To understand Jewish culture, the Jewish religion is to also understand Christianity?
Nature teaches all arts
Ancient Roman historians are fascinating because they are really good at delving into random details which are actually super interesting?
 While the East was under the dominion of the Assyrians, Medes, and Persians, the Jews were regarded as the meanest of their subjects: but after the Macedonians gained supremacy,25 King Antiochus endeavoured to abolish Jewish superstition and to introduce Greek civiliza- tion; the war with the Parthians, however, prevented his improving this basest of peoples; for it was exactly at that time that Arsaces had revolted.
Greek versus Jewish.
 they fostered the national superstition, for they had assumed the priesthood to support their civil authority.
National superstition
 The first Roman to subdue the Jews and set foot in their temple by right of conquest was Gnaeus Pompey
Roman knights
 The Romans now turned to preparations for an assault; for the soldiers thought it beneath their dignity to wait for the enemy to be starved out, and so they began to clamour for danger, part being prompted by bravery, but many were moved by their savage natures and their desire for booty.
The founders of the city had foreseen that there would be many wars because the ways of their people differed so from those of the neighbours: therefore they had built at every point as if they expected a long siege;
The population at this time had been increased by streams of rabble that flowed in from the other captured cities,41 for the most desperate rebels had taken refuge here, and consequently sedition was the more rife.
There were three generals, three armies: the outermost and largest circuit of the walls was held by Simon, the middle of the city by John, and the temple was guarded by Eleazar.4
the Roman soldier is heavily weighted with arms and afraid of swim- ming, but the Germans are accustomed to streams, are lightly armed, and their great stature keeps their heads above water.
Part 2
Judea should possess the world
Nature teaches all arts
Ancient Roman historians are fascinating because they are really good at delving into random details which are actually super interesting?
 While the East was under the dominion of the Assyrians, Medes, and Persians, the Jews were regarded as the meanest of their subjects: but after the Macedonians gained supremacy,25 King Antiochus endeavoured to abolish Jewish superstition and to introduce Greek civiliza- tion; the war with the Parthians, however, prevented his improving this basest of peoples; for it was exactly at that time that Arsaces had revolted.
Greek versus Jewish.
 they fostered the national superstition, for they had assumed the priesthood to support their civil authority.
National superstition
 The first Roman to subdue the Jews and set foot in their temple by right of conquest was Gnaeus Pompey
Roman knights
 The Romans now turned to preparations for an assault; for the soldiers thought it beneath their dignity to wait for the enemy to be starved out, and so they began to clamour for danger, part being prompted by bravery, but many were moved by their savage natures and their desire for booty.
The founders of the city had foreseen that there would be many wars because the ways of their people differed so from those of the neighbours: therefore they had built at every point as if they expected a long siege;
The population at this time had been increased by streams of rabble that flowed in from the other captured cities,41 for the most desperate rebels had taken refuge here, and consequently sedition was the more rife.
There were three generals, three armies: the outermost and largest circuit of the walls was held by Simon, the middle of the city by John, and the temple was guarded by Eleazar.4
They bury the body rather than burn it, thus following the Egyptians’ custom;
The Roman custom was to burn the body, not to bury it?
The Egyptians buried bodies, instead of burning bodies which is actually more natural?
ancient Romans were anti-Egyptian 
Jewish people reappropriated a lot of old Egyptian ideas?
 The Egyptians worship many animals and monstrous images; the Jews conceive of one god only, and that with the mind alone: they regard as impious those who make from perishable materials representations of gods in man’s image; that supreme and eternal being is to them incapable of representation and without end.
Liber established festive rites of a joyous nature, while the ways of the Jews are preposterous and mean.
Jewish culture has seen as preposterous mean and morose?
 The inhabitants are healthy and hardy. Rains are rare; the soil is fertile;
Tacitus, the ancient Roman historians actually seem pretty objective?
For example, Tacitus when talking about the Jewish people, he says both the good and the bed. Without any sort of “political correctness”.
Scorn of death?
they believe that the souls of those who are killed in battle or by the executioner are immortal: hence comes their passion for begetting children, and their scorn of death.
However, they take thought to increase their numbers; for they regard it as a crime to kill any late-born child,
They adopted circumcision to distinguish themselves from other peoples by this difference.
7 lucky number?
of the seven planets that rule the fortunes of mankind, Saturn moves in the highest orbit and has the greatest potency; and that many of the heavenly bodies traverse their paths and courses in multiples of seven
They abstain from pork, in recollection of a plague, for the scab to which this animal is subject once afflicted them.
- Jewish custom as Egyptian?
- Judea
- he often mingled with the common soldiers both at work or on the march without impairing his position as general.
- strong contingent of Arabs, who hated the Jews with all that hatred that is common among neighbours;
- Jerusalem
- famous city last days
It is said that the Jews were originally exiles from the island of Crete who settled in the farthest parts of Libya at the time when Saturn had been deposed and expelled by Jove
Jews from island of Crete … exiles … Libya?
An argument in favour of this is derived from the name: there is a famous mountain in Crete called Ida, and hence the inhabitants were called the Idaei, which was later lengthened into the barbarous form Iudaei.
- Ida, “Idaei”– Iudaei (sounds like Judea?)
Egyptian?
The hebrews
Moses: exile
one only of the exiles, Moses by name, warned them not to hope for help from gods or men, for they were deserted by both, but to trust to themselves, regarding as a guide sent from heaven the one whose assistance should first give them escape from their present distress.
Moses
To establish his influence over this people for all time, Moses introduced new religious practices
New religious practices
The Jews regard as profane all that we hold sacred; on the other hand, they permit all that we abhor.
They dedicated, in a shrine, a statue of that creature whose guidance enabled them to put an end to their wandering and thirst,9 sacrificing a ram, apparently in derision of Ammon.10 They likewise offer the ox, because the Egyptians worship Apis.