Flavius Josephus

The book, "" Antiquities of the Jews; Book - XVIII "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

I SUPPOSE that by my books of the Antiquity of the Jews, most excellent Epaphroditus, have made it evident to those who peruse them, that our Jewish nation is of very great antiquity, and had a distinct subsistence of its own originally; as also, I have therein declared how we came to inhabit this country wherein we now live. Those Antiquities contain the history of five thousand years, and are taken out of our sacred books, but are translated by me into the Greek tongue. However, since I observe a considerable number of people giving ear to the reproaches that are laid against us by those who bear ill-will to us, and will not believe what I have written concerning the antiquity of our nation, while they take it for a plain sign that our nation is of a late date, because they are not so much as vouchsafed a bare mention by the most famous historiographers among the Grecians. Aeterna Press

Other works chronicling the war between the Jews and the Romans circulated at the time, but soon disappeared without a trace. We know of them only because of Josephus' irritation with their inaccuracies and prejudices. Josephus, unlike the other writers, was present during the war, not as a mere bystander, but as a participant in the negotiations. The Romans employed him as an ambassador between themselves and the Jews, in the hope that Josephus could quell his people's passionate uprising.

The Wars of the Jews (also titled The Jewish War) is a history by Roman-Jewish author Flavius Josephus, who chronicles a series of conflicts, skirmishes and events between the Jews, Romans, and other influential groups in the Middle East in the 1st century AD. Comprised of seven books, Josephus' account of the fraught and conflicted period of Judeo-Roman history is written with an urgency expected of a man who personally witnessed and lived through the tumultuous events he describes. Josephus commences his work with an overview of Jewish history from the Maccabees through to the Roman conquest. Rome's victory celebrations, and the temporary transition of the Roman military from a conquering to an occupying force, is detailed. The subsequent suppression of the Jewish revolt and the stages of the First Jewish-Roman war are detailed. The Emperor Vespasian oversaw the renewed conflict: his son Titus proved his personal capabilities as a military commander in the Judean theater. Subsequent to Josephus's history, Titus would succeed his father as Roman Emperor with a reputation of a decorated veteran. Having personally observed the shocking destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Josephus felt moved to write his own interpretation of the conflicts which ultimately led to the temple's demise. Having traveled throughout the Middle East and to Rome personally, Josephus had a strong grasp of Jewish and Roman cultures. Rather than echo other historians of the era by condemning the Jews for agitating the Roman forces, Josephus instead asserts that the war and consequent damage were the result of fanatical zealots. Their charisma led to swathes of the masses lending their support, leaving the traditional Jewish aristocracy - of which Josephus was a member - unable to rein in the popular fury against Rome. This edition of The Wars of the Jews contains all seven books of Josephus' history in their entirety, together with complete sets of notes which clarify certain passages and terms used in the text, appended at the conclusion of each book. The translation to English is by the respected 18th century scholar, historian and theologian William Whiston.

The book, "" Antiquities of the Jews; Book - I "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

As one can guess from the title, 'The Life of Flavius Josephus' is a biography of Flavius Josephus. He was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for The Jewish War, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry.