Primary source · Koine Greek
Antiquities of the Jews
Flavius Josephus · c. AD 93–94
What this text is
The Jewish historian's twenty-book history, containing the notices of John the Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and the high priests of the apostolic age — the indispensable external witness to the New Testament world.
Public-domain translations
Whiston translation (1737, public domain)
Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned. (Ant. 20.9.1)
Manuscript witnesses
Codex Ambrosianus F 128 sup. (Milan)
11th c.Principal Greek witness for the later books, including the James passage and the Baptist notice.
Latin version of the Cassiodoran school
6th c.The Latin Antiquities commissioned at Vivarium — older than any surviving Greek copy.
Editio princeps (Basel, Froben)
1544First printed Greek text, from which all early modern study of Josephus flowed.
Provenance
Rome; transmitted through Byzantine copies and the Latin of Cassiodorus's circle
Editions & scholarship
Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.
- Josephus (Loeb Classical Library), vols. IX–XIIIL. H. Feldman et al., 1965Greek text with facing English; the standard scholarly translation.
- Flavii Iosephi operaBenedikt Niese, 1885–1895The critical edition whose section numbering all modern citation follows.
Figures named in this text (19)
- John the Baptist
- Joseph Caiaphas
- Herod Antipas
- Annas (Ananus I)
- Herod Agrippa I
- Antonius Felix
- James the Just
- Porcius Festus
- Ananus II (the Younger)
- Herod Agrippa II
- Herod the Great
- Quirinius (Cyrenius)
- Herod Archelaus
- Herodias
- Philip the Tetrarch
- Salome, daughter of Herodias
- Drusilla
- Ananias son of Nedebaeus
- Jesus of Nazareth