Antiquities of the Jews, in twenty books, was written after Josephus’
Wars of the Jews was received with favor. The voluminous work covers the history of the Jews until the outbreak of the First Jewish-Roman War. From Creation to the time of Nehemiah, the account is based on the Scriptures, oral tradition, and supplementary records available to Josephus in the 1st century. The period between 175 and 135 BC parallels 1 Maccabees, supplemented from other sources including the lost work of Strabo called
Histories, Nicolaus of Damascus, and Livy. Herod’s reign is detailed after the
History of Nicolaus and a book entitled
The Memorabilia of King Herod, which are now missing. The story of the high priests was likely derived from official documents in Jerusalem.
Antiquities was probably published in AD 93, not long before John received the Revelation.
Against Apion was Josephus’ subsequent defense of
Antiquities against antisemitic criticisms.
The division of the works of Josephus into chapters is very ancient and is reflected in citations by Cassiodorus. The sub-division of each chapter into numbered paragraphs goes back at least as far as Whiston’s 1737 translation. References to Josephus are commonly cited by book, chapter, and paragraph (e.g.,
Ant. 2.6.9).
Where to Read It in Print
Ancient Historia
Josephus The Complete Works
Where to Read It Online
Wikisource
