THESTORYOFCANNIBALMARYThestoryofMary’scannibalismoccursinBook6,rightattheclimaxofJosephus’accountoftheRomansiegeofJerusalemin70C.E.,anditservesdramaticallyasthecatalystforthedestructionoftheJewishTemple.InthestoryitisPassover,thetimewhenJewscometogethertoeatthePassoverLamb.Whatmakesthisspeechremarkable,isthatitcomesdirectlyfromthemouthofawoman;itismoreunusualstillinthatitisaddressedtoababy.Onthepracticallevelwithinthestory,thebabywillserveas“food”toalleviatethemother’shunger.Onthethematiclevel,thebabywillplaythetragicroleofa“Fury”afteritsdeath(likethoseinAeschylus’sOresteia),houndingtherebelsforthecrimestheyhavecommitted.Finally,thelabelof“myth”elevatesthebabytoaroleinatragedy.Josephus,JewishWarsoftheJews(6.199‐219) “TherewasacertainwomanthatdweltbeyondJordan,hernamewasMary;herfatherwasEleazar,ofthevillageBethezob,whichsignifiesthehouseofHyssop.Shewaseminentforherfamilyandherwealth,andhadfledawaytoJerusalemwiththerestofthemultitude,andwaswiththembesiegedthereinatthistime.Theothereffectsofthiswomanhadbeenalreadyseizedupon,suchImeanasshehadbroughtwithheroutofPerea,andremovedtothecity.Whatshehadtreasuredupbesides,asalsowhatfoodshehadcontrivedtosave,hadbeenalsocarriedoffbytherapaciousguards,whocameeverydayrunningintoherhouseforthatpurpose.Thisputthepoorwomanintoaverygreat passion, and by the frequent reproaches and imprecations she cast at theserapaciousvillains,shehadprovokedthemtoangeragainsther;butnoneofthem,eitherout of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of commiseration of hercase,wouldtakeawayherlife;andifshefoundanyfood,sheperceivedherlaborswereforothers,andnot forherself;and itwasnowbecome impossible forheranywaytofind anymore food,while the famine pierced through her very bowels andmarrow,

when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself; nor did sheconsultwithanythingbutwithherpassionandthenecessityshewasin. Shethenattemptedamostunnaturalthing;andsnatchingupherson,whowasachildsuckingatherbreast,shesaid,“Othoumiserableinfant!forwhomshallIpreservetheeinthiswar,thisfamine,andthissedition?AstothewarwiththeRomans,iftheypreserveourlives,wemustbeslaves.Thisfaminealsowilldestroyus,evenbeforethatslavery comes upon us. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both theother.Comeon;bethoumyfood,andbethouaFurytotheseseditiousrebels,andamyth to theworld,which isall that isnowwanting tocomplete thecalamitiesofusJews.

Assoonasshehadsaid this, sheslewherson,andthenroastedhim,andate the

onehalfofhim,andkepttheotherhalfbyherconcealed.Uponthistheseditiouscameinpresently,andsmelling thehorridscentof this food, theythreatenedher that theywouldcutherthroat immediately ifshedidnotshowthemwhatfoodshehadgottenready. She replied that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them, and withaluncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror andamazementofmind,andstoodastonishedatthesight,whenshesaidtothem, ‘Thischildismyown,andthedeedismine.Eat,forI,too,haveeaten.Don’tbe weakerthanawomanormorecompassionatethanamother.Ifyouarepious andturnawayfrommysacrifice,thenIhaveeatenforyou,andlettheleft‐overs

remainforme.’Afterwhichthosemenwentouttrembling,beingneversomuchafrightedatanythingas they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of thatmeat to themother.”inthepassageJosephusdescribedMary’ssonasa“mythos”or‘mythfortheworld’(BJ6.207).Hegoesontostatethatthekillingofthemythfortheworldwillbeseenasa“mysos”(BJ6,212)or‘atrocity’,thatwillberespondedtobytheRomanswith“misos”(BJ6.214)or‘bitterhatred’.Thetermforbowelshasconnotationsofbeingasacrifice,andtheideaofbowelsbeingpiercedreappearswhenMary’sbowels/heartarepiercedintheGospelofLukeinanequivalenttext(2;35).AlsoinMary’sspeechtheuseof“this”withthefirstpersonpossessiveadjectiveandherinvitationtotherebelstoeatthischildpartlyresemblesthewordsattributedtoJesusattheLastSupper,amealtimedintheChristiantextswithPassover.Theselinksbetweenthetwotextsissignificant.Thereisonlyoneindividualwhocanbeseenasa‘mythfortheworld’,whowasasonofMaryandahumanPassoverlamb,andwhosekillingwasan‘atrocity’andwhoservedasaFurycreating‘bitterhatred’oftheJews…..namelythefigureofJesusChrist,whoisdescribedasdyinglikeaPassoverLamb

sacrificeonthecross,andgivinghisbodyandbloodtohisfollowersatthePassovercelebration.InotherwordstheliteraryaccountofthiscannibalisminJosephus’TheRoman‐JewishWarwasusedasthebasisforcreatingtheLastSupper,asaliterarycommemorationofthecannibalisminthatwar.ReadingHonoraH.Chapman“AMythfortheWorld”:EarlyChristianReceptionofInfanticideandCannibalisminJosephus,BellumJudaicum6.199‐219JosephAtwillCaesar’sMessiah(2005)