Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews
Interlinear version (Beta)
- Book 1
- Book 2
- Book 3
- Book 4
- Book 5
- Book 6
- Book 7
- Book 8
- Book 9
- Book 10
- Book 11
- Book 12
- Book 13
- Book 14
- Book 15
- Book 16
- Book 17
- Book 18
- Book 19
- Book 20
About
Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus's most ambitious work completed around 93-94 AD, presents a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from creation to his own time.
Written for a Greco-Roman audience while under Flavian patronage, this massive work adapts biblical narratives and post-biblical Jewish history into forms more accessible to classical readers. While largely following biblical accounts for earlier periods, Josephus adds extra-biblical traditions, archaeological details, and his own interpretations.
The work's later books provide crucial information about the Hasmonean and Herodian periods, for which it remains our primary source.
Notably, it contains the controversial Testimonium Flavianum about Jesus, which scholars generally believe was at least partially altered by Christian scribes. The text also shows evidence of multiple sources and varying levels of reliability, particularly when Josephus moves from biblical to contemporary history.
Despite these complexities, Antiquities remains invaluable for understanding both Jewish history and how Jewish traditions were presented to the Roman world.