
Chapters (345)
- Selections From Josephus
- CONTENTS
- ABBREVIATIONS
- SELECTIONS FROM JOSEPHUS INTRODUCTION
- Life
- Works
- The Man and the Historian. Importance of his Work[22]
- Texts and Translations
- I. AUTOBIOGRAPHY
- (1) The Boy among the Doctors. His Education
- (2) A Shipwreck on the Voyage to Rome. The Eve of the War
- (3) The “Jewish War” and its Reception. Criticism of a rival Historian (Justus)
- (4) After the War. Josephus as Roman Citizen
- II. SPECIMENS OF AMPLIFICATION OF THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE
- (5) Moses, the Infant Prodigy, introduced to Pharaoh
- (6) Exorcism in the name of Solomon
- (7) Micaiah and Zedekiah prophesy before Ahab
- III. THE COMING OF THE ROMANS
- (8) Loss of Jewish Independence. Palestinian Settlement under Pompey
- (9) Division of the Country into Five Districts by Gabinius
- (10) Settlement under Julius Cæsar
- IV. HEROD THE GREAT
- (11) The Youth Herod frees Galilee from the Brigands
- (12) Herod on his Trial before the Sanhedrin
- (13) Herod and Cassius. Murder of Antipater, Herod’s Father
- (14) Antony makes Herod and Phasael Tetrarchs of Judæa
- (15) How Herod won his Kingdom
- (16) How Herod made his peace with Augustus (after the Battle of Actium)
- (17) Herod and Mariamne
- (18) Extension of Herod’s Realm. His Popularity with Augustus and Agrippa
- (19) The Historian’s Reading of Herod’s Character
- (20) Reflections on the Tragic Fate of Herod’s Sons
- (21) Herod’s Dying Provision for a National Mourning
- V. ARCHELAUS AND PILATE
- (22) Archelaus in Quest of a Kingdom
- A Rival Claimant to the Kingdom
- A Jewish Embassy to Rome asks for Autonomy
- The Emperor’s Decision
- (23) Archelaus Deposed and his Territory added to the Roman Province of Syria
- (24) The Revolt of Judas “in the days of the enrolment” under Quirinius
- (25) Pilate offends Jewish susceptibilities in the matter of (i) the Emperor’s busts, (ii) the Corban money
- (26) Jesus Christ[174]
- (27) Tiberius expels all Jews from Rome
- (28) Pilate Sent to Rome for Trial
- VI. THE LATER HERODS
- (29) Herod the Tetrarch: his Marriage with Herodias and Murder of John the Baptist[179]
- (30) How Herod Agrippa became King and Herod the Tetrarch lost his Tetrarchy
- (31) Petronius and the Statue of Gaius
- (32) Herod Agrippa’s Kingdom enlarged by Claudius
- (33) Death of Herod Agrippa
- (34) The Story of King Izates and his mother Helena
- (35) The Fate of the Impostor Theudas, and of the Sons of Judas the Galilæan
- (36) Agrippa II, Felix and Drusilla
- (37) The Death of James, “the Lord’s Brother”
- VII. SCENES FROM THE JEWISH WAR
- (38) Introduction to “The Jewish War”
- (39) Seeds of the War sown under the last of the Procurators. Rise of the Sicarii
- Felix
- Rise of the Sicarii
- Troubled State of the Country
- Festus
- Albinus
- Gessius Florus
- (40) The Immediate Cause of the War—Abrogation of Sacrifices for the Emperor
- (41) Initial Jewish success. Rout of a Roman Army in the Defiles of Beth-Horon
- Cestius Advances from Antioch
- A Jewish Successful Charge outside Jerusalem
- Fruitless Attempt to Parley with the Jews
- Cestius Occupies the Suburb Bezetha
- Attack on Jerusalem
- Unexpected Withdrawal of Cestius, Pursued by the Jews
- Scene in the Pass of Beth-Horon
- Flight of Cestius
- Cestius Reports to Nero
- Jewish Preparations for War
- (42) Jerusalem before the Siege
- (43) The Fall of Jotapata. Josephus taken Prisoner.
- Capture of the Town through Information of a Jewish Deserter
- Josephus’s Hiding-place Discovered
- Josephus Parleys with the Roman Officers
- Josephus’s Life Threatened by his Men
- The Drawing of the Lots
- Josephus before the Romans
- Josephus tells Vespasian’s Fortune
- (44) Reception at Jerusalem of the News of the Fall of Jotapata
- (45) Murder of the High Priest Ananus; also of Zacharias after a mock trial
- The Mock Trial and Murder of Zacharias
- (46) How Josephus was Liberated
- (47) A Roman Reverse Inspires false Confidence
- (48) Cessation of the Daily Sacrifice. Josephus appeals to the Jews
- (49) Conflagration of the Temple
- (50) Portents and Oracles[316]
- (51) The Last Scene. Capture of the Upper City. Jerusalem in Flames
- (52) The Spoils from the Temple in the Triumphal Procession in Rome
- VIII. THE JEWISH SECTS
- (53) The Three Sects and their Views on Fate and Free-Will
- (54) The Essenes, with a note on Pharisees and Sadducees
- The Essenes: their Asceticism, Simplicity of Life and Community of Goods
- Their Prayers to the Sun. The Refectory
- Their Studies
- Admission to the Order. The Novice’s Probation and Oath
- Expulsion from the Order
- Their Law-courts, Reverence for Moses, Sabbatarianism, etc.
- The Four Grades of Essenes—their Endurance of Persecution
- Their Belief in the Immortality of the Soul
- Essene Prophets
- Essene Schismatics who Allow Marriage
- The Pharisees and Sadducees
- (55) Another Account of the Three Sects—and a Fourth
- The Pharisees
- The Sadducees
- The Essenes
- The Zealots
- (56) Why John Hyrcanus went over from the Pharisees to the Sadducees
- (57) "Conciliate the Pharisees"—Alexander’s dying advice to Alexandra
- (58) How the Pharisees rose to Power under Queen Alexandra
- (59) Herod the Great exempts Pharisees and Essenes from the Oath of Allegiance. The Essene Prophet Menahem
- (60) The Pharisees refuse to take the Oath of Allegiance (another account).
- IX. JEWISH THEOLOGY, SCRIPTURES AND CUSTOMS
- (61) Some Aspects of Jewish Theology. Moses as Religious Educator
- Our Polity a Theocracy
- A Religion for the Many, not (like Greek philosophy) for the Few
- The Two Methods of Education Combined by Moses
- All Jews Know their Law, which is Read Every Week
- (62) A Future Life—for the Law-abiding
- (63) The Jewish Scriptures and their Preservation
- The Writers and Custodians of the Records
- Selection of the Custodians. Scrutiny of Priestly Marriages and Genealogies
- The Twenty-two Books of Scripture
- Jewish Veneration of their Scriptures
- (64) Universal Imitation of our Laws the sincerest flattery
- (65) The Oath “Corban”
- APPENDIX OF ADDITIONAL NOTES
- I. Note on § (24). Quirinius
- II. Note on § (26). The alleged witness to Jesus Christ
- External evidence
- Internal evidence
- III. Note on § (29). The First Husband of Herodias
- IV. Note on § (35). Theudas and Judas
- V. Note on § (45). The Blood of Zacharias
- VI. Note on § (50). Portents and Oracles
- VII. Note on § (63). The Twenty-two Books of Scripture
- TABLE OF DATES
- INDEX
- 1
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
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- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
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- 59
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- 61
- 62
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- 64
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- 97
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- 100
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- 102
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- 104
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- 108
- 109
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- 111
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- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
- 118
- 120
- 121
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- 123
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- 126
- 127
- 128
- 129
- 130
- 131
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- 137
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- 139
- 140
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- 146
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- 149
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- 179
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- 186
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- 189
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