I happen to be a bit of a history geek. Although while in college I majored in political science, history was my minor. Even today when I'm looking for reading material, my choice after spiritual and current events (with a slice of humor and poetry of course!) is always history. And many times history is my first choice.
As evidence of that I offer you the events of last week. On Friday I worked my last day at our Wyoming location. Needing to take a bathroom break I walked over to the nearby Goodwill store which has their bookshelf just outside the restrooms. I found two wonderful selections. The first was - The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged - New Updated Edition, translated by William Whiston. What a find! I am giddy beyond belief. Nine hundred and thirty pages in small print.
Josephus was a Jewish historian who was born in Jerusalem about the time of Jesus death and was present as an observer on the Roman side during Titus's siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. His writings include a history of the Jewish nation and a history of their wars beginning with the Maccabees around 165 BC and extending to the last Jewish stand at Masada. I have seen him cited often but most recently in some articles I've read which speculate about four possible locations of the Jewish Temple.
His mention of Jesus Christ is important because the stories about Him would still have been recent history and it's possible that Josephus could have even talked to eye witnesses. Here is a quote taken from his Antiquites of the Jews:
Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works - a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those who loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared alive to them the third day as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.
My second selection from Goodwill was the Oxford - Atlas of World History: From the Origins of Man to the Year 2000. Oh my gosh! Three hundred sixty-eight glorious 10" x 13" pages of photos, colored maps and coordinated historical timelines plus articles showing step by step the world's empires, migration of peoples and such as they relate from one region to another and progress through time.
Goodwill sells their books for 99 cents and after my senior discount I carried over ten pounds of joy for way less than two dollars.
Not knowing that things could possibly get better, when I got home there was a present waiting for me on our dinning table. A week before I had pulled out from our bookshelf one of the series of history books authored by Bill O'Reilly, called Killing Patton. Jackie noticed that and when I opened my present it was another one of his books, Killing England (history of the Revolutionary War) that one of my daughters brought over. Then Jackie presented me with 3 more of O'Reilly's NY times best sellers; Killing Lincoln, Killing the SS and Killing Jesus. Oh the joy!
Now you might be thinking that Jackie, whose eyes glaze over when I talk about history, is like the best wife ever. And she is, although I did notice that when our little grand kids came over with my daughter, Jackie found the thick Josephus book with it's small print and no pictures, handed it to one of them and said with a glint in her eye - "Here, you want to have some fun? Read this."
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