Any other English translations of Josephus

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Mental flatliner
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by Mental flatliner »

Premo316 wrote:Does anybody here know if there are other English translations, besides William Whiston's,
available?
The best way to test Josephus is against other historical documents, for example, compare his rendering of King Solomon's speech with that in I Kings.

(It gives you a view of Josephus that a view of the translator can't.)
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spin
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by spin »

Mental flatliner wrote:
Premo316 wrote:Does anybody here know if there are other English translations, besides William Whiston's,
available?
The best way to test Josephus is against other historical documents, for example, compare his rendering of King Solomon's speech with that in I Kings.

(It gives you a view of Josephus that a view of the translator can't.)
Jesus, could you be any less helpful? I doubt it. Premo316 was asking about translations. You might as well have talked about the weather for the help your response yielded. Before you open your trap think about the utility of what you're about to say, then think again. Hopefully, you'll decide that most of it can be spared the reader.
Dysexlia lures • ⅔ of what we see is behind our eyes
Mental flatliner
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by Mental flatliner »

spin wrote:
Mental flatliner wrote:
Premo316 wrote:Does anybody here know if there are other English translations, besides William Whiston's,
available?
The best way to test Josephus is against other historical documents, for example, compare his rendering of King Solomon's speech with that in I Kings.

(It gives you a view of Josephus that a view of the translator can't.)
Jesus, could you be any less helpful? I doubt it. Premo316 was asking about translations. You might as well have talked about the weather for the help your response yielded. Before you open your trap think about the utility of what you're about to say, then think again. Hopefully, you'll decide that most of it can be spared the reader.
Since Josephus covers 4000 years of history, you'll have to ask a more specific question to get a more specific answer.

My answer was helpful in that I was offering an alternative to interpretation shopping. What better interpretation can there be than a corroborating opinion for historical value?
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spin
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by spin »

Mental flatliner wrote:
Premo316 wrote:Does anybody here know if there are other English translations, besides William Whiston's,
available?
Mental flatliner wrote:The best way to test Josephus is against other historical documents, for example, compare his rendering of King Solomon's speech with that in I Kings.

(It gives you a view of Josephus that a view of the translator can't.)
spin wrote:Jesus, could you be any less helpful? I doubt it. Premo316 was asking about translations. You might as well have talked about the weather for the help your response yielded. Before you open your trap think about the utility of what you're about to say, then think again. Hopefully, you'll decide that most of it can be spared the reader.
Since Josephus covers 4000 years of history, you'll have to ask a more specific question to get a more specific answer.

My answer was helpful in that I was offering an alternative to interpretation shopping. What better interpretation can there be than a corroborating opinion for historical value?
When you can give one, do so.

Premo316 was seeking a better translation than the antiquated Whiston version, which is severely challenged, coming from centuries ago, before the art and science of translation had made much progress. I wouldn't recommend that anyone use Whiston for close access to the significance of the text and comparing it with a translation of a portion of the bible only introduces further problems. First, if you must use a translation, you try to get one that is as accurate as you can, not introduce further error prone complications.
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

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spin wrote:
When you can give one, do so.
Name the event.

I'm ready when you are.
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by spin »

Mental flatliner wrote:
spin wrote:
When you can give one, do so.
Name the event.

I'm ready when you are.
Try to make sense.
Dysexlia lures • ⅔ of what we see is behind our eyes
Mental flatliner
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by Mental flatliner »

spin wrote: Try to make sense.
With only a dozen functioning brain cells, you seem to be easy to lose.

I'll refresh your memory:

The OP seeks another translation of Josephus based on the fallacious assumption that Whiston is a bad translation. (Obviously this person hasn't read Josephus and discovered his typical strategy for building his books or he would recognize that another translation would be substantially the same.)

I offered a viable alternative: if there's some part of Josephus that you'd like to see in another version, I have other historical documents in my library and would be happy to name them or even quote them.

It's possible you don't understand the offer, and so offering insult is the only tool left in your bag.
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by spin »

Mental flatliner wrote:
spin wrote: Try to make sense.
With only a dozen functioning brain cells, you seem to be easy to lose.
Ad hominem based on no evidence is what seems to be the norm for you.
Mental flatliner wrote:I'll refresh your memory:

The OP seeks another translation of Josephus based on the fallacious assumption that Whiston is a bad translation.
Sorry to have to apprize you of your ignorance but it is now a bad translation. Whiston didn't have the philological tool kit to make a better one. Modern translators do.
Mental flatliner wrote:(Obviously this person hasn't read Josephus and discovered his typical strategy for building his books or he would recognize that another translation would be substantially the same.)

I offered a viable alternative: if there's some part of Josephus that you'd like to see in another version, I have other historical documents in my library and would be happy to name them or even quote them.

It's possible you don't understand the offer, and so offering insult is the only tool left in your bag.
As you persist in being unhelpful, what sort of response do you think you deserve?
Dysexlia lures • ⅔ of what we see is behind our eyes
Mental flatliner
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by Mental flatliner »

spin wrote: Sorry to have to apprize you of your ignorance but it is now a bad translation. Whiston didn't have the philological tool kit to make a better one. Modern translators do.
Use of big words probably makes you feel special, but having a philological tool kit isn't enough.

Without the original, or copies within a few years of the original, you'll never have a more accurate translation. You can only create a composite of the later (and already distorted) copies. You're not improving the orignal, you're only improving the subordinates.

Had you taken my advice, I would have shown you places such as Eusebius, where Josephus passages are quoted in much the same words we have here. You see, the rest of us have a much bigger tool kit.
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Re: Any other English translations of Josephus

Post by spin »

Mental flatliner wrote:
spin wrote: Sorry to have to apprize you of your ignorance but it is now a bad translation. Whiston didn't have the philological tool kit to make a better one. Modern translators do.
Use of big words probably makes you feel special,
Using correct or accurate terms makes for good communication.
Mental flatliner wrote:but having a philological tool kit isn't enough.
I didn't make a claim about sufficiency. You are insinuating one for no reason.
Mental flatliner wrote:Without the original, or copies within a few years of the original, you'll never have a more accurate translation.
This is contentless obfuscation. The topic involved a better translation than Whiston. Stop the rot and let the guy get hold of Feldman's, Marcus's and Thackeray's translations.
Mental flatliner wrote:You can only create a composite of the later (and already distorted) copies. You're not improving the orignal, you're only improving the subordinates.
Just more of the same blurt. A composite text has survived based on the earliest surviving manuscripts. A good translation of that text is what is necessary to make the most of that text. None of your claptrap will change that.
Mental flatliner wrote:Had you taken my advice, I would have shown you places such as Eusebius, where Josephus passages are quoted in much the same words we have here. You see, the rest of us have a much bigger tool kit.
Your advice is simple from a clueless person making noise, the sound and the fury, for lack of anything better.
Dysexlia lures • ⅔ of what we see is behind our eyes
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