Josephus: The Essential Writings

If you don't want the cost of the critical multi-volumed Loeb edition of Josephus and aren't thrilled with a 17th century translation, this is the alternative. While incomplete, it is a good alternative. Not, perhaps, as good as the translator's/interpreter's Eusebius (which is both complete and with very helpful annotations) but well worth the price. It is more than sufficient for those of us who don't make a living by studying the late Second Temple period in Palestine.

Came in good shape, and I'm REALLY enjoying it. I bought a Josephus book years ago, and the old style was just more than I wanted to tackle. This one's easy reading!

Great book. This abridged version gets right to the heart of what you are looking for. Maier has done a good job. Josephus gets a little wordy at times. Maier does not leave out any pertinent information and where something has been omitted he informs the reader. This book is worth the price for the story of the fall of Jerusalem alone.

If you are new to the Bible, this is a good read to help you get more acquainted with the, Good Book. Easy read and very informative. I would suggest this book to anyone and from the company I ordered from. Book was delivered as promised and as described.

I use Josephus in my studies and quote him in my formal papers, however his style is pretty thick reading. Maier created a useful paraphrase with dates & references pointing to the original. Very useful for serious students.

Good book for reference of Jewish history & eyewitness of destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD

What a great way to read history! This book is a condensed writing of the works of Josephus, easy to read and Dr. Maier has footnoted when Josephus had "more" to say in case you wanted to check out the omitted parts. It is a book that, when read from the beginning to the end, give you a full picture of the times of the ancient Jewish people.

It is exactly as described, but I thought it was the WHOLE book. I will keep it and read it, but I'll buy the unabridged version as soon as I can.

This edition includes his Jewish Beginnings and Jewish war. He tells the Beginning in short quick chapters and gives the reader, already familiar with the Bible, a rapid aide memoir. The War, in its detail, was new to me and fascinating. It gave me a clear insight of Jewish intransigence and desire to be and think independently even to the extent of endangering existence.That he lived and wrote in the first century of our era and yet seems much like us is quite enchanting. So long as we remember, as we read, that he tended to exaggerate we won't be taken in. Another aspect to keep in mind is that he was a turncoat and therefore anxious to applaud his new masters.Maier and the publishers did an excellent job producing both books together and in a readable font size.moshe elias

This book contains exactly what the cover states - the essential sections of Josephus history of the Jews. It is like reading the most important parts of the Old Testament again, however with significant differences - which are quite interesting to note. The quality of the book and the print could have been better and a few more illustrative maps would have been nice, but all in all this was a very interesting book.

This book is a good resource to have in your library. Josephus is a historian hence he pays more attention to detail which we need to have as Westerners since we do not know the culture of the Middle East. The illustrations and information complements the Bible which enhances Scripture.Many Bible commentaries refer to the work of Josephus as an historian. When on a tour in Israel our guide also made reference to his writings. There are other books written by Josephus which need to be looked at as well that have more depth.

An excllent introduction to Josephus and the history of Israel, including the period between the Old and New Testaments. The translation is easy to read. The Old Testament period adds some interesting colour to the Old Testament account in the Bible.A bit confusing to follow in the subsequent period, reflecting the events described, that just about everyone close to power seemed to be bent on killing any rival for power. You will definitely need a pen and paper and a copy of the helpful family trees at the back of the book to keep track of who is trying to kill who, at each point in the story. Fascinating links to Roman history.