"Against Apion" is an important literary work written by Flavius Josephus, a 1st century CE Jewish historian and scholar. The book is a detailed refutation to the Alexandrian grammarian and scholar Apion's writings, which levied many charges and falsehoods against the Jewish people and their traditions. Readers are compelled to continue reading to find out what happens next since the title character is so indulgent. Being a Jew, Josephus takes on the duty of defending Judaism and its antiquity against Apion's malicious charges. He challenges Apion's charges with carefully documented data and reasoned arguments that verify the legitimacy and venerable heritage of Jewish religion and culture. One of the key themes of "Against Apion" is the refutation of the idea that Jews were a recent and inferior the group when compared to other ancient countries. Josephus emphasizes the ancient origins of Jewish practices, laws, and traditions, dating them back to the dawn of time. Furthermore, Josephus argues for Jewish culture's moral and intellectual superiority, rejecting Apion's claims of Jewish brutality and ignorance.
Flavius Josephus was a Roman-Jewish historian and military officer who lived from around AD 37 to around 100. He was born in Jerusalem, then part of the Roman province of Judea, to a priestly father and a royal mother. He is best known for his novel The Jewish War. He initially fought against the Roman Empire as the general of the Jewish armies in Galilee during the First Jewish-Roman War, until surrendering in 67 AD to the Roman army led by military commander Vespasian following a six-week siege of Yodfat. According to Josephus, the Jewish messianic prophecies that sparked the First Jewish-Roman War mentioned Vespasian becoming Roman emperor. As a result, Vespasian opted to keep Josephus as a slave and interpreter. When Vespasian became Emperor in AD 69, he awarded Josephus his freedom, and he took the Emperor's surname of Flavius. Flavius Josephus surrendered completely to the Romans and was granted Roman citizenship. When Titus led the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, he became an advisor and companion of Vespasian's son Titus, working as his translator. After the siege failed to quell the Jewish insurrection, the city was pillaged, and Herod's Temple (the Second Temple) was looted and destroyed.
