| The Jewish War | |
|---|---|
Hebrew-Latin edition of the Jewish War (Basle, 1559) |
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| Author(s) | Josephus |
| Original title | Flavius Josephus's Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans |
| Country | Roman Empire |
| Language | Aramaic (lost), Greek |
| Genre(s) | History |
| Publication date | ca. AD 75 |
| Followed by | Antiquities of the Jews |
The Jewish War (Greek: Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πόλεμος, Ioudaikou polemos), in full Flavius Josephus's Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans (Greek: Φλαβίου Ἰωσήπου ἱστορία Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πολέμου πρὸς Ῥωμαίους βιβλία, Phlabiou Iōsēpou historia Ioudaikou polemou pros Rōmaious biblia), also referred to in English as The Wars of the Jews and The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, is a book written by the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus.
It is a description of Jewish history from the capture of Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 164 BC to the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in the First Jewish–Roman War in AD 70. The book was written about 75, originally in Josephus's "paternal tongue", probably Aramaic, though this version has not survived. It was later translated into Greek, probably under the supervision of Josephus himself.
The sources of knowledge that we have of the First Jewish–Roman War are: Josephus's account, the Talmud (Gittin 57b), Midrash Eichah, and the Hebrew inscriptions on the Jewish coins minted.
The text also survives in an Old Slavonic version, which contains material not found in the Greek version, and which is missing other material found in the Greek version.[1]