Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian and apologist of the Roman period. He wrote Antiquities of the Jews in about 93 CE, which is regarded as an important work of Jewish history.
In chapter three of this chronological walk through history, Josephus briefly but clearly lays out his understanding that the sons of God were angels, without hinting that any controversy about this interpretation existed at his time.
The Story of the Angels that ‘accompanied with women’ according to Josephus
Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy.
For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants.
But Noah was very uneasy at what they did; and being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change their dispositions and their acts for the better: but seeing they did not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked pleasures, he was afraid they would kill him, together with his wife and children, and those they had married; so he departed out of that land.
A Fascinating and Controversial Figure
Josephus lived an interesting and controversial life. Born in 37 CE to a father who was a priest, Josephus was educated in Jerusalem and lived some time as a child in Rome as well.
During the Jewish rebellion against Rome, he fought against the Romans, leading the Jewish forces in Galilee. After a six-week siege of Yodfat, he surrendered to Vespasian, who kept Josephus as a slave and later gave him his freedom.
Josephus remained with the Romans, becoming a Roman citizen and an advisor and translator to Titus throughout the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
His histories of the Jewish people are invaluable for understanding the first century. His works provide another historical source for mentions of Jesus, James, John the Baptist, Herod the Great and Pontius Pilate.
JOSEPHUS CLAIMS THE NEPHILIM FORMED THE BASIS OF GREEK MYTHS ABOUT GIANTS
In his passage that relates the same story as Genesis 6, his main interest in retelling the story an apologetic one, since he was writing to largely Grecian and Roman readers. He suggests that the legendary deeds of the giants of Greek mythology were similar to what the offspring of angels had done in Genesis 6.
In Hesiod’s Theogeny (dated at around 750 BC), the giant titans were born of heaven and earth (Uranus and Gaia). But heaven (Uranus) hated his offspring and hid them in the earth. Gaia urged her offspring to punish heaven for this, and the titan Cronus ambushed and castrated his father, freeing the titans.
However, Cronus’ own son Zeus fights against his father, and finally defeats the titans and casts them into Tartarus.
Like Philo before him, Josephus suggests that the source of Greek mythologies is the Biblical narrative – the main culprits being the Nephilim and sons of God from Genesis 6.
The similarities are striking in their broad strokes – a union of heaven and earth producing legendary offspring that were involved in a rebellion against heaven, but who were eventually cast down and imprisoned in Tartarus.
So for both Philo and Josephus, the Genesis 6:1-4 account allowed them to point their readers to what they considered the source for the pagan mythologies that had devolved over time.
In contrast to Augustine’s proposal about 300 years later that the sons of God were from the godly line of Seth, Josephus tells a much different story – the Sethites eventually turned their backs on God like everyone else had, and only Noah was left righteous.
The translation of THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS by William Whiston in 1737 includes the following note at the use of the word ‘angels’:
This notion, that the fallen angels were, in some sense, the fathers of the old giants, was the constant opinion of antiquity.
Translator William Whiston
