Historians of Late Antiquity Book

As a Biblical scholar and historian you have to read the primary sources. I have always wanted to engage Josephus for myself but felt daunted by the task. Don't be daunted--it's not that hard. However, it was difficult to keep my momentum going when the little sections started blurring together. First I led some soldiers to Sepphoris and then we went to Tiberius and then Justus was treacherous so I fought him. The men of Galilee love me...then they listened to Jonathan and rebelled against me. I have a man crush on Vespasian.

It was interesting to see Jewish idioms outside of the Bible and villages in the Galilee that never appear in the Bible at all. The title itself may mislead modern readers because this is mainly an account of Josephus' military campaigns and peace keeping ventures. As he mentions at one point, he is trying to counter what another historian has written about these events and about Josephus' actions.

Important for a scholar but not the most enjoyable read.