Postulados Teóricos de Albert Cohen

Understanding Josephus’ concept of aristocracy not only clarifies Josephus’ concept of kingship, but also illuminates his preference aristocracy over monarchy. Two passages from Antiquities, which have been discussed above and juxtapose aristocracy and kingship,allude to his particular preference for his concept of aristocratic rule over kingship.

588 _{Diod. 40.3.5: διὸκαὶβασιλέα µὲν µηδέποτετῶνἸουδαίωντὴνδὲτοῦπλήθουςπροστασίανδίδοσθαιδιὰ}

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In the preface that he inserts into his version of Deuteronomy’s Law of the King, Josephus has Moses tell the Israelites that, “aristocracy and the life therein is best. Let not a longing for another government take hold of you, but be content with this.”589 The political judgment expressed here is Josephus’. The biblical version simply provides a set of preconditions should the Israelites choose to be ruled by a king.590 It does not

juxtapose two different constitutions and express a preference for one form of rule over the other, as in Josephus’ version. Josephus’ description of Moses in Ant.1.18-23 lends support to the view that the preference for aristocracy over monarchy expressed in Ant. 4.223 reflects Josephus’ view. As noted above, before commencing his narrative of the Jews’ history, Josephus praises Moses, the architect of the Jews’ aristocratic constitution, which forms a key part of Antiquities 1-4, for being a wise and exemplary legislator.591 This indicates that Josephus especially liked the aristocratic form of government devised by Moses, and implies that he would prefer it to kingship if confronted with the two. Finally, it is significant that Josephus focalizes the preference for aristocracy over monarchy through Moses. Moses was the Jews’ founding legislator, and a prophet. By having Moses express the preference for the aristocratic constitution, Josephus

accentuated its superiority over monarchy.592

In his significant addition to the biblical account of the origin of the monarchical period, Josephus again alludes to his preference for aristocratic government over

kingship. When the Israelites ask the prophet Samuel to appoint them a king, the biblical

589 _{Jos. Ant. 4.223: Ἀριστοκρατία µὲνοὖνκράτιστονκαὶὁκατ᾽αὐτὴνβίος, καὶ µὴλάβῃπόθοςὑµᾶςἄλλης}

πολιτείας, ἀλλὰταύτηνστέργοιτε. The specific restrictions on royal power come after this passage and continue into Jos. Ant. 4.224.

590 _{Deut. 17:14-20.} 591 _{E.g. Jos. Ant. 1.18-23.}

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text reports: “And the thing was evil in Samuel’s eyes when they said, ‘Give us a king to rule us.’”593 Josephus emphasizes and elaborates on Samuel’s disappointment with their request and ascribes this to his opposition to kingship as a form of rule. His version of this passage reads,

Their words greatly grieved Samuel on account ofhis innate justice and hatred of kings. For he delighted intensely in aristocracy as something divine (θείας) that renders blessed those who use it as their constitution.594 Like Ant.4.223, the preference for aristocracy over monarchy expressed in this passage can reliably be said to reflect Josephus’ political views. As in Ant. 4.223, Josephus, not the biblical author, expresses the superiority of the aristocratic constitution over the monarchical one. Moreover, similar to Ant. 4.223, Josephus focalizes this view through Samuel, who, like Moses, was also a prophetic leader. By having a leader with the authority and legitimacy of Samuel express this political judgment, Josephus further emphasizes that aristocratic government was preferable to monarchy. Finally, in his expansion of Samuel’s response to the prospect of monarchical rule, Josephus has the prophet express the idea that the aristocratic constitution was divine (θείας). As we saw above, this refers to the idea that the aristocratic constitution recognized Yahweh as the ultimate sovereign. It also refers to the idea that it was divinely inspired and that those who followed it would “participate in” Yahweh’s virtue, both of which affirm the idea that divine sovereignty underpinned the constitution.595 That Josephus characterizes the

593 _{1 Sam. 8:6.}

594 _{Jos. Ant. 6.36: ἐλύπησανδὲσφόδρατὸνΣαµουῆλονοἱλόγοιδιὰτὴνσύµφυτονδικαιοσύνηνκαὶτὸπρὸς}

τοὺςβασιλέας µῖσος: ἥττητογὰρδεινῶςτῆςἀριστοκρατίαςὡςθείαςκαὶ µακαρίουςποιούσηςτοὺς χρωµένουςαὐτῆςτῇπολιτείᾳ.

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aristocratic constitution in this way when contrasting it favorably to monarchy accentuates his preference for it over kingship.

A final indication that Josephus favored aristocracy over monarchy is that in

Contra Apionem he presents monarchy as inferior to theocracy. As we will see below in the Appendix, Josephus presents theocracy as largely similar to aristocracy. Moreover, he praises Moses for establishing a constitution which entrusted sovereignty to Yahweh, and not a king.596

Why Josephus preferred aristocracy (and later theocracy) over kingship largely boils down to the matter of divine sovereignty. We have seen that Josephus implies that aristocracy was superior to monarchy because it, and not monarchy, was divine and acknowledged Yahweh as ultimate sovereign. In two other passages from Antiquities, however, Josephus lends support to this point. Both passages allude to a fundamental tension between monarchy and divine sovereignty. In particular, they indicate that under monarchical rule there was the risk that the subjects of the king would replace their allegiance to Yahweh with fealty to the king. Of course, in expressing this idea Josephus broke no ground. It underpins the account of the Israelites’ request for a king in 1 Samuel 8. Yahweh tells Samuel not to be disappointed with their decision and tells them: “it is not you they have rejected, it is me they have rejected as their king.”597 Josephus, however, accentuates this point, which indicates that he saw it as a particular problem with kingship. 596 _{Jos. CAp. 2.164-165: οἱ µὲνγὰρ µοναρχίαις… ἐπέτρεψαντὴνἐξουσίαντῶνπολιτευµάτων. ὁδ᾽} ἡµέτεροςνοµοθέτηςεἰς µὲντούτωνοὐδοτιοῦνἀπεῖδεν, ὡςδ᾽ἄντιςεἴποιβιασάµενοςτὸνλόγον θεοκρατίανἀπέδειξετὸπολίτευµαθεῷτὴνἀρχὴνκαὶτὸκράτος. 597 _{1 Sam. 8:7.}