What is the antiquities of the jews?

Flavius Josephus, answered from the texts and cited to the page.

Flavius Josephus answers

The Antiquities is the larger of my two historical works — twenty books carrying the history of my nation from the original creation of man down to the twelfth year of Nero's reign, which is where the war with Rome began.1 It was composed in Greek and drawn from our sacred books, which I translated and interpreted for readers who would otherwise have had no access to them.2

The work covers what befell the Jews in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine; what we suffered from the Assyrians and Babylonians; and what the Persians, Macedonians, and finally the Romans brought upon us.3 I enumerate the succession of our high priests across two thousand years, carry down the line of our kings, and record their actions and administration without considerable errors, all according to what is written in our sacred writings.4

The undertaking was not easy. I confess that as I began it, I grew weary and went on slowly — it is a large subject, and a difficult thing to translate our history into a foreign and to us unaccustomed language.5 What drove me forward was partly the persuasion of Epaphroditus, a man devoted to learning and himself no stranger to great affairs, and partly shame at allowing laziness to outweigh the usefulness of the work.6

My purpose was also defensive. A considerable number of people were giving ear to reproaches laid against us, and took the silence of Greek historiographers as proof that our nation is of late origin.7 The Antiquities answers that charge by the only means that settles it — the documents themselves, drawn from records reaching back where Greek history does not.8

Sources

  1. these Antiquities contain what hath been delivered down to us from the original creation of man, until the twelfth year of the reign of Nero, as to what hath befallen the Jews
    Antiquities of the Jews
  2. Those Antiquities contain the history of five thousand years, and are taken out of our sacred books, but are translated by me into the Greek tongue.
    Against Apion
  3. as well in Egypt as in Syria and in Palestine, and what we have suffered from the Assyrians and Babylonians, and what afflictions the Persians and Macedonians, and after them the Romans, have brought upon us
    Antiquities of the Jews
  4. I have attempted to enumerate those high priests that we have had during the interval of two thousand years; I have also carried down the succession of our kings, and related their actions, and political administration, without [considerable] errors, as also the power of our monarchs; and all according to what is written in our sacred books
    Antiquities of the Jews
  5. I grew weary and went on slowly, it being a large subject, and a difficult thing to translate our history into a foreign, and to us unaccustomed language.
    Antiquities of the Jews
  6. I yielded to this man's persuasions, who always excites such as have abilities in what is useful and acceptable, to join their endeavors with his. I was also ashamed myself to permit any laziness of disposition to have a greater influence upon me, than the delight of taking pains in such studies as were very useful.
    Antiquities of the Jews
  7. I observe a considerable number of people giving ear to the reproaches that are laid against us by those who bear ill-will to us, and will not believe what I have written concerning the antiquity of our nation, while they take it for a plain sign that our nation is of a late date, because they are not so much as vouchsafed a bare mention by the most famous historiographers among the Grecians.
    Against Apion
  8. whereas our accusers have pretended that our nation are a people of very late original, I have demonstrated that they are exceeding ancient; for I have produced as witnesses thereto many ancient writers, who have made mention of us in their books
    Against Apion