Publisher's Synopsis
This collection of essays covers the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and the history of the Second Temple period. The contributions are revised versions of papers delivered at an international colloquium in memory of Professor Morton Smith, which was held at San Miniato, Italy, in November 1992. The essays cover a broad range of historical and historiographical issues concerning the Seleucid, Hasmonean, Herodian and Roman periods, for which the importance of Josephus can hardly be overestimated. Josephus's trustworthiness as a historian is investigated from various angles. Light is thrown on philological, literary, geographical, archaeological, sociological and religious questions. The book includes a critical evaluation of Morton Smith's scholarly achievement.
