Josephus

79 texts · Page 2 of 9

Selections from the works of Flavius Josephus (37 -- c. 100 CE), the Jewish-Roman historian whose writings, including Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War, are among our most important sources for the history and legends of ancient Israel.

Moses in Jewish Tradition and Artaxerxes

Josephus Against Apion 8:1

The historian Josephus, writing in his work Against Apion, gives us a glimpse into the Jewish perspective on this very question. He contrasts the Jewish reverence for scripture wit...

Moses

Vespasian's Understanding

Josephus Against Apion 9:1

That’s precisely where Josephus found himself. Josephus, a name that echoes through the ages. He was a Jewish leader and scholar who lived in the first century CE, a time of immens...

WisdomHoly Land

Wisdom of Joseph and Antiquities

Josephus Against Apion 10:1

Here he is, trying to set the record straight, and he's facing accusations that his work is nothing more than a "scholastic performance," something churned out just for show. Can y...

WisdomShabbat

Story of Joseph

Josephus Against Apion 11:1

He tackles this head-on in his work, Against Apion, a passionate defense of Judaism against its detractors. And in this section, Josephus gets straight to the point: he's had enoug...

Herodotus's Miracle

Josephus Against Apion 12:1

Josephus, the first-century Romano-Jewish historian, grappled with this very question when trying to explain why the Jewish people weren't as well-known to the Greeks as, say, the ...

MiraclesShabbat

Defense of Judaism and Chaldeans

Josephus Against Apion 13:1

It’s a tangled web of texts, traditions, and sometimes, well, good old-fashioned arguments. Imagine trying to prove your nation’s antiquity. How would you do it? The historian Jose...

Manetho and the Origins of the World

Josephus Against Apion 14:1

Take the story of the Jewish people and their time in Egypt, for example. We all know the Exodus story from the Torah, but what did the Egyptians themselves say about it? That's wh...

CreationPatriarchsJosephHoly Land

Joseph and the Promised Land of Manetho

Josephus Against Apion 15:1

Today, let's dive into one such fragment, courtesy of Flavius Josephus, the first-century Romano-Jewish scholar. He's quoting an Egyptian historian named Manetho in his work Agains...

JosephHoly LandEgyptShabbat

Marriage of Manetho

Josephus Against Apion 16:1

Let’s dive into one such instance, where the Egyptian historian Manetho gives us a glimpse into how the ancient world viewed the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Josephus, in his wor...

JosephEgypt