Against Apion: A Classic Defence of Jewish History and Antiquity - Paperback

Josephus, Flavius: - Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian, priest, military commander, and Roman citizen whose writings are among the most important surviving sources for Jewish history in the age of the Second Temple and the early Roman Empire. Born Yosef ben Matityahu in Jerusalem around 37 CE, he came from a priestly family and was educated in Jewish law, history, and religious tradition. During the Jewish revolt against Rome, he served as a commander in Galilee before surrendering to Roman forces and eventually receiving the patronage of the Flavian imperial house, from which he took the name Flavius Josephus.Josephus wrote in Greek for a wider Greco-Roman readership, attempting to explain Jewish history, law, religion, and national identity to an often hostile or poorly informed audience. His major works include The Jewish War, a detailed account of the revolt and the destruction of Jerusalem; Antiquities of the Jews, a sweeping history of the Jewish people from creation to his own time; The Life of Flavius Josephus, an autobiographical defence of his conduct; and Against Apion, a forceful reply to anti-Jewish polemic and a defence of the antiquity and dignity of Judaism. His writings remain essential for scholars and general readers interested in ancient Judaism, Roman history, early Christianity, Second Temple religion, and the political and cultural world of the eastern Mediterranean in the first century CE.