Josephus and the New Testament (Paperback)

~ Steve Mason (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There can be no doubt that the best aid for understanding the background of the New Testament is its contemporary, Josephus; and . . . the most careful, most comprehensive, and most useful introduction to Josephus as the key to the background for the New Testament is Steve Mason's book. As one reads it, one senses that a master teacher is talking directly to one in a most delightful, even breezy, style. . . . Even the most advanced student will find the book of great value."
--Louis H. Feldman, Yeshiva University (commenting on the first edition) -- Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Understandably, throughout Christian history, the Works of Josephus have been indispensable in helping us reconstruct the history and world of the New Testament. After all, Josephus tells us firsthand about the Herodian family, the temple, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. He mentions James the brother of Jesus, John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself. Arguably, apart from the New Testament itself, Josephus has helped us understand the life and times and world of Jesus and the apostles as much as any other document of the ancient world.

Unfortunately we have often strip-mined Josephus for selfish reasons and have left the message of this first-century Jewish historian in shambles. His relevance for Christianity has been flattened by a simplistic history=fact formula approach, and his contribution to our understanding of the ancient world has been twisted to suit modern needs and answer to questions Josephus never intended.

An internationally recognized authority on Josephus, Louis H. Feldman comments on the appearance of Steve Mason's Josephus and the New Testament:

"There can be no doubt that the best aid for understanding the background of the New Testament is its contemporary, Josephus; and there can now be no doubt that the most careful, most comprehensive, and most useful introduction to Josephus as the key to the background for the New Testament is Steve Mason's book. As one reads it, one senses that a master teacher is talking directly to one in a most delightful, even breezy, style so easy to understand. The judgement in the many disputed questions are eminently fair and always based on a fresh and insightful reading of the texts involved, so that even the most advanced student will find the book of great value."
—Louis H. Feldman, Professor of Classics, Yeshiva University

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943575990
• ISBN-13: 978-0943575995
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #978,195 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Overall Introductions to Josephus, January 22, 2000

By	James J. Bloom (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Jew, I was not looking for a pietistic Christian work, but one that would give me insights into how Josephus was received and utilized by the Church Fathers. I found Steve Mason to be an amicable and informative guide to the Christian perspective as well as a wonderful introduction to Josephus' life, works and world in general. I have read all of Josephus in the annotated Loeb editions and found new insights throughout this excellent little survey. Further, it contains one of the most incisive and reasonable discussions of the highly controversial Testimonium Flavianum -- Josephus' alleged witness to the life and mission of Jesus. I have since have had the pleasure of reading other books by Steve Mason on Josephus and have corresponded with Dr. Mason by e-mail. He is, along with Louis Feldman (who focuses on Old Testament issues) a leading authority on Josephus. This book illustrates why he is not only a great authority but a most effective instructor. Highly recommended.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a penetrating examination of the N.T's relationship to Josep, August 15, 1999

By A Customer

mason does an incredible job of comparing/contrasting Josephus and the New Testament. He flushes out the value of using Josephus as "The best aid for understanding the New Testament". At the end he makes a compelling case for the reliance on Josephus's writings by the author of Luke-Acts. If you are interested in understanding the historical/grammatical background of the New Testament, this book will be revolutionary to your exegesis.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to Josephus and NT writings, November 16, 2002

By	gccircle (Pleasanton, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Recommended!! Written by an author who is a specialist in the literary traditions and content of first century authors like Josephus. Provides useful detailed insights and commentary on the comparitive style and content of Josephus and NT writers. For most of the book the author stays on-topic, and readers will find the Luke/Acts chapter one of the best in the book. The author should have pruned some of the off-topic wandering into biblical interpretation of the NT with no real connection to Josephus; fundamentalists might find the author's comments annoying, but there are enough plain interesting quirks in the NT text that the author cites to be useful nevetheless.