The Project Gutenberg Works of Flavius Josephus

This compilation gathers the complete surviving works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish-Roman historian who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and its Second Temple in 70 CE. Josephus wrote from a position of remarkable contradiction: a Jewish priest who surrendered to Rome, became a Roman citizen, and chronicled his people's doomed revolt against imperial occupation. His writings are among the very few surviving first-century accounts of Jewish history, religious practice, and the catastrophic war that transformed Judaism forever. The collection includes 'The Wars of the Jews,' his eyewitness history of the revolt; 'Antiquities of the Jews,' a sweeping chronicle from creation to his own era; 'Against Apion,' a passionate defense of Jewish tradition against Greek detractors; and his autobiography. These texts shaped how the Western world understood ancient Judaism and early Christianity, influencing everyone from Spinoza to modern biblical scholars. For anyone seeking the primary sources behind the historical Jesus, the Temple's fall, or the Jewish-Roman war itself, Josephus remains indispensable.