The New Complete Works of Josephus [Paperback]

William Whiston (Translator), Paul L. Maier (Commentary)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1999

(Revised and expanded edition; commentary by Paul L. Maier) Unabridged. Includes harmony of Greek and English numbering systems, table of Jewish weights and measures, Old Testament text parallels, twenty full-page illustrations, and an updated index. (20040603)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New Complete Works of Josephus promises to become a standard reference work for years to come. (CT Biblical Reference 20040603)

A great bargain in a text of Josephus' works, as well as mesmerizing reading and commentary. (Church & Synagogue Libraries )

Dr. Maier is an authority on Josephus and on first-century Christianity . . . . (F. F. Bruce )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional; Revised edition (May 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082542948X
• ISBN-13: 978-0825429484
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Simply Remarkable, A Historical Novelty and Treasure", March 19, 2001

By 

Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The New Complete Works of Josephus (Hardcover)

To put it concisely, the introduction generalizes the contents of this work, the segment on "The Life of Flavius Josephus" gives a familiar aquaintance with the 1st century A.D. historian, "The Antiquities of the Jews" covers the time of creation to the riegn of Nero, "The Jewish War" covers the time from the taking of Jerusalem to Titus' riegn and subsequent destruction of the Temple, "Against Apion" defends and ascertains the validity of Josephus' history, the seven "Dissertations" consist of numorous interesting topics, "The Table of the Jewish Weights and Measures, The List of Ancient Testimonies and Records, The Old Testamant Parellel to the Josephus' History, and Harmony of the Numbering System" all sum up the gist of this work, inasmuch as the titles and themes go.

The content of this work provides a profound sense of history, and extends without an end a greater sense of it. This book acts many times as a supplement to the bible in filling important gaps that biblical history failed to provide.

The benefits of this work are inumerable and unweighable when contrasted with the abundance of historical resources and the give-away price offered.

The "New Complete Works of Josephus" Translated by William Whiston and the commentary by Paul L. Maier, is undoubtably the best edition yet. Buy this one you will not regret it.

143 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic made superbly accessible to modern readers., August 5, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The New Complete Works of Josephus (Paperback)

Enhanced with expert commentary by Paul L. Maier (Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University), William Whiston's (1662-1752) translation of the historical writings of Josephus (c. A.D. 37-100) is now available in a completely revised, expanded, and linguistically updated edition. The New Complete Works Of Josephus is a core title for any academic or public library world history collection, Judaic studies or Roman history reading list, as well as of sustained interest to scholars and students of Mideast and Mediterranean antiquity. Whiston provides a much needed updating of vocabulary and spellings in all five of the complete and unabridged works by Josephus and presents them in a single volume. More than forty photographs of ancient sites and artifacts, numbers charts, tables, maps, cross reference numbers to the Geek text of Josephus in the Loeb Classical Library, a revised subject index, and an index of Old Testament texts paralleling Josephus' writings make this edition a very necessary acquisition. The New Complete Works Of Josephus is also available in hard cover.

76 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost worth five stars, May 24, 2003

By 

Eric Stuart Corbman (Randolph, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Complete Works of Josephus (Hardcover)

In studying Judean history in the first century CE, there is no historian more important than Josephus, especially when one is interested in the study of the historical Jesus or of the world around him (the religious/social/political climate, etc.) Josephus is not only the only Jewish historian of this era to comment on Jesus, he is the only Jewish historian to thoroughly present the history as well as psychological outlook of Jews through a lengthy span of time. His works are immeasurably important to anyone interested in this line of study. This book contains all of his important works and more: his autobiography, Jewish Antiquities, The Jewish War, Against Apion, and an extract out of Josephus's Discource to the Greeks Concerning Hades (the latter of which is spurious.)

This edition of Josephus is helpful, with occasional essays on certain topics (i.e. "Josephus and the Romans" or the family tree of the House of Herod.) The translation is a little stale, but easy enough to understand (and I am assured that the faults in the original Whiston translation have been corrected.) The textual notes are helpful. It is for the dry translation that I gave this work 4 stars instead of 5-- though I really am indebted to those who put together this extremely comprehensive, useful volume of one of the most important historians relating to the history of Israel/Judea.