Vita Apologetica: The Lives of Josephus and Paul in Apologetic Historiography

Abstract

Paul and Josephus both were apologists for their religious communities and thus shared many attributes in common. Since the book of Acts, crafted in the late first century, was contemporary with Josephus's writings, some critical scholars have suggested dependence by one of these authors upon the other. This article suggests that the author of Acts may have been in spired by Josephan texts when crafting biographical narratives about Paul. The article evaluates possible connections between Acts and Josephan texts in regard to: (1) their references to the same political events in Palestine, (2) the broad educational experiences of both men, (3) shipwreck experi ences of both men and (4) visions of dream images, which communicated life-altering messages to both men.