In his first work, "On the Jewish War," Josephus tells from vivid impressions about the destruction of Jerusalem and about the war between the Romans and the Jews, prefacing a detailed account of this event with a brief sketch (books 1 and 2) of everything that happened from the time of the capture of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes to the retreat from Jerusalem of Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, and the defeat of his troops by the Jews.

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Josephus

The Jewish War

Preface

This book introduces the reader to the work of Josephus, one of the few ancient historians whose works have come down to us in almost unchanged form. The books of Josephus owe their preservation primarily to the Christian tradition. Paradoxically, the works of the Roman historian, a Jew by religion, had great authority among the ideologists of the Christian Church and were extremely popular in the Christian world. From one of the Church Fathers, Jerome (340-420), Josephus Flavius earned the assessment of "Titus Livius of the Greeks." The "Jewish War" of the ancient historian was widely known to the educated people of Kievan Rus, then the Russian state. Her translations were usually placed in the lists of New Testament writings after them. The collection "The Hellenic and Roman Chronicler", which introduced the reader of the emerging Russian state to the history of antiquity, included the "Jewish War" along with the story of the destruction of Troy. This book was also known in medieval Belarus. Its popularity in Western Europe can be judged by the fact that it was published in Germany by Jan Schussler in 1470, shortly after the invention of printing. Since that time, the book has been published many times.

The interest of Christians in the works of Josephus was aroused mainly by the fact that in his works readers saw the testimonies of a contemporary of events directly related to the emergence of the Christian religion. Where else can one find such complete information about the situation in Palestine at the time of the life of Jesus and his apostles? The New Testament descriptions of the activities of the first preachers of Christianity were enriched by historical facts absent in the canonical works, and many details of the New Testament narratives were confirmed and supplemented by colorful pictures from the historical works of Josephus. And, perhaps, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Christian tradition has saved and preserved to this day the unique works of this ancient historian.

Unfortunately, the works of Josephus Flavius have not been published in our country for almost a century. Meanwhile, the interest of specialists [4][0] and a wide range of readers in them is growing. And again, it is connected primarily with the history of primitive Christianity. Now, when there has been a certain reassessment in the views of researchers on these problems, the desire to present the process of the emergence of Christianity more objectively makes the publication of the works of Josephus Flavius especially relevant. A believer, an atheist, a specialist in classical studies, and any reader interested in the history of human civilization will find a lot of interesting things in them.

So, who is he, this little-known author for us, what did he write about in his books?

The very fate of Josephus Flavius is unusual. He was born in the first year of the reign of the Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula (i.e., at the end of 37 or the beginning of 38 C.E.) in Jerusalem, which, like the rest of Judea, was then under Roman rule. Josephus Flavius' real name is Joseph ben Mattathias (Joseph ben Mattitiah). He came from a noble Jewish family that belonged to the influential Jerusalem priesthood. According to Joseph himself, his great-grandfather Simon was the high priest of Jerusalem, and his mother's genealogy went back to the Hasmonean family that had previously reigned in Judea. The boy received the traditional religious education of that time, which was mainly reduced to the ability to study and interpret sacred texts. He also had a secular education, although his success in it was more modest: in his mature years, Josephus admitted his insufficient command of the Greek language, the main language of the population of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, the language of intellectuals.

In his youth, Joseph devoted several years to acquaintance with the teachings of the main sects in Judaism of that time. He was interested in the views of the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. Carried away by the unusual way of life and teachings of the Essenes, he lived in the desert for three years, leading an ascetic life. But Joseph, for some reason, never joined the Essene community and, returning to Jerusalem, became an adherent of the Pharisees. Probably, he was already interested in Greco-Roman philosophy.

In 60, when Joseph was 23 years old, he was sent as part of a delegation to Rome to the emperor Nero, from whom permission was to be obtained for the release of several priests from prison. The mission ended successfully, its successful outcome was facilitated by Nero's next wife, the cruel and depraved Poppaea Sabina, whose favor the young Joseph managed to achieve.