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Destruction of Jerusalem, by Flavius Josephus

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Title: The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Author: Flavius Josephus

Translator: William Whiston

Posting Date: January 10, 2009 [EBook #2850]
Release Date: October, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WARS OF THE JEWS ***

Produced by David Reed

THE WARS OF THE JEWS

OR HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM

By Flavius Josephus

Translated by William Whiston

PREFACE

1. [1] Whereas the war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the
greatest of all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a
manner, of those that ever were heard of; both of those wherein cities
have fought against cities, or nations against nations; while some men
who were not concerned in the affairs themselves have gotten together
vain and contradictory stories by hearsay, and have written them down
after a sophistical manner; and while those that were there present
have given false accounts of things, and this either out of a humor of
flattery to the Romans, or of hatred towards the Jews; and while their
writings contain sometimes accusations, and sometimes encomiums, but no
where the accurate truth of the facts; I have proposed to myself,
for the sake of such as live under the government of the Romans, to
translate those books into the Greek tongue, which I formerly composed
in the language of our country, and sent to the Upper Barbarians; [2]
Joseph, the son of Matthias, by birth a Hebrew, a priest also, and one
who at first fought against the Romans myself, and was forced to be
present at what was done afterwards, [am the author of this work].

2. Now at the time when this great concussion of affairs happened, the
affairs of the Romans were themselves in great disorder. Those Jews also
who were for innovations, then arose when the times were disturbed; they
were also in a flourishing condition for strength and riches, insomuch
that the affairs of the East were then exceeding tumultuous, while some
hoped for gain, and others were a