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The Jewish War
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 23 hrs and 40 mins
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The Jewish War
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Summary
In AD 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Judaea led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people.
How had this once prosperous region been laid low, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down a slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness to the historical events: Joseph ben Matthias, known to posterity as Flavius Josephus.
In beautifully written and clearly understood prose, Josephus sets out to explain the origin of the conflict. He describes how the fanatical zealots came to dominate the political life of Judaea, illustrates how the Romans were drawn into the fight, and shows how the war was carried on by both sides, ending with the famous siege of the fortress of Masada.
The Jewish War is one of the most important histories to survive from ancient times, dealing as it does with a subject of which there are very few sources. This is an engaging and heart-felt chronicle by an eyewitness who lived through it all.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-22
ssurprisingly early attempt at a
value free historical narrative.
or....how to wage a mindlless insurrection againnnst a spiritually and materially richer superpower that ends up slaughtering some 97000 of your finest and most innocent of your subjects.
some strong satirical perfirming and unsuitable if squeemish.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daniel P-M653
- 02-09-20
Very insightful and well performed.
Some people have commented on the narrator’s faux Churchill performance, however even as an Englishman I didn’t find it grating at all. His delivery was well paced and had just the right level of considered intonation.
I have a hard back copy of Josephus but rarely have the time to sit down with it. This was fascinating piece of history told from a contemporaneous viewpoint. Well worth buying.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark McNally
- 14-09-17
amazing listen, worth the effort
amazing narrative, once you get over the bias and concentrate on the events you get a really evocative and emotional feel for the time
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Silvine
- 01-05-15
Great work; ruined by irritating narrator
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
Somebody who can stand listening to an American who seems to think he is Winston Churchill but does not quite make it. His rendering of the English language sounds like something from a long departed era with unbearable bombast thrown in. What's more he makes uncorrected errors in his rendering of Josephus rattling on as if he is in a contest to get to the end asap.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Jewish War?
Cannot say as I gave up after a while, unable to bear the torture any longer.
Would you be willing to try another one of Charlton Griffin’s performances?
Absolutely not. In fact I am really sorry to see that all the other works I'd like to listen to, i.e. Caesar's Wars and Thucydides are narrated by this same gentleman.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Jewish War?
None. It is all excellent stuff.
Any additional comments?
Ask David Suchet or Martin Jarvis to give this work a remake.
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14 people found this helpful