Flavius Josephus

Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian whose writings are central sources for Jewish, Roman, and early Christian history. The Antiquities of the Jews, The Wars of the Jews, Against Apion, The Life of Flavius Josephus, and collected editions of The Works of Flavius Josephus preserve accounts of politics, revolt, religion, identity, and imperial power in the ancient Mediterranean.

For English-language readers, Flavius Josephus is important because he stands between cultures: Jewish by origin, Roman by later position, and historical in ambition. His works require critical reading, but they remain essential for understanding the Second Temple period, Jerusalem's destruction, and the contested memory of ancient history.