Flavius Josephus is both a blessing and a curse to Roman and Biblical scholars. A blessing because his is practically the only account of the history of Judea during the period of Roman colonization and a curse for the same reason. There is no other author to compare him with. Mason, both the editor of the Josephus project and professor of Greco-Roman cultural interaction at York University in Toronto, has done the academic world a great service with this translation and commentary of Josephus crucial book two, which covers the time of Herod. Aware of the vagaries of a document written in Greek by a non-native Greek speaker, Mason has notated nearly every phrase of Josephus' work, offering explanations for his choice of translation along with historical and literary background. He gives a long excursus on Josephus' creation of a speech for Agrippa along with an explanation of the use of oratory in historical works. The range of information given leaves the reader awestruck. This will be a standard reference for many years to come. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)