Slightly revised version of the authoor's thesis (Ph.D.)--Groningen, Netherlands, 2009.

The book, "" Antiquities of the Jews; Book - XVIII "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

The Testimonium Flavianum, a brief passage in Jewish Antiquities by Flavius Josephus (37 - ca. 100 AD), is widely considered the only extant evidence besides the Bible of the historicity of Jesus Christ. In the sixteenth century the authenticity of this passage was challenged by scholars, launching a controversy that has still not been resolved. Josephus on Jesus: The Testimonium Flavianum Controversy from Late Antiquity to Modern Times is a history of this passage and the long-standing debate over its authenticity. Because it may be the most quoted ancient text next to the Bible, this book not only illuminates the history of the Testimonium Flavianum through the ages, but also the general development of historical criticism in the Western World.

The autobiographical text The Life of Josephus is a text written by Flavius Josephus around 94 to 99 BC. The commander of a Jewish insurgency who was captured by the Roman in 67 BC he won his liberty by ingratiating himself with the Roman victors. The Life of Josephus is both a retelling of the events of this War and a justification by Josephus of his part in it. His position with his Roman and Jewish contemporaries and even now with modern day scholars is ambiguous. Many question his decision to eschew suicide in favour of capture. The works of Josephus have been pivotal in gaining an understanding of the period of the First Jewish-Roman War, The Dead Sea Scrolls and other Archaeological discoveries.

In the past two decades, scholars have called for a new, critical history of the Pharisees. Required is a careful analysis of each source's evidence as a prior condition of historical judgements. By analyzing Flavius Josephus' portrayal of the group, this study clarifies some of the crucial evidence that any hypothesis must explain. Josephus writes about the Pharisees in three of his four extant works, describing their actions under the Hashmoneans, Herod the Great, and during his own tenure as Galilean commander of the revolt against Rome. This study tries to show how his discussions of the Pharisees contribute to his literary aims. With the help of K.H. Rengstorf's new concordance, the author explores the ten pertinent passages in their contexts, supplying also introductory chapters on the Jewish War, the Jewish Antiquities, and the Life. This analysis yields the conclusion that, although the Pharisees were the most popular party in first-century Judaism, Josephus was consistently hostile toward them for reasons peculiar to his own situation.

"An audacious history of Josephus (37-c.100), the Jewish general turned Roman historian, whose emblematic betrayal is a touchstone for the Jew alone in the Gentile world"--Dust jacket flap.