Flavius Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, is unquestionably among the most important writers from classical antiquity. The significance of the works of Josephus as sources for our understanding of biblical history and of the political history of Palestine under Roman rule, can scarcely be overestimated. This is the first volume published in this commentary series, which is the first comprehensive literary-historical commentary on the works of Flavius Josephus in English. Please note that Judean Antiquities Books 1-4 is also available in paperback, ISBN 0 391 04221 1.