The Jewish War: Josephus

In A.D. 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Palestine led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people. How had this once peaceful and prosperous region been struck down, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down this slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness historian to the momentous events: Joseph ben Mattathias, known to posterity as Flavius Josephus. In beautifully written and clearly understood prose, Josephus sets out to explain the origin of the conflict. He describes how the fanatical zealots came to dominate the political life of Palestine, illustrates how the Romans were drawn into the fight, and shows how the war was carried on by both sides, ending with the siege of the fortress of Masada. Discover how Herod the Great came to be king of the Jews during the time of Julius Caesar, how he ruled and what he accomplished. You will hear the story of his larger-than-life personality and how family conflict poisoned his reign. Discover the means by which Herod eliminated his enemies, including members of his own family, and how his successors’ corruption and ineptitude brought on growing anarchy and religious tension. Peer into the mind of nationalist fanatics bent on destroying themselves and their nation for the sake of their beliefs. Hear how famous persons like Cleopatra, Mark Antony, Pontius Pilate, Augustus, Nero, Vesapasian and Josephus himself played their parts in this fascinating history. The spectacularly violent Jewish revolt of A.D. 66 is in full swing and we begin our story with the horrific siege of Jotapata and the capture of Josephus. Listeners receive a rousing, eyewitness account of Roman arms in action as Vespasian presses relentlessly onward to Jerusalem. As the Roman war machine closes in on Jerusalem, the fanatic zealots inside the city are involved in tearing each other apart and savaging the citizens trapped inside. With doom approaching from afar and civil war convulsing the city from within, the once grand metropolis of Jerusalem begins to disintegrate. Vespasian is proclaimed emperor upon Nero’s death, and turns over command of the army to his brilliant son, Titus, who encircles Jerusalem and places it under siege. Unable to escape the city and preyed upon by the enraged fanatics from within, the pitiful citizens can only watch helplessly as the horrible specter of famine begins to envelope Jerusale! m and spread into every household. The horrors of siege warfare are driven home as we hear some of the most impassioned descriptions of man’s folly ever put on paper. Learn how the magnificent Great Temple was burned and obliterated, and discover the fate of Jerusalem itself. And finally, hear the account of the incredible siege of Masada, one of the last major events of the war. The Jewish War is one of the most important histories to survive from ancient times, dealing as it does with a subject of which there are very few sources. This is an engaging and heart-felt chronicle by