Travel and Hospitality in Josephus’ Representation of the Essene Community (Judean War 2.124–127) and Its Literary and Cultural Contexts

Abstract In his description of the Essenes in the Judean War , Josephus asserts that members of this group settled in many cities, and, in doing so, formed an interregional community with members travelling between and visiting each other in different places. Individual travellers, in turn, travel light because they can enjoy the hospitality of the host community in the cities which they visit ( War 2.124–127). How can we explain Josephus’ emphasis on the Essenes as a hospitable community in view of a first-century readership of War and in the wider socio-cultural context of the Roman Mediterranean? This article has two interlocking aims. The first is to examine the emphasis on travel and hospitality in Josephus’ description of the Essenes. To draw out this emphasis, we situate this passage in its wider narrative context and compare it to descriptions of the Essenes in other classical sources, especially the writings of Philo of Alexandria. Our second aim, taking the image of the Essenes as hosts and travellers as a departure point, is to elucidate the cultural constructs undergirding Josephus’ descriptions of hospitality throughout his writings. Starting from the premise that Josephus’ language of guest-friendship would be recognisable to local audiences in and around Rome, we consider how Josephus’ diction of travel and hospitality participates in broader cultural practices.