Josephus completes the Jewish Antiquities
About this date: At the end of Antiquities XX Josephus dates his work to Domitian's thirteenth year and his own fifty-sixth year. The 93/94 label reflects the regnal year spanning parts of modern calendar years.
Josephus completes a twenty-book account of Jewish history. Its later books preserve the accounts of John the Baptist, Agrippa's death, Helena's relief, and James that Eusebius will draw upon.
Historical context
Antiquities is a later work than the Jewish War and has a much wider historical scope. Its account of a famine in the 40s or a death in 62 must be dated separately from its composition in the 90s.
Key points
- Book XVIII includes John the Baptist; Book XIX includes Agrippa I's death.
- Book XX includes Helena and Izates, the famine, and James's death.
- The concluding autobiographical date is stronger chronological evidence for the work than dates inserted by a modern translator into earlier chapters.
People
- Flavius Josephus
- Domitian
Sources and further reading
- Antiquities: the author's completion date
Josephus identifies the work's extent and gives the regnal and autobiographical date. - Church History: Eusebius lists Josephus's works
A later reader's description of the corpus and its value for church history.