Antiquities of the Jews, Volume 3

One of history's most remarkable survivors tells the story of his people. Flavius Josephus, a Jewish general who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, wrote this monumental history for Roman readers half a century later. This volume traces the remarkable arc of Jewish history from the moment Cyrus allowed the exiles to return from Babylon, through the turbulent centuries of Persian rule, the heroic Maccabean revolt, and the coming of Rome, culminating in King Herod's magnificent rebuilding of the Temple. Josephus writes with the intimate knowledge of someone who walked those courts, who knew the priests and the politics, who saw how it all ended. What makes this account invaluable is its perspective: here is Jewish history told by a Jew for Gentiles, explaining the faith and its practices to outsiders while defending his people's reputation against Roman prejudice. The result bridges worlds and centuries, preserving details no other ancient source provides.