Reading the First Century

On Reading Josephus and Studying Jewish History of the First Century

by Daniel R. Schwartz

Book cover: Reading the First Century

Extent: 222 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Classical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

Series volume number: 300

Language: English

Hardback (Out of print)

(April 2013)

ISBN: 9783161521874

6.57 x 9.13 inches

Price: $100.00

Out of stock

Daniel R. Schwartz argues that by building from the bottom up – first establishing the text and its meaning, then moving on to issues of Josephus models, sources, and purposes – we may nevertheless reconstruct, with some confidence, the events and processes of this crucial era.


The writings of Flavius Josephus provide much of what we know about the first century CE – which witnessed the birth of Christianity, the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, and the concomitant rise of rabbinic Judaism. However, Josephus was an author, not a video camera, and what he wrote often reflects much apart from what actually happened in the first century: Josephus’ works were affected both by his literary models and by current events, and they functioned in various ways for Josephus as an individual and also as a Jew and a Roman, writing in a time of tumult and radical change. Daniel R. Schwartz argues that by building from the bottom up – first establishing the text and its meaning, then moving on to issues of Josephus’ models, sources, and purposes – we may nevertheless reconstruct, with some confidence, the events and processes of this crucial era.

  • By (author) Daniel R Schwartz

"...scholars who are serious about Josephus and ancient Jewish history will certainly want to read this book. It is brimming with insights from start to finish." -- Jonathan Klawans, Review of Biblical Literature, 09/2014