Josephus: The Essential Writings [Paperback]

Flavius Josephus (Author), Paul L. Maier (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1988

An award-winning translation and condensation of Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish War. Includes black and white photos. (20040603)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book provides a fresh view of Old and New Testament times and reads as easily as a novel. (Westerner 20040603)

A readable, user-friendly Josephus! (Christian Book Review 20040603)

A very valuable source for all who are interested in biblical history. (Reformed Theological College, Australia 20040603)

A welcome addition to the tools which provide understanding for both the OT, the inter-testamental period and the NT. (Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 20040603)

An excellent, practical addition for any library. . . . Invaluable for anyone who is interested in the Bible or history. (Christian Standard 20040603)

Delightfully terse and readable. (Librarianís World 20040603)

Fascination, fun-to-read history. (Cornerstone 20040603)

Maier has done something for ordinary Christian pastors and lay people. He's brought the earliest years of the church back to life. (Michael L. Sherer Metro Lutheran News )

Seasoned students of Scripture as well as those just beginning to explore Bible background will find in this volume and excellent, appealing resource. (Moody Magazine )

About the Author

Flavius Josphus (c. A.D. 37-100) was born to an aristocratic Jewish family, served as a priest, and later became the commander of Jewish forces in Galilee following the revolt against Rome that began A.D. 66. Captured by the Romans, Josephus spent his later life in Rome under the patronage of the Roman emperors where he composed his history of the Jewish people and his account of the Jewish war that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70.

Paul L. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. In 1984 he was named "Professor of the Year" as one of America's twenty-five finest educators. His other works include the award-winning Josephus: The Essential Works, Eusebius: The Church History; In the Fullness of Time; Pontius Pilate; and The Flames of Rome.

Product Details

• Paperback: 413 pages
• Publisher: Kregel (1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825429641
• ISBN-13: 978-0825429644
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it looked a lot less intimidating than the others, May 18, 2000

By 

"shofar" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Josephus: The Essential Writings (Paperback)

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 think that I am going to have to read through an encyclopedia length tome from cover to cover). My hunch was rewarded with a well organized version that is very easy to read and understand. It covers the essentials of "Jewish Antiquities" and "The Jewish War" in a way that allows you to read through it fairly quickly without having to ponder very long what you have read. The only difficulty I encountered was to keep straight in my mind the family relationships of the nobility in "The Jewish War". Although it is still a fairly long read, I recommend it to anyone who is just starting their studies on Josephus.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SUCCINCT SUMMARY OF JOSEPHUS, December 28, 2004

By 

John B. Richardson Jr. (Salt Lake City, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Josephus: The Essential Writings (Paperback)

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.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thorough, February 21, 2006

By 

Abe M. Shainberg (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Josephus: The Essential Writings (Paperback)

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.