Josephus is the foremost historian of the Jews of the Hellenistic and Roman era. He was born in Jerusalem around 37 AD and came from a family of high ancestry. He was educated in Jewish law and Greek literature and was a Pharisee. After a mission to Rome to defend some Jewish priests, he returned to Jerusalem and in 66 AD tried to prevent the revolution against Rome, taking on the affairs of the Jews in Galilee. In the ensuing turmoil, he made a peaceful agreement with Vespasian. Present at the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, he received favorable receptions from these two emperors as well as Domitian, and adopted their family name, Flavius. He died after 97 AD. As a source of historical information, Josephus is invaluable. His main works include: "The History of the Jewish War", in seven volumes, from 170 BC to his time, originally written in Aramaic but translated by himself into the Greek that we have today, and "Jewish Antiquities", in twenty volumes, from the creation of the world to 66 AD. The Loeb Classical Library edition of Josephus' works, which includes thirteen volumes, also includes his autobiography "Life" and his treatise "Against Apion".

Pages: 496, Year of Publication: 0101, Dimensions: 10.8x10.8cm