THE WORKS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. Translated into English from Greek by Sir Roger L’Estrange.

(AMERICAN JUDAICA)

v.p.

Philadelphia / New York

1773-5

Four volumes.

Rosenbach 55, 64, 66, 67; Heinz Schrekenberg, Bibliographie zu Flavius Josephus (Leiden: Brill, 1968)

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOSEPHUS. While individual works of Josephus were printed in America as ealy as 1719 (see Rosenbach 15), this is the first American edition of the complete works. Josephus’ works are an invaluable history of the Second Temple period. Known in Hebrew as Joseph ben Mathathius Hakohen, he was an eyewitness to the Jewish revolt against Rome which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple. Though he has been accused at times of pandering to the Roman overlord and of exaggerating his own importance, there is no denying that his works are an indespensable repository of information concerning this tragic period in Jewish history. It is said that R. Elijah, the Gaon of Vilna, urged his disciples to translate Josephus into Hebrew for the benefit of traditional Torah scholars.