JOSEPHINE JOSHUA 689 River mountains, and drained by Rogue and Illinois rivers ; area, 1,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, Ij204, of whom 223 were Chinese. The sur- face is hilly and in some parts mountainous, with small valleys of rich alluvial soil. In the S. part are rich gold mines, and copper ore is also found. The value of farm productions in 1870 was $24,775; of live stock, $27,100. Capital, Kirbyville. JOSEPHINE, empress of France. See BONA- PAKTB, vol. iii., p. 46. JOSEPHUS, Flavins, a Jewish historian, born in Jerusalem about A. D. 37, died about 100. His father belonged to the highest sacerdotal family, and his mother was descended from the Asmonean princes. He received a superior education, and acquired an extensive acquaint- ance with Greek literature. He studied the doctrines of the three Jewish sects, and passed three years in the desert with the ascetic Banus, of the sect of the Essenes, after which he re- mained by creed as by birth a Pharisee. At the age of 26 he was sent to Rome to plead the cause of some Jewish priests arrested by the procurator Felix, and, escaping from a shipwreck on his way, was introduced to Pop- pcea, the wife of Nero, and not only effected the liberation of his friends, but received many presents from the empress. Returning to Je- rusalem, he attempted to dissuade the Jews from the revolt on which they were bent, but failing in his efforts he joined the war party. He was appointed one of the generals and de- puted to defend the province of Galilee, and he made vigorous and for a time successful prepa- rations against the Romans, though vehement- ly opposed by a strong party in the council at Jerusalem led by John of Giscala. On the ap- proach of Vespasian in 67 he threw himself into Jotapata, the strongest of the Galilean cities, where he maintained a desperate resistance for 47 days. Escaping from the massacre which succeeded its fall, he took refuge in a cave, but was betrayed to the Romans. He thereupon assumed the character of a prophet, and, pro- fessing to derive his knowledge from the sa- cred books of the Jews, announced to Vespa- sian that the Roman empire should one day be his and his son's. Confidence in him was in- creased by the discovery from prisoners that he had foretold the exact number of days that the siege of Jotapata should last. He was not, however, released from bonds till Vespasian became emperor, and Titus succeeded to the control of the Jewish war. He was present at the siege of Jerusalem, suspected as a traitor by both Jews and Romans, and accompanied Titus on his return to Rome, where he passed the remainder of his life in literary pursuits. He was presented with the freedom of the city, an annual pension, and a house which had formerly been an imperial residence. He was three times married, and was divorced from his first two wives. Pride in the ancient glo- ries of his nation, awe of the greatness and power of Rome, personal vanity, and a ten- dency to unbounded flattery of the Flavian family, appear with equal prominence in his writings. In a passage, the genuineness of which is much disputed, allusion is made to Christ as something more than man, to his miracles, Messiahship, death, and resurrection in accordance with the prophecies ; but there is no evidence that he was a Christian. His principal works are a " History of the Jewish War," written in Hebrew, translated by him- self into Greek, and published about 7o; and a treatise on "Jewish Antiquities," written in Greek, completed about 93. The former ex- tends from 170 B. C. to the war which termi- nated in the destruction of Jerusalem, of which it gives a detailed narrative ; and the latter in- cludes the period from the creation to A. D. 66, and manifests a desire to conciliate heathen readers. He also wrote his own biography, and a treatise against Apion on the antiquity of the Jewish nation. An account of the mar- tyrdom of Eleaznr, and of seven youths and their mother, entitled Eif Ma*Ka/3aiovf, has been ascribed to him, but is of doubtful genuine- ness. The best editions of his works are by Hudson (Oxford, 1720), Havercamp (Amster- dam, 1726), and Dindorf, in Didot's Bibliatheea Graca (Paris, 1845). The principal English translations are by Lodge (1602), L'Estrange (1702), Whiston (1737), and Dr. Robert Traill, who died, leaving finished only "The Jewish War," which was edited by Isaac Taylor (2 vols., London, 1847). An imitation of Jose- phus's histories, in excellent Hebrew, but con- taining many legendary and fabulous narra- tives, was composed in the middle ages, and has often been published under the title " Book of Josipon." JOSH BELL (now called BELL), a S. E. county of Kentucky, bordering on Tennessee and Vir- ginia, and drained by Cumberland river and the S. fork of the Kentucky; area, about 600 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 3,731, of whom 111 were colored. The surface is mountainous. There are extensive deposits of coal and iron ore. The chief productions in 1870 were 3,608 bush- els of wheat, 105,465 of Indian corn, 12,883 of oats, and 42,357 Ibs. of butter. There were 670 horses, 2,660 cattle, 2,890 sheep, and 5,036 swine. Capital, Pineville. JOSHUA, the successor of Moses in the com- mand of the Israelites. He was the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. He gained the victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim, ac- companied Moses to Mt. Sinai, was deputed with eleven others to explore the land of Ca- naan, was appointed by Moses, at the age of 85, to the command of the Israelites, led them into the promised land, and divided the country among the tribes. (See HEBREWS.) He gov- erned Israel during 25 years. He was buried at Timnath-serah in the mountains of Ephraim. His reputed tomb was discovered in 1873, near Tibneh, by M. Guerin, who was employed by the French government in scientific researches in Palestine. His history is contained in the
