sources
- Josephus’ Lineage
- Buzzle.com Intelligent Life on the Web The Life and Times of Flavius Josephus
- M. Fergus, S. Emil & V. Geza, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135), Continuum International Publishing Group, 1973
- W.E. Mills & R.A. Bullard, Mercer dictionary of the Bible, Mercer University Press, 1990
- É. Nodet, A search for the origins of Judaism: from Joshua to the Mishnah, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1997
- F. Josephus & S. Mason, Flavius Josephus: translation and commentary, BRILL, 2001