The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition [Hardcover]

Flavius Josephus (Author), William Whiston (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1980

This renowned reference book has served scholars, pastors, students, and those interested in the background of the New Testament for years. The insight given into the Essene community, the destruction of Jerusalem and the interpretations and traditions of the Old Testament in first century Judaism is invaluable. The outlook of Josephus, a late first century Pharisee and historian, on Jesus and the New Testament documents is enlightening and provocative. As an original reference, The Works of Josephus is essential to a full understanding of the first century, the time of Christ and the New Testament.

Complete and unabridged, this is the best one-volume edition of the classic translation of JosephusÂ’ works. The entire text has been reset in modern, easy-to-read type; numbering corresponding to that used in the Loeb edition has been added to the text; and citations and cross-references have been updated from Roman numerals to Arabic numbers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This collection includes the Complete Works of Josephus: Life of Flavius Josephus, War of the Jew, Antiquities of the Jews, Against Apion, and Discourse to the Greeks in easy to use eBook.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Pub; Updated edition (September 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913573868
• ISBN-13: 978-0913573860
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Greek
  • #25 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > History of Religion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" Standard Resource, January 8, 2005

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition (Hardcover)

People spend a great deal of time interpreting scripture, and for good reason. For believers, the Bible is not just a historical document, but the living word of God. Still, as we research scripture, we want to know what life was like in the days of Jesus, and how the people of Jesus' day lived and interpreted scripture so we can better understand scripture in our own day. Perhaps the most important tool for such a task would be the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus.

Josephus himself was an interesting figure. He was born to a well to do Jewish family of the priestly class. He was a religious seeker and studied under the Pharisees and spent some time living an ascetic life. He later developed connections with Rome, and tried unsuccessfully to end the Jewish rebellion. His association with the Romans made him a bit of a turncoat to many people, but his involvement in many spheres of life in the years of the Jewish revolt gave him the opportunity to write a thorough history of his times, understanding the religious, political, and social dimensions of the day. It is largely through the writings of Josephus we understand the world of Jesus' day, and ultimately Jesus himself, even though there is only one questionable reference to Jesus in the writings (modern scholars belive this was probably a patristic insertion or at least a reworking by patristic writers).

This edition of the writings of Josephus is an excellent tool for non-scholarly Biblical study. Whiston's translation has been a standard for years and provides a good translation for preparation for preaching, Bible studies, and people who have an interest in scripture that would be deeper than the interest of a casual reader. I know I have used this volume with Bible study groups over the years, and from time to time research topics in the book for homilies. While there are updates in this edition, this is probably not the best resource for people engaged in scholarly studies, except as a source for background information or a basic familiarity with the historian and his writings. There are newer translations that would be preferred by most instructors on the college level, but for everyday use this volume is a great find at a reasonable price.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for so many interests, May 23, 2004

By 

Stuart Berman (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition (Hardcover)

For the student of history what could be more compelling than the statements and opinions of a fellow from almost 2000 years ago who considered himself a historian?
This compilation of his works include a variety of his significant literature. One of his books, 'Antiquities' could be considered his version of a modern Bible a paraphase of the 'old testament' meant for the Greek reader without benefit of typical Judaic upbringing. What is most intriguing is the contemporary commentary that he intersperses (such as Adam being called such because he was 'red' [adom being the color red in Hebrew]).
His heart breaking 'Jewish Wars' gives you a real sense of the carnage inflicted upon Jerusalem by the Roman conquest in 70 AD - and the folly of vicious sectarian fighting while a greater enemy was at the gates.
For a much more scholarly and in depth study of Jewish life at this time see Phillip Sigal's 'Foundation of Judaism' series.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal library necessity, August 16, 2000

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition (Hardcover)

I don't think anybody's library can be complete without a copy of this on the bookshelf. Although it is a very long text, it is full of supporting documents for the Bible. If you only have a copy for reference, its index is pretty thorough. Or if you choose to read it cover to cover, like I did, you can't help but learn much about Hebraic thought and history.