Customer Reviews

Josephus: The Complete Works

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The value of this volume is threefold, and all are noteworthy.

First, Josephus' account of the historical events and people in Judea during the 1st century A.D. has no peer. Josephus' facts are the most reliable from any secular historian during that period.

Second, Josephus' histories corroborate the Biblical accounts. Josephus, a Jewish general captured by the Romans during Judea's struggle for independence which ended in 70 A.D., mentions John the Baptist, the Herodian rulers of Judea, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus Christ. Josephus "fills in the blanks" by supplying detail not mentioned by the New Testament authors and gives flesh, bone (and blood) to the characters the Gospels and the Book of Acts relates.

Third, the translator, William Whiston, adds insightful and invaluable footnotes throughout the text. Whiston corrects Josephus where necessary or gives the reader more detail in support of Josephus' assertions by reference to other primary sources, many of which are no longer extant. Where Josephus refers to Jewish customs, Whiston explains them for the Gentile reader.

Thus, this book is best used as a reference book, though reading through Josephus' complete works is fruitful. The book is fairly compact for one containing 1000 pages. The pages are thin, which allows for its compact size, but which causes any highlighting or margin notes to "bleed" through to the reverse side of the page. The font size is 10 point, which makes for comfortable reading on the eyes. The appendices contain very helpful charts, including one which lists those excerpts from the Bible which run parallel to Josephus' chapters.

This is a great source book for any historian or Biblical scholar.

Flavius Josephus (about AD 37-101) lived and worked during the first century AD, a time when major events occurred that would impact Judaism forever and the religion known as Christianity was born. He provides us with firsthand information regarding the Jews and Romans, which acts as good background information to the New Testament writings. After all, he lived during the time of the early Church. He also (scholarly debates aside) mentioned Jesus, John the Baptist and James. This edition includes his complete works. They are:

The Life of Flavius Josephus: This allows the reader learn about the life of Josephus from his own pen.

Antiquities of the Jews (20 chapters): It chronicles the history of the Jewish people from the Genesis creation account until the outbreak of revolt in AD 66. This section also includes information on the Roman leaders of the Jewish province, such as the Herods.

The Jewish Wars (7 chapters): This is Josephus' account of Jewish uprisings and wars. It starts with Antiochus Epiphanes. Most of the book, however, chronicles the Jews under the Romans, including the subjugation by Vespasian, the siege and conquest of the temple by Titus and the sedition of the Jews at Cyrene.

Against Apion (2 books): This is a defense of the antiquity of the Jewish people and a refutation of the charges brought against them by the grammarian Apion of Alexandria.

An Extract from the Discourses to the Greeks Concerning Hades: This short document outlines "Josephus'" views on Hades. Many scholars do not think Josephus is the author.

The translations are fairly easy to read, but since they were completed in the middle of the eighteenth century some words may be difficult for certain readers. This edition also includes annotations that illuminate difficult passages in the text. These are very helpful. There is an index of names and themes, a very helpful feature for readers who want to find information on a certain person, place, etc. This edition also contains a table of Jewish weights and measures, a list of Old Testament parallels, and a list of the ancient sources cited by Josephus. There are eight black and white maps too. An appendix with 7 scholarly essays that examine certain issues relating to the writings of Josephus has been included (e.g. the legitimacy of the reference to Jesus). They are old and do not represent modern scholarship. Consequently, they are not too helpful. Still, this book has the complete works of Josephus in an inexpensive package and anyone interested in Christianity, Jewish history, or the ancient world should not be without it.

As a person who works in the field of New Testament Studies and more specifically 1st century Jewish/Christian liturgy, I can tell you that the complete works of Josephus are almost as indispensable as the Biblical and Talmudic texts themselves. Josephus works as an apologist for the Jews to the Romans, and a dedicated historian. He collects streams of tradition concerning the evolution of the Jewish people that we might not otherwise have. Because of his mentioning of Jesus and some of his disciples (most notably John and James), his work has been under intense scrutiny. However, he does have the benefit of being contemporaneous to the events, something we as modern scholars are not, despite what we may or may not like to think. This is the work of a man who wanted to set the record straight, and he is concerned with records that the Hebrew Bible was too early for, the NT was unconcerned with, and the Talmud missed entirely. If you really want to know what first century Jews, especially the aristocracy, thought about anything, Josephus, along with Philo, is your guy.

For the longest time, it was nearly impossible to find the complete works of Flavius Josephus in a concise binding, which made it exceedingly frustrating to attempt to use this marvelous source of historical data. This volume is the answer to that dilemma. It provides a logical transcription of the many volumes of Josephus' original manuscripts, alongwith very helpful and insightful footnotes by the editor.

The historical writing of Flavius Josephus gives the reader an eyewitness account of many of the pivotal events of the central bibical times, as well as a tightly compressed account of the major events of Hebrew antiquity. It should be noted, however, that Josephus uses a variety of sources for compiling his data, including both Hebrew and Greek texts, leading to occasional subtle differences in translations. In these instances, the editor's footnotes are invaluable.

While in the past Josephus has been considered the consummate source of information for the early period of Hebrew history, recent discoveries and disputations among current historians have called a number of his assertions into question. For the layperson, this creates yet another dilemma.

Those who are serious about their study of this period should use the works of Josephus as A source rather than THE source. This volume is best used in conjunction with other historical works, including the various holy scriptures of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths.

As a component of a thorough curriculum, this volume is invaluable. As a stand-alone, it has weaknesses that become increasingly apparent as one reads. However, it is important to note that the weaknesses lie within the writings of the original author. This particular binding, and especially the detailed editorial notes, are superb.

Flavius Josephus was a Jew who took a Roman name, and eventually became a Roman citizen. He was born Joseph ben Mathias (Joseph the son of Mathias) in a family of Jewish priests. He spent time in the Essene sect (who are reputed to have hidden the Dead Sea scrolls), and then became a Pharisee at the age of 19.

He was well-educated, and was greatly impressed by the seemingly undefeatable power of Rome. He was against the growing Jewish rebellion, and finally he adopted the family name of the emperor Flavius.

He was initially taken as a prisoner to Rome where his life was spared when he predicted that Vespasian would become emperor. His prediction was realized, he was released, granted citizenship and marched with Vespasian's son, Titus in A.D. 70.

Drawing on his own experience, which was extensive, as well as other historians of the time whose writings are now lost to us, he has left us with an indispensable library, almost infinite in detail, of the era around the beginnings of the first century A.D. in the area of Palestine, its personalities and happenings.

The only (extremely brief) mention of Jesus in his history is thought by most scholars to have been added, or at the very least heavily edited by Constantine's scholars, who were dismayed at the lack of comment by him on the life they considered should have been of paramount importance to any writer of that era's history.

His history provides the best source of information on the customs, agriculture, geography, politics, religion, social traditions and insights into outstanding personalities of the day, such as Herod and Felix.

Josephus' work is indispensable to any serious scholar of that period.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

The publisher of this book has simply re-produced William Whiston's translation and placed it under there own name. The translation has been around for years, so some of the language is much like that of the King James Version Bible. The publisher does provide an introduction where they state that Antiquities 18.3.3 (otherwise known as the Testimonium Flavianum), previously was not viewed as evidence to the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth, but now (modern times) is accepted by almost ever scholar as authentic? The publisher is obviously not secular and numerous scholars, such as Earl Doherty, Bart Erdman, G.A. Wells, R. Joseph Hoffman, Richard Carrier, Roger Viklund and many others have showcased and documented the flaws and inconsistencies of this passage, as well as the infamous James reference found in Antiquities 20. So be sure to take the introduction with a grain of salt.

Josephus' work is paramount to understanding 1st Century Judea and the surrounding Roman Empire, along with the Jewish history he documented during his lifetime. The reproduction of his work is in an easy to read format and overall, the flow of the work is fluent and easy to follow along. However, bear in mind that there is nothing new offered in this translation, as its merely a reproduction of Whiston's work.

The maps and appendices in the back of book are much appreciated, as well as Josephus' history. The publisher has produced an affordable reproduction of Josephus' work compiled into one book which will always be appreciated, just don't be overtaken by the publisher's blatant dogmatic opinion of Josephus' work.

The only historical accounts of biblical times by a non christian. This book written by a Jew with a clear leanings towards Rome gives you a good indication of what may have pertained in the times of Jesus Christ. The reference to Jesus Christ in this book is not what most christians would expect. I believe that The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus is a must read for everybody who believes in the Divinity of Jesus Christ as well as all doubters. It is a great book, I am glad I was able to get one for my library.

Confirms many people and incidents recorded in Bible. Excellent reference book and very well organized; fairly easy to find items.

Josephus: The Complete Works is a great historical reference for any History or Theological scholar who needs to validate the accuracy of an event in the first century. Josephus was the "CNN" reporter of his time and records historical events with astonishing detail, mentioning famous figures such as Jesus, John the Baptist, James, Jesus' brother and many other important Jewish and Roman figures of the day.

This is an excellent reference book that should be added to any scholar or collector's library!

Super book for those seeking knowledge of Israel. Highly recommended for the serious bible student. It is exciting and enlightening to read accounts written by an eye-witness and committed historian.