T . RAJAK , Josephus : The Historian and His Society ( Classical life and letters ) . London : Duckworth , 1983 , Pp . X + 245 , I map . This is not just another book about Josephus . For while most studies of the Jewish historian are preoccupied mainly with Quellenforschung , this one is primarily a study of the writer in his historical context , interpreting him and elucidating his work against the background of contemporary Jewish society . One readily detects here the influence of Sir Ronald Syme ' s Tacitus and Professor Fergus Millar ' s Cassius Dio , though Dr Rajak has gone much further than they in reducing to a minimum the discussion of historiographical and literary problems which bulk so large in Syme ' s magnum opus and to a lesser extent in Millar ' s work . Throughout R . displays an originality of approach , a sure grasp of the subject and a broad knowledge of modern literature , including the vast amount of publications
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