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Twelfth-Century Receptions of a Text: Anglo-Norman Historians and Hegesippus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2012

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Summary

Under the name Hegesippus there has come down to us a Latin translation of Josephus' Jewish War in five books, probably made in the later fourth century. The precise identity of its author remains unclear. From Late Antiquity onwards the translation was variously but falsely attributed to Jerome, Rufinus, or St Ambrose of Milan, but it is more probably the work of a Jewish convert. Although Hegesippus' History usually receives scant attention today, the work had much to recommend it to readers in the Middle Ages. First it is closely allied to the Bible narrative, relating the events which led to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, with an introductory summary of Jewish history from the time of Judas Maccabeus. Moreover, its author injects a strong moral tone, seeing the sack as inevitable retribution for Christ's crucifixion. In addition to the work's close relationship to biblical history and its Christian outlook, it also tells a gripping story full of vivid narrative, effective speeches, horrific incidents, and grisly detail, couched in stylish Latin often reminiscent of Sallust and Virgil. All of this meant that Hegesippus had a wide circulation and was well known to medieval readers. Because of its popularity, much work remains to be done on the influence of this now neglected text. Here I propose to concentrate on one particular aspect of its reception, namely the effect the work had on four Anglo-Norman historians in the twelfth century.

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Anglo-Norman Studies 31
Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2008
, pp. 177 - 196
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2009

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