Fannius’ Letter for Judaean Envoys And Its Contexts (Jos. AJ 14. 233)

Résumé

The letter of safe conduct written by C. Fannius to Cos for Judaean envoys dates to 161 BCE, as argued long ago by Benedikt Niese. It is our only extant example of such a letter, and some of its features reflect its template. Indeed, the letter tells us more about diplomatic travel in general than the precise facts of this diplomatic encounter. Recent attempts to redate the letter and recontextualize its contents are argued against.