Josephus [Paperback]

Tessa Rajak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2002

Josephus, author of the Jewish War and the Jewish Antiquities, belongs equally to Jewish and to Greco-Roman history. A well-to-do priest and Pharisee at Jerusalem, he was a contemporary and chronicler of the great changes which took place in the Roman Empire in the first century AD and a controversial general in the great Jewish revolt of 66-73 against Rome.
Tessa Rajak, an ancient historian versed in both Greek and Hebrew, assesses the varied source material to produce a sociological account of the Jewish revolt which casts fresh light on Josephus’ attitudes, placing his achievement in the context of both Jewish values and the Greek historical tradition.
This second edition includes a substantial new Introduction and Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...informed and original study will prove indispensable to students of Josephus and Jewish Society in the Second Temple period." -- Menahem Stern

"This is unquestionably a splendid piece of work, a major contribution to the study of Josephus and his times." -- Philip Alexander, Times Literary Supplement

"This is unquestionably a splendid piece of work, a major contribution to the study of Josephus and his times." -- Philip Alexander

"[This] well informed and original study will prove indispensable to all students of Josephus and Jewish Society . . ." -- Menahem Stern, Journal of Roman Studies

About the Author

Tessa Rajak is Reader in Classics at the University of Reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Duckworth Publishers; 2nd edition (August 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715631705
• ISBN-13: 978-0715631706
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A excellent commentary on a true classic of history, October 6, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Josephus (Paperback)

Now in it's second edition featuring a new Introduction and additional Bibliography, Josephus: The Historian And His Society is a excellent commentary on a true classic of history by Tessa Rajak (Reader in Classics at the University of Reading). A Jerusalem upperclass priest and Pharisee, and a controversial Jewish general in the great and doomed revolt against their Roman occupiers by the Jewish populace in 66-73 CE, Josephus was the author of two ancient history texts: "Jewish Wars" and "Jewish Antiquities" which became seminal works of importance to both Jewish and Greco-Roman history. These works were combined under one cover and became known to academia as an indispensable reference resource for scholars and non-specialist general readers with an interest in ancient history. Well versed in both Greek and Hebrew, Tessa Rajak is particularly positioned to assess diverse source materials and provide contemporary readers with a sociological account of the Jewish revolt and its cultural context, as well as the role of Josephus himself in the events in which he participated and/or personally observed, as well as his chronicled accounts of Jewish and Roman personalities and politics.