Josephus Goes over to the Romans

Josephus uses heroic terms to describe his career as a general in Galilee, despite the fact that he and his soldiers were defeated at Yodefat (Jotapata) and then cornered in a cave, where all but one of them—excluding Josephus—killed each other in a suicide pact. Josephus suggests that divine intervention forced him to break his suicide pact with his men and then be taken as a prisoner of war by Vespasian. Having surrendered to Vespasian and his son Titus, Josephus makes what turns out to be a momentous prediction—or prophecy: that Vespasian will become emperor. Josephus and Vespasian shared an interest in supporting the claim that Vespasian was divinely chosen for his new role, and the prophecy appears to have been widely known in antiquity and is confirmed by other Roman historians. Josephus was held in custody until 69 CE, when he was granted his freedom by the new emperor, Vespasian.