Author Description
'i Am Josephus...i Myself Fought Against The Romans' In August Of Ad 70 The City Of Jerusalem Was Destroyed By Roman Forces After A Six-month Siege. This Was The Disastrous Outcome Of A Jewish Revolt Against Roman Domination Which Began In Ad 66 With Some Early Success, But Soon Became Mired In Factional Conflict. The War Ended In The Destruction Of The Famous Jewish Temple (rebuilt By Herod The Great A Century Before). The Remarkable Story Of The War Is Narrated By An Eye-witness And Participant, Josephus. He Was At First A Rebel Commander, Then After His Capture, Supported Titus In The Final Assault On Jerusalem. Josephus Spares No Detail Of A Horrific Conflict - Atrocities On Both Sides, The Reign Of Terror In Jerusalem, The Appalling Conditions Of The Siege, And The Final Mass Suicide At Masada. His Vivid Narrative Is Our Prime Source For This Period Of History. It Is A Dramatic Story, With Resonances To The Present Day.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How did the Jewish revolt against Roman rule escalate into the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple? Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest and former military commander who defected to the Roman side, provides a firsthand account of the First Jewish-Roman War. His work serves as a primary historical record, documenting the political instability, military strategies, and internal factionalism that defined the conflict between AD 66 and AD 73.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed accounts of the Roman siege of Jerusalem and the fall of the Second Temple.
- Descriptions of the internal power struggles among Jewish rebel factions.
- Firsthand observations of the Roman military apparatus under Vespasian and Titus.
- The narrative of the final resistance and mass suicide at the fortress of Masada.
Scope Limits
- The text reflects the author's personal bias as a Roman-aligned collaborator.
- It does not provide a neutral or comprehensive view of the Roman administrative perspective beyond the military campaign.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians regard this work as the foundational primary source for the First Jewish-Roman War, despite the author's clear apologetic intent toward his Roman patrons. Readers frequently note the intense, graphic nature of the prose and the author's unique position as both a participant and a chronicler of the events.
Page Count:
528
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191057592
ISBN-13:
9780191057595
Biography
History
Middle Eastern
Ancient History
Military History