Josephus on the Weekly Reading of Scripture
Josephus
Late 1st Century
He [Moses] left no excuse for ignorance but assigned the Torah as both the finest and most necessary instruction, in order that it be heard not once, nor twice, nor frequently; but he enjoined that every seven days they desist from their other labors so as to convene for the hearing of the Torah and to search this out with precision, an approach that all other lawgivers appear to have neglected.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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Creator Bio
Josephus
Flavius Josephus was born into a prominent Jewish priestly family and served as a general stationed in the Galilee during the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE). He was captured by the Romans and eventually integrated into the Flavian imperial aristocracy, who commissioned him to compose chronicles of the Jewish–Roman war and the history of the Jews. Josephus’ works, all written in Greek, include The Jewish War, Jewish Antiquities, Against Apion, and his autobiography, Life of Josephus. These writings provide important insights into the Judaisms of the Second Temple period and include one of the few surviving accounts of the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.