Reading Josephus in the Ancient World
From the 1st- 5th century, Josephus’ works were read in the original Greek, as well as Latin translation, by Roman scholars such as Cassius Dio and Suetonius, and significant early Church leaders like Eusebius.
Eusebius, 4th century Christian bishop and historian, produced an outline of world history (the Chronicle) organized in tabular format to synthesize the intersections of Roman, Jewish, and ecclesiastical histories. On folio 87 verso, Eusebius characterizes Flavius Josephus as a “historian” (scriptor historic) and “leader of the war of the Jews” (dux belli Iudeorum).
