Josephus in Renaissance Italy

The close bond between Flavius Josephus and the Bible is confirmed by the reception of Josephus during the Italian Renaissance, as can be seen from an analysis of the context of the translations into the vernacular, in particular, those of Judean Antiquities, from the second half of the fifteenth to the end of the sixteenth century. The best manuscripts of Josephus's Judean Antiquities and Judean War in Italian were commissioned by the House of Este and promoted by Duke Hercules. Additional translations of Josephus's Judean Antiquities into the vernacular were promoted, even though Pietro Lauro's version was still successful and continuously reprinted, most likely because the Venetian printer Gabriele Giolito aimed at including a translation of better quality in his prestigious historical series.