Joseph ben Matthias

9.9

A Jewish commander who later wrote important books about the war with Rome

proper noun

: José ben Matías

The writings of Joseph ben Matthias, under the name Josephus, are crucial sources for historians.

Examples

Joseph ben Matthias was initially a commander in Galilee during the war against Rome.
Few know that Joseph ben Matthias later became a Roman citizen and prolific author.
The historian Joseph ben Matthias documented the events of the Jewish revolt.
Did Joseph ben Matthias write about the siege of Jerusalem?
Joseph ben Matthias was initially a commander in Galilee during the war against Rome.
The writings of Joseph ben Matthias, under the name Josephus, are crucial sources for historians.
The historian Joseph ben Matthias documented the events of the Jewish revolt.

Synonyms

Flavius Josephus

vsJoseph ben Matthias

1 9.9

A Jewish historian and military leader from the first century who writes about the Jewish revolt against Rome

is the same person but named by birth rather than later Roman name

Surface Forms

Joseph ben Matthias main

Morphology

Joseph + ben + Matthias

The string is a patronymic proper name: 'Joseph' and 'Matthias' are personal names and 'ben' is a Hebrew connector meaning 'son of', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a person named Joseph, son of Matthias. However, the constituents do not convey the specific historical identity or role (Jewish general and historian), so the full referential meaning is not derivable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Joseph ben Matthias means Joseph, 'son of' Matthias, because ben is the Hebrew word for 'son of'. He later became a Roman citizen and wrote under the name 'Josephus', so historians know his books by that name today.