{"product_id":"josephuss-the-jewish-war-a-biography-9780691137391","title":"Josephus's the Jewish War: A Biography","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn essential introduction to Josephus's momentous war narrative\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Jewish War\u003c\/i\u003e is Josephus's superbly evocative account of the Jewish revolt against Rome, which was crushed in 70 CE with the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. Martin Goodman describes the life of this book, from its composition in Greek for a Roman readership to the myriad ways it touched the lives of Jews and Christians over the span of two millennia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe scion of a priestly Jewish family, Josephus became a rebel general at the start of the war. Captured by the enemy general Vespasian, Josephus predicted correctly that Vespasian would be the future emperor of Rome and thus witnessed the final stages of the siege of Jerusalem from the safety of the Roman camp and wrote his history of these cataclysmic events from a comfortable exile in Rome. His history enjoyed enormous popularity among Christians, who saw it as a testimony to the world that gave rise to their faith and a record of the suffering of the Jews due to their rejection of Christ. Jews were hardly aware of the book until the Renaissance. In the nineteenth century, Josephus's history became an important source for recovering Jewish history, yet Jewish enthusiasm for his stories of heroism--such as the doomed defense of Masada--has been tempered by suspicion of a writer who betrayed his own people. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGoodman provides a concise biography of one of the greatest war narratives ever written, explaining why Josephus's book continues to hold such fascination today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMartin Goodman\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of Jewish studies at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Wolfson College. His many books include \u003ci\u003eA History of Judaism\u003c\/i\u003e (Princeton), \u003ci\u003eRome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Oxford, England.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50460725018898,"sku":"9780691137391","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4cd905bd-5445-46b1-ad21-1222879a660f.jpg?v=1730046385","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/josephuss-the-jewish-war-a-biography-9780691137391","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}