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Josephus offers an extensive pre-history of the war against the Romans, which is narrated in books 1 and 2 (2.1–292) and already highlighted in the prologue (1.18), where he summarizes the events told in the main narrative (1.19–30) and also signals that his history will focus on Jerusalem with the temple as central location. The first event mentioned concerns the Seleucid King Antiochus IV’s capture of Jerusalem (168/167 BCE; BJ 1.19), which also anticipates that Jerusalem is the focal point of the conflict with the Romans.

The prologue to The Jewish Antiquities, Josephus’s most elaborate work, which is usually dated in 93–94 CE (following Josephus’s reference in AJ 20.267 to the present time as the 13th year of Domitian, which equals Josephus’s 56th year; Mason 2001: xv–xvi), makes four points (AJ 1.5) by indicating that this writing: 1) is aimed at all the Greeks (Hellēnes, i.e. non-Jews, see also 1.9); 2) concerns “our entire ancient history” (hapasan tēn par’hēmin archaiologian; cf. AJ 20.259, 267; Vita 430; Apion 1.54, 127; 2.136, 287); 3) as well as the arrangement of the Jews’ political constitution (politeuma); 4) in the form of a translation from the Hebrew Scriptures. The first point implies that the audience aimed for in the Antiquities consists primarily of non-Jews, in particular the contemporary cultural elite in Rome (Mason 1998, 2003b, 2005; den Hollander 2014: 279–286). The reference to the local wealthy freedman Epaphroditus as Josephus’s patron (AJ 1.8–9; also Vita 430; Apion 1.1; 2.1, 296), who is characterized as a lover of every kind of culture (1.8), supports this configuration of Josephus’s main audience. The key word archaiologia (“Antiquities”; Rajak 1982: “Archaeology”; Mason 2000: xxiii: “Judaean Ancient Lore”; 1.5) implies a history from ancient times onward, starting, in fact, with the creation of the world (1.21, 26, 27). This implies that the history of the Jews is as old as the history of humankind. In Against Apion Josephus presents the content of Antiquities as follows: it is based on the Sacred Scriptures of the Jews, it concerns the origin of the Jewish people, its original composition and the land possessed currently, and comprises a history of 5000 years (Apion 1.1; cf. AJ 20.259–261). The Jewish laws and the political organization of the Jews are central topics in this history (Schwartz 1983–1984; Feldman 1998: 144–148; Swoboda 2014: 469–470). The laws are divine and revealed by Moses (briefly explained in 1.18–26). They are contrasted with legal systems based on myths or mythologies current among other people (1.15, 22). They have moral implications, which Josephus connects with the philosophy of nature (the Jewish constitution reflects natural law; 1.18, 24–25) and the nature of God, who serves as the perfect model for humans (1.19, 23) and punishes and rewards all humans on the basis of their deeds (1.20; also 1.14). Josephus is confident about the non-Jewish interest in his enterprise, because he can point to the persuasive analogy of the Septuagint: the Greek translation of the books of the law produced at the invitation of King Ptolemy II with the support of the high priest Eleazar (1.9–12). Josephus indicates that his work will even surpass this translation, because he will transmit all of Jewish Holy Scripture (1.12; Krieger 2000: 259–261; Swoboda 2014: 450–451, 467). As a matter of fact, only books 1–11 are based on Jewish Scripture and these books are a paraphrase and not a translation.