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The Jewish War, Flavius Josephus (75)

An eyewitness account of Jewish defeat at Roman hands

by
Adam Kirsch
September 17, 2013

The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by a Roman army in the year 70 C.E. has a good claim to be called the most important event in Jewish history. And almost everything we know about that event comes from The Jewish War, a Greek-language history by Josephus, who served as a general in the Judean rebellion against Roman rule. A vivid chronicle of amazing heroism, vicious infighting, and final disaster, The Jewish War manages to sympathize with the defeated Jews while suggesting that the Roman victory was God’s will.

Adam Kirsch is a poet and literary critic, whose books include The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature.

Adam Kirsch is a poet and literary critic, whose books include The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature.