Book Description
(Revised and expanded edition; commentary by Paul L. Maier) Unabridged. Includes harmony of Greek and English numbering systems, table of Jewish weights and measures, Old Testament text parallels, twenty full-page illustrations, and an updated index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Great reference book
This book is a great reference for people interested in studying God's Word.While it is no substitute for the Holy Bible, it helps put things into historical context and also provides amplifying details which are not included in our Holy texts.I would recommend reading it with a grain of salt however and would not base spiritual decisions on Josephus' words.By and large I recommend this volume for anyone interested in expanding there understanding of Biblical history.

ABook too Long.
The contents of this book are valuable to the student of Bible Studies. The problem I have found is that the book's contents are much too long for one book. It would be much easier to read if it was in two volumes and slightly larger print.

Good resource, bizarre notes
This is a nice, cheap, one-volume resource.However, the notes and commentary are very unhelpful.For instance, Maier holds that Josephus was an Ebionite Christian, a thesis which is in the extreme scholarly minority.
I recommend the book, but please ignore the commentary!!!

Josephus by Flavius Josephus
Josephus was born to an aristocratic family in 37AD. The work
discusses many important milestones in the history of the
Jewish people. Most prominent of these events are:

- the Jewish forces in Galilee in AD66
- the revolt in Rome
- the agony of the Sepphoris over the state of their land
- the war by Moses against the Ethiopians
- the flight of Moses from Egypt into Midian
- the return of Moses and Aaron to Egypt and the Pharoah and
the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt
- the receipt of the Law by Moses on Mt. Sinai
- how Josephus oversaw the 5th of 10 plagues afflicting cattle
- a map of Judea showing Samaria, Decaputis, Perea, Jerusalem
and the Mediterranean Sea

This work is an important milestone in the literature of the
Diaspora period. It should be widely read by academicians and
theologians everywhere.

A Must Read for the Serious Historian
This book was a serendipitous purchase.I was reading "James the Brother of Jesus, and that author recommended having three other works available while studying.One was "Josephus."I have not, unfortunately, finished "James" yet, but am totally fascinated by Josephus.One sees him as a bit puffed up about himself at times, as the detailed historian, the passionate supporter of causes, but most of all as a realist of the time.So valuable because organized religion seldom provides the lay person seldom insight into the actual social and political pressures that moved events that we take for granted in an almost legendary way.Again, a fascinating work is Josephus. ... Read more

Book Description
An award-winning translation and condensation of Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish War. Includes black and white photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good book
This book is excellent, but it is on a doctoral level.Not recommended for young people.

thorough
Instead of reading through alot of Old English interpretation and opinion, the facts here are presented straightforward, clear and easy to read for the average reader. The pictures help immensely as they transports you to the era. Still, the book is thorough and stuffed with facts, historical, personal and cultural. A great buy for anyone interested in this period.

A SUCCINCT SUMMARY OF JOSEPHUS
For most people, such as myself, reading all of Josephus' Antiquities and The Jewish War is a daunting and time-consuming task.This book does a wonderful job of summarizing both of these important works in under 400 pages.It's easy reading and the footnotes and timelines added by Mr. Maier are helpful.If you want to learn about ancient Hebrews and Israelites as well as the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans(which Josephus witnessed)then this is your book without reading the complete and voluminous works of Josephus then here's your book.

I should note that the majority of Antiquities paraphrases what is already found in the Old Testament, which is common knowledge to scholars in this subject.

it looked a lot less intimidating than the others
This was the first book on Josephus that I have read.The reason I selected this edition over other full length, unabridged versions is that it looked a lot less intimidating (I get shivers down my spine when I thinkthat I am going to have to read through an encyclopedia length tome fromcover to cover).My hunch was rewarded with a well organized version thatis very easy to read and understand.It covers the essentials of"Jewish Antiquities" and "The Jewish War" in a way thatallows you to read through it fairly quickly without having to ponder verylong what you have read.The only difficulty I encountered was to keepstraight in my mind the family relationships of the nobility in "TheJewish War".Although it is still a fairly long read, I recommend itto anyone who is just starting their studies on Josephus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Okay, I admit to only reading good bits
Fascinating image of life and historical events in the first century CE. Surprisingly readable, at least in small batches, despite the density of text and difficulty keeping track of the players. ... Read more

Book Description
This renowned reference book has served scholars, pastors, students, and those interested in the background of the New Testament for years. The insight given into the Essene community, the destruction of Jerusalem and the interpretations and traditions of the Old Testament in first century Judaism is invaluable. The outlook of Josephus, a late first century Pharisee and historian, on Jesus and the New Testament documents is enlightening and provocative. As an original reference, The Works of Josephus is essential to a full understanding of the first century, the time of Christ and the New Testament.

Complete and unabridged, this is the best one-volume edition of the classic translation of JosephusÂ' works. The entire text has been reset in modern, easy-to-read type; numbering corresponding to that used in the Loeb edition has been added to the text; and citations and cross-references have been updated from Roman numerals to Arabic numbers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Complete Works of Josephus
For any Bible student interested in enlarging his/her background knowledge of events pertaining to the Jews, I think this is a fine volume. It is always wise to be mindful that history is subject to the perspective of the historian, and a translation of his work adds another layer of interpretation.
This volume is adequate in describing the struggles of the Jews and the folly of politics; a lesson yet to be learned by modern man.

Very interesting
This is a really good reference book during the times of Jesus and is well worth reading if you like history.

loved it
I believe a very accurate portrayal of the life and times of the first century ad. A good book of comparison for religious research.

The Works of Josephus
Great condition, quick delivery.This is an important source of information about the early church and the Roman occupation of the Middle East as seen through the eyes of a non-Christian and non-Roman historian of the day.It helps one understand the politics, culture, and issues of the times.I have barely begun to read it, but have been been impressed with what I have read so far.

Great source of information
Josephus is a great source for information about Biblical times.The format is similar to the Bible, but the language is not quite as clear as most of the common translations.I would recommend it as a historical companion to Biblical study. ... Read more

Book Description
2 MP3-CDs, Unabridged, With Music and Sound Effects, Includes Volumes 1 and 2, Running Time: 20 hoursContents of Volume I: In A.D. 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Palestine led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people. How had this once peaceful and prosperous region been struck down, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down this slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness historian to the momentous events: Joseph ben Mattathias, known to posterity as Flavius Josephus. In beautifully written and clearly understood prose, Josephus sets out to explain the origin of the conflict. He describes how the fanatical zealots came to dominate the political life of Palestine, illustrates ho! w the Romans were drawn into the fight, and shows how the war was carried on by both sides, ending with the siege of the fortress of Masada.

In volume 1, discover how Herod the Great came to be king of the Jews during the time of Julius Caesar, how he ruled and what he accomplished. You will hear the story of his larger-than-life personality and how family conflict poisoned his reign. Discover the means by which Herod eliminated his enemies, including members of his own family, and how his successors' corruption and ineptitude brought on growing anarchy and religious tension.Peer into the mind of nationalist fanatics bent on destroying themselves and their nation for the sake of their beliefs. Hear how famous persons like Cleopatra, Mark Antony, Pontius Pilate, Augustus, Nero, Vesapasian and Josephus himself played their parts in this fascinating history.

Volume 1 begins with the origins of the House of Herod in the middle of the first century B.C. and carries us to the opening battles of the Jewish revolt and the arrival of Vespasian in Judaea.Although we encourage listeners to hear the entire work from the beginning in order to form a more complete understanding, those who are only interested in the revolt itself may skip to Chapter 9 in volume 1.

Running time: 10 hours for Volume 1.

Contents of Volume II: The spectacularly violent Jewish revolt of A.D. 66 is in full swing as volume 2 opens, and we begin our story with the horrific siege of Jotapata and the capture of Josephus. Listeners receive a rousing, eyewitness account of Roman arms in action as Vespasian presses relentlessly onward to Jerusalem. As the Roman war machine closes in on Jerusalem, the fanatic zealots inside the city are involved in tearing each other apart and savaging the citizens trapped inside.With doom approaching from afar and civil war convulsing the city from within, the once grand metropolis of Jerusalem begins to disintegrate. Vespasian is proclaimed emperor upon Nero's death, and turns over command of the army to his brilliant son, Titus, who encircles Jerusalem and places it under siege. Unable to escape the city and preyed upon by the enraged fanatics from within, the pitiful citizens can only watch helplessly as the horrible specter of famine begins to envelope Jerusale! m and spread into every household. The horrors of siege warfare are driven home as we hear some of the most impassioned descriptions of man's folly ever put on paper. Learn how the magnificent Great Temple was burned and obliterated, and discover the fate of Jerusalem itself. And finally, hear the account of the incredible siege of Masada, one of the last major events of the war.

The Jewish War is one of the most important histories to survive from ancient times, dealing as it does with a subject of which there are very few sources. This is an engaging and heart-felt chronicle by ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

An excellent translation..
Josephus was a traitor,yes,and he was not an eyewitness to it all. His sources were an invaluable help to him in writing this account.And once again the Jewish people get short shrift. Yet this book is a necessary evil and should be read,not on its own,but with other sources for a rounded history. Everything we read can be put together like a jigsaw puzzle providing us with the insights needed to understand the Middle East today.

A tale of horror for the Jewish people
This tells the story of the terrible tragedy of the fall of Jerusalem, and the end of Jewish rule in the holy- land. It is written by the Jewish general and turncoat Josephus whose powerful skills as historian are compromised by his questionable behavior in regard to his own people.
Josephus does sympathize with the Jewish people, and writes as their defender. But he is also the hireling of the Romans and is careful to present them in an overly sympathetic light.
This is one of the great historical works of Antiquity. It is a classic.
And yet what mixed feelings it arouses . Admiration at Josephus' skill as writer , admiration for his attempting to bring credit and praise to the Jewish people, or some part of it- and contempt for his treachery.
This work contains too the scene of Masada's fall and the powerful speech of its last defenders before their collective suicide.
This is a crucial historical document.
But the tale it tells is a tale of horror for the Jewish people.

The Jewish War Was aBloody Wars.
The Jewish War recorded by Josephus (not the second war; 132-135) but the first one is masterfully recorded in this edition. At the same time, I don't wnat to sound as though I read it simply for the sake of reading a 'materpiece of literature' but because I sincerely wanted to know, from a first hand perspective, what is was like for someone to go through this. Since were don't have many poor and average people's accounts, we have to settle for Joseph who does a pretty good job.

The Barbary shown in the war is attrocious; rape, canniblism, fanatacism, pillaging, turning on one's own friends, etc. Josephus himself tells a story about how he basically convinced 40-some of his friends to kill themselves so that he could escape. The fact of the matter is that a lot of reading between the lines is needed in this book because of the way he writes. I highly recommend it, though. At the same time, not for evyerone.

History by an eyewitness
I found Josephus to be an excellent source of history because he was both an eyewitness and a participant.Though undoubtedly slanted toward his own personal opinion, I think the events Joseph described really happened.He, at first, was part of the rebellion against Rome, but it seems he had reservations about the wisdom of the rebellion.He did fight, however, but was defeated and captured.

After his capture, he apparently realized the hopelessness of war against Rome and seemed to have been surprised and saddened by the civil wars, murders, and political infighting of the Judeans within Jerusalem.He tried many times to shame them out of their infighting, and he encouraged them to surrender undoubtedly because, due to their disunity, they faced certain defeat.He is sometimes referred to as a traitor because he did not support the rebellion to the end.I don't think this is fair to Josephus.Not every political movement in a country is righteous and justified.I wonder how I would act were I were a German citizen during the Nazi era or an Iraqi during Saddam Hussein's defiance of international law.

I found Josephus to be a very rich source of information for "Revelation and the Fall of Judea."I am very grateful that Josephus took the time to write such a detailed account of what he saw.He writes his history almost like a novel.This easy to understand translation makes for very interesting reading.I highly recommend this book.

Eyewitness to the destruction of Herod's Temple
This book would appeal to anyone interested in the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod's Temple.Josephus was born around 37AD and was a commander in the Jewish army (if really that structured)at the early stages of the Jewish revolt that began in 66AD and lasted some 7 years.Josephus was captured by the Romans prior to the attack on Jerusalem.He provides what can be considered an eyewitness account of what took place there.However, as many other reviews have pointed out, his account has to be taken with a grain of salt.Overall, I think his depiction is accurate, but some figures or numbers given are probably exagerations.Josephus had to slant his writings due to the fact he was then living in Rome under the auspices of Titus and Vespasian.Josephus would not dare to write an account that was unflattering to the Roman rulers.If he had, the writings would not exist today and Josephus himself would most likely have perished earlier than he did.

Josephus briefly mentions the three Jewish sects of the 1st century AD, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes.Though he seems to hold the Essenes in high regard, he himself became a member of the Pharisees after a decision making process.One thing that stands out in my mind after reading this book and that is the description of the beliefs of the Pharisees.The Pharisees ascribed everything to Fate or God.This is imporant as far as the events of the book are concerned because Josephus states both Fate and God were on the side of the Romans.

You can tell that Josephus knew the Romans would eventually win the battle.Josephus was more concerned with the saving of the Temple.Josephus describes the different factions that caused the revolt and how they were "ungodly."These "terrorists" were gung-ho for a revolt against the Romans while the average citizen was terrified.Deserters were killed by the so-called Jewish terrorists and their partisans.Josephus claims to have tried to talk some sense into these rebels, but to no avail.It seems that Josephus blames the destruction more on the Jewish rebels or "terrorists" than he does the Romans.He goes into gruesome details of the infighting that took place inside of Jerusalem's walls even before the Romans arrived.It was due to the sins of these "bad" Jews that brought the wrath of God upon them.He even claims this was foretold in a prophecy.Josephus is ultimately unable to get these rebels to surrender and thus save the Temple.The Temple was used as a fortress and became the focal point of the war.These terrorists defiled the Sanctuary and the city of Jerusalem and would not give up their madness.The Romans had allowed the Jews to practice their faith and maintain their Temple pretty much as they willed.The rebels, being so eager to throw off the Roman yolk and to perhaps rule the country themselves, refused to give up their agenda.Thus the utter destruction of the Temple.Though you can imagine the Romans were a little less humane than was portrayed in this writing.Yet, you do get the feeling that Zealots or radical Jews were largely to blame.At the least, foolish for their attempt to defeat the Romans at that time.They probably should have listened to the reason of Josephus. ... Read more

Book Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

Book Description
(Updated, full-color edition) Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish War take on a brilliant new dimension in this revised edition of the award-winning translation and condensation. Now with color photographs, charts, and maps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Your Choice
I have long owned the complete set of Josephus' works in multiple volumes from the Loeb Classical Library.Later, I purchased this abridgement and translation by Paul L. Maier of Flavius Josephus' "Jewish Antiquities" and "The Jewish War" which will be useful to many. Please note this book is available in a 1990 edition and the 1995 edition.Recently, I obtained a copy of "The New Complete Works of Josephus," with Maier as commentator and editor published in 1999.So, in large measure the question I will try to answer here is, who will be served by owning one or the other of these books.I can no longer recommend the Loeb series as they are superseded in my opinion by Maier's "new complete works."The "essential works" come in at four hundred and sixteen pages of easy to read prose.The "new complete works" is eleven hundred and fifty two pages long.Substantial extra material including Josephus's "Against Apion" and "Vita" are included along with useful commentary by Maier.The translation is the original to English by William Whiston from the 18th Century.However, Maier has brought it linguistically and grammatically up to date which makes it accessible to most readers.

Josephus is by far our most important ancient source outside of the Bible regarding the history of Judaism and the Israelites up until the end of the first great Jewish Revolt circa 70 CE.On the one hand, if what you are looking for is a narrative history that parallels the Bible through the Babylonian captivity plus a basic history of Judea thereafter up to about 70 CE including Judea's interactions with the Hellenistic Empires and the Roman Empire, the "essential works" should suffice.On the other hand, if you need to back check Josephus against other scholarly works or need substantially more detail in either the pre or post exilic eras, the "complete works" ought to be your choice.In the event that you do not accept the Bible as a reliable source of the pre-exilic history of Israel, the first two hundred pages of the "essential works" may amount to, at worst in the opinion of some readers, no more than a paraphrased rendition of sacral mythology.

That many if not most still view the Old Testament as an accurate presentation of history from the creation up to the Babylonian exile and the return should be self evident.Therefore, if you subscribe to the position that the Old Testament is historically relevant and you need to fill in the blanks from the exile to the end of the first great Jewish revolt against the Romans, the "essential works" will be an invaluable read.If your interests are scholarly in any way, the "new complete works" is mandatory.The "essential works" will be way too stripped out of detail to serve as a useful reference source.Furthermore, the extra material and commentary in the "new complete works" may provide you with a fuller appreciation of Josephus and his place in historiography.Regardless of which of the two books you choose to suit your purposes, you will be reading the work of a fine scholar and a most significant ancient historian.In my opinion, each work will be edifying to its appropriate audience.Just make sure you pick the right book to fit your needs.

Great Scholarship
Anyone who has tried to struggle through an old translation of Josephus will appreciate this work.When reading the 18th century translation one gets the sense that this is a great piece of ancient history, but it's just SO tedious.Dr. Maier's abridged translation not only covers all the important passages, but does so in an easy to read English.

The merit of Dr. Maier's translation is found in the footnotes about the controversial passage containing the reference to Jesus as the Messiah.Although scholars agree that the passage contains language inserted by some medieval copyist, there is obviously a dispute about what, if anything Josephus actually wrote.Subsequent manuscript evidence seems to justify Dr. Maier's conclusion almost to the letter.

As for the content of the original writer, Josephus has been criticized as biased, anti-Jewish, and a Roman turncoat.I was surprised to find a different picture of the writer as I read his works.The bias criticism is hardly valid when he's compared to other writers of his time.While one can question his loyalty, the fact remains that if he had not escaped being besieged in Jerusalem, we wouldn't have such a detailed contemporary account of the Jewish War.Furthermore, his Antiquities of the Jews shows a lack of any anti-Jewish sentiment.Therefore his pro-Roman treatment of the Jewish War should be attributed to having a definite perspective given his situation.The fact is that, for good or bad, he backed the winning side in the struggle that earned him a certain animosity for having backed the wrong side.The fact that Judaism survived this time of persecution is attributable to Jews like Josephus who did not sacrifice their lives for what they pragmatically saw as a lost cause.

This is a must read for anyone who is a serious student of Roman or Jewish history as well as any serious student of the New Testament.

3rd Grade Reading Level and Biased
After reading 100 pages in about ten minutes, I wondered if Josephus really wrote as if he were a child.ie: Jack was a man.He lived in a house.He had a wife.He did something.Then, Jack died.Now replace Jack with Adam, Noah, Moses, Isaac, etc.The translator/editor takes far too much liberty with his abridgement and translation.I bought the unabridge version afterward.The writing in the full version is still easy to read and follow, but it gives a much more detailed and fuller story telling.I realize that the original is very long, and editing was necessary for this book.But, the sentence and paragraph structure was dumbed down too much.Also, the current editor adds too much correlation to Jesus.He may be unaware of this, but not all readers are Christian.I bought the book for Josephus' telling of Jewish history (as the title of Josephus' major works would indicate).Not Paul Maier's idea of what is important in Josephus' landmark undertaking.
I would recommend this book to a Christian parent who may want to supplment a child's reading of Biblical stories.I would not recommend this to an adult who is interested in expanding their knowledge of Biblical history.

Best translation ever of Josephus for normal people
The works of Josephus are the most important writings we have to understand the background and history of the Bible. Yet, trying to read Josephus' wordy prose is one of the most excruciating experiences I ever encountered.

Dr. Maier's translation and commentary on Josephus is one of 3 modern translations I own, but is the only one I have used for the last 5 years. It brought Josephus to life for me and allowed me to read and understand this valuable primary source.

Dr. Maier's work is generously accented with maps and illustrations and features a translation of Josephus that is abridged and therefore readable. Dr. Maier can be trusted to weed out the useless verbosity of the original text, as he is a leading scholar on early Roman Imperial history.

Sell your other versions of Josephus and buy this one and then you may actually start to use Josephus to accent your study of the Bible.

Excellent Translation
This is a good introduction to the works of Josephus that are really quite crucial to understanding Second Temple Judaism, the Qumran sect, and the fate of the Jews in the War with Rome. Scholars of both history andreligion alike will benefit from this book. ... Read more

Book Description
Includes a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from the beginnings of Old Testament history through the complete suppression of the Jews by the iron hand of Rome in A.D. 73. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is added to my Kindle library as a reference book
I am pleased by how well the Kindle works with books that are kept in memory as references. ... Read more

Product Description
The Life of Flavius Josephus- Against Apion ... Read more

Book Description
Updated text and new maps bring this standard introduction up to date . . .

Throughout Christian history, the works of Josephus have been mined for the light they shed on the world of the New Testament. Josephus tells us about the Herodian family, the temple, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. He mentions James the brother of Jesus, John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself. In Josephus and the New Testament, an internationally acknowledged authority on Josephus introduces this first-century Jewish historian to readers who want to begin to explore his witness to environment in which early Judaism and Christianity took shape. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

An Excellent Resource For Scripture Study
Many people engaged in Bible study, whether it is a casual study or formal training in scripture, have found the writings of Flavius Josephus intriguing and helpful. The famous historian's writings were penned at the same time as many New Testament writings, and for this reason alone they are valuable. We hear Josephus talk about the major religious groups during New Testament times: those mentioned in the gospels and those not mentioned specifically but may have had an indirect influence on Christianity. We also find a detailed account of the fall of the Jerusalem Temple as well as references to John the Baptist, James "the brother of the Lord" (possibly dubious entries) and Jesus himself (most scholars, including Mason concede these brief and pious references were probably added by Christian copyists). The writings of Josephus are indispensable in studying scripture.

As important and helpful as the writings of Josephus can be, author Steve Mason points out that his writings have been misused over the centuries. Early Christian authors believed Josephus' account of the destruction of the Temple proved that God's favor had left Israel and had been transferred to Christians. His writings have supported many anti-Semitic campaigns in the past. He also contends that Josephus fell out of favor with many Jewish groups because he was considered a traitor during the battle with the Romans at the time of the Temple's destruction. While one could debate whether he was in fact a traitor, but most scholars do agree that Josephus did have a gift for self preservation. In this tract, Mason hopes to strip away Christian misinterpretations of Josephus and traditional historical biases and see Josephus as he intended to be seen: as a Jewish apologist defending the Jewish faith and people as an ancient and noble faith and worthy of respect in Ancient Rome. Mason contends that it is only by viewing Josephus in this light we can appreciate his writings.

The book gives a detailed biography of Josephus and provides a concise summary of Josephus' writings. He then reconstructs the New Testament world based on the historian's writings and looks at similarities and differences between the writings of Josephus and the New Testament. Perhaps what is Mason's greatest aide is that he does not favor Josephus' wrings as accurate and the New Testament as inaccurate, as can so often be the case. Instead he looks at the differences and points to why Josephus may have written what he did, keeping in mind Josephus did have an agenda and was not ashamed to admit it, and looking at why the New Testament recorded what it did. Readers will find that Mason's approach supports New Testament writings from a historical point of view.

JOSEPHUS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT is detailed, but it is an engaging read. This book will be helpful to any student engaged in New Testament studies. It's also accessible to any person who has an interest in scripture study. It makes a wonderful companion to the actual writings of Josephus and helps us to see the historian, as a historian and use his contributions appropriately.

good overview of Josephus
I'm no scholar, just a layperson. But I enjoy learning and facts. I was familiar with Josephus in a vague type of way and knew his writings gave us much background and history for understanding New Testament life and times. And I wanted to learn more about Josephus and his writings. This book seemed the best option. It was somewhat "hard" reading for me, but I feel it was worth my efforts. The author, in my opinion, is somewhat on the theological liberal side. (I'm very conservative...)But I felt the book gave me a good overview of Josephus. It was what I was looking for...

Good introduction to Josephus and NT writings
Recommended!!Written by an author who is a specialist in the literary traditions and content of first century authors like Josephus.Provides useful detailed insights and commentary on the comparitive style and content of Josephus and NT writers. For most of the book the author stays on-topic, and readers will find the Luke/Acts chapter one of the best in the book.The author should have pruned some of the off-topic wandering into biblical interpretation of the NT with no real connection to Josephus; fundamentalists might find the author's comments annoying, but there are enough plain interesting quirks in the NT text that the author cites to be useful nevetheless.

Connects Luke to Josephus
Great book that tells the affect that the Jewish revolt in A.D. 70 had on the Roman Empire and the writers of the time. Talks about the different groups within the Jewish Community. Gives a comparison between Luke and Josephus in treatment of events and N.T. characters. It describes how Josephus contradicts himself and sometimes seems to change his view on an event. So reading a single one of Josephus' books may not give a clear picture. This book does. I have never read Josephus, but I feel that I know what to expect.

One of the Best Overall Introductions to Josephus
As a Jew, I was not looking for a pietistic Christian work, but one that would give me insights into how Josephus was received and utilized by the Church Fathers. I found Steve Mason to be an amicable and informative guideto the Christian perspective as well as a wonderful introduction toJosephus' life, works and world in general. I have read all of Josephus inthe annotated Loeb editions and found new insightsthroughout thisexcellent little survey. Further, it contains one of the most incisive andreasonable discussions of the highly controversial Testimonium Flavianum --Josephus' alleged witness to the life and mission of Jesus. I have sincehave had the pleasure of reading other books bySteve Mason on Josephusand have corresponded with Dr. Mason by e-mail. He is, along with LouisFeldman (who focuses on Old Testament issues) aleading authority onJosephus. This book illustrates why he is not only a great authority but amost effective instructor. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Five volume set bound in gilt-stamped maroon cloth. Original pub. dates beginning in 1889. With Topographical notes by Sir C.W. Wilson, K.C.B.Vol 1: Life of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Books I-VIVol 2: Antiquities of the Jews Books VII-XIIIVol 3: Antiquities of the Jews Book XIV to EndVol 4: Jewish War Books I-IVVol 5: Jewish War Books V-VII, Against Apion Books I-II ... Read more