The most complete edition of Basnages unprecedented, comprehensive synthesis of Jewish history and experience from the first century AD to his own times, unquestionably representing an historic milestone.Jacques Christian Basnage de Beauval (1653-1723) was a Protestant divine and historian. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes he accepted a call as pastor to Rotterdam (1686) and later to The Hague (1691). He wrote several books, the most famous being L'histoire et la réligion des Juifs depuis Jésus Christ jusqu'á present (6 vols., 1706-1711) which was praised by Voltaire. The book was intended to supplement and continue the famous history of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian and soldier who was made commander of Galilee during the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66-70 AD. After the war, Josephus spent the last three decades of his life living in a villa outside of Rome writing his histories under imperial patronage.The book enjoyed great popularity and as the first comprehensive and erudite history of the Jews in the Christian era, formed the basis for later Jewish histories. Basnage was inspired by the 17th-century Amsterdam Jewish scholar Menasseh ben Israel who had allegedly planned a similar work. Among Basnages sources were the works of Buxtorf and Arias Montano and other Christian scholars; for Jewish history and religion he used Maimonides, Aben Ezra and Mischna.
Bindings a little dust-soiled, corners a little bumped, foot of the spine of the second volume damaged, some quires a little browned, but a complete set and overall in good condition. Encycl. Judaica, IV, 309-310; NNBW, II, 95-98; Klaversma & Hannema 132; STCN 175921830.