Josephus: The Essential Writings
by Flavius Josephus
On This Page
Description
An award-winning translation and condensation of Jewish Antiquitiesand The Jewish War. Includes black and white photos.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I had heard of the writings of the ancient historian Josephus but it always seemed daunting to take on reading the words of somone who lived so long ago. I guess I thought it would be hard to understand like ancient epic poetry. But this translation and edition are actually quite simple to understand. The first part reads like a summary of what you find in your old testament, with a few differences. The second part tells what happend in between the testaments, like the story of the Maccabees and how the Herods came into power. It continues on through the time of Christ (whe gets a couple of mentions, as does John the Baptist and later the early Christians are alluded to as well) up to the destruction of the Jerusalem and the Jewish show more temple, whichis told in detail. It is fascinating in places and it provides a fuller picture of what was happening politically during the time of Christ and the early church. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in having a little historical flavor added to their understading of the Bible or these time periods in general. And don't be scared by it--this edition is condensed to all the relevant books and is easy to read. show less
History of Jewish Antiquities and the Jewish War. Prime source for the history of the Jews and the fall to Rome. The book includes notes to help explain unfamiliar or confusing items. The appendices charts of the rulers.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
453+ Works 13,632 Members
A member of a wealthy priestly family in Judea, Josephus was a Pharisee originally named Joseph ben Matthias. An active supporter of anti-Roman activity, he became governor of Galilee, a post he held with honor and valor until Galilee was taken by the Romans in a.d. 67. He won the favor of the Roman general Vespasian, whose name---Flavius---he show more took as his own and through whose patronage he later became a Roman citizen. Although often criticized for becoming a supporter of Rome, in his work Against Apion he passionately defends Jewish religion and culture. Josephus wrote both in Greek and in Hebrew. His writings are neither remarkably fine representatives of classical culture nor the product of deep learning in Jewish literature and history. They do, however, tell the reader a great deal not known from other sources. The Jewish War (75--79), based to a great extent on what Josephus himself saw, heard, and experienced, describes the tragic events of the Jewish revolt against Rome. Antiquities of the Jews (93) covers the history of the Jews from creation to the war with Rome, with special attention given to the Maccabees and the dynasty of Herod. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
All Editions
Work Relationships
Is an abridged version of
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Josephus: The Essential Writings
- Alternate titles
- Josephus: The Essential Works
- Original publication date
- 1988
- Important places
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Important events
- First Jewish-Roman War (66 | 73)
- Dedication
- For my nephews, Walter A. Maier III and David P. E. Maier
- First words
- Apart from the Bible itself, Flavius Josephus is by far the most important historical source illuminating the entire biblical era, and for some New Testament personalities, he is an even more comprehensive source.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)My readers may judge its style, but as to truth, I would not hesitate to assert boldly that this has been my aim throughout.
- Blurbers
- Bruce, F.F.; Sherer, Michael L.
- Original language
- Greek (Ancient) (Ancient)
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 909.04924
- Disambiguation notice
- Abridged edition. Do not combine with complete texts.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 909.04924 — History & geography History World history History with respect to ethnic and national groups Other Semites Jews, Hebrews, Israelis
- LCC
- DS116 .J7413 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Asia History of Asia Israel (Palestine). The Jews History
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 901
- Popularity
- 29,810
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.03)
- Languages
- Chinese, English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 4
