Author: Josephus

Flavius Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu in the first century CE, was a Jewish historian and scholar whose work provides valuable insight into Judea”s culture and history during Antiquity. Born into a priestly Jewish family in Jerusalem in 37 CE, Josephus was well-educated, versed in Jewish law, and actively participated in the sociopolitical landscape of his time. His firsthand account of the Jewish-Roman conflicts, especially the outcome of the First Jewish-Roman War and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, proved to be of immeasurable historical worth. His most significant work, “The Antiquities of the Jews”, penned around 93-94 CE, is a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from Creation to the outbreak of the First Jewish-Roman War. This scholarly piece, written in Greek for a Roman audience, aimed to explain and justify Jewish culture and customs in the eyes of the Greco-Roman world, providing a crucial depiction of the Jewish historical narrative from a Jewish perspective. Josephus” literary style intertwines historical recounting with apologetic and propagandistic elements, which has been a subject of scholarly debate but also ensures his works” continued study for their unique portrayal of Judean society and the turbulent period in which he lived.