Author

Flavius Josephus

· Jewish priest and historian who wrote in Greek under Roman patronage

About Flavius Josephus

Flavius Josephus (Yosef ben Matityahu, c. 37-c. 100 CE) was a Jerusalem-born priest, aristocrat and historian. He commanded Jewish forces in Galilee during the revolt against Rome, surrendered to Vespasian, and later wrote under Flavian patronage in Greek for Roman and Hellenistic readers.

Notable works

On this site

The Jewish War

c. 75 CE · Ancient · History

The Jewish War is Josephus' account of the revolt against Rome from its Hasmonean and Herodian prehistory to the destruction of Jerusalem and the last pockets of resistance. Written after Josephus had defected to the Romans, the work tries to explain a catastrophe to several audiences at once: Jews who had survived it, Romans who had conquered, and Greek-speaking readers who needed Judean politics translated into the language of civil war, faction and providence.

Jewish Antiquities

c. 93-94 CE · Ancient · History

Jewish Antiquities is Josephus' twenty-book retelling of Jewish history from creation to the outbreak of revolt against Rome in 66 CE. It is not simply a paraphrase of the Bible, though its first half follows Genesis through the monarchy, exile and restoration.