R.M. Pollard — English DEH
Richard Matthew Pollard’s English translation of De excidio Hierosolymitano covers the Prologue and all five books. The current reader edition is Pollard v1.2 (2026).
Latin source and correspondence
The translation was prepared from the project’s Latin DEH based on Ussani. Its 558 citation units follow the Latin book, chapter and paragraph references, including the three Prologue paragraphs.
Read Pollard’s English translation.
How the translation was made
The English translation was drafted by AI directly from the Latin, under the supervision and editorial direction of Richard Matthew Pollard. It underwent successive rounds of philological review, correction and revision of the English prose. Pollard adjudicated interpretative questions and approved revisions to the text.
Comparison with Millet and version 1.1
Version 1.0 was systematically compared with Jean Millet’s French translation of 1556, with differences assessed against the Latin.
In 292 instances, spread across 204 passages, Millet’s interpretation was judged less persuasive against the Latin. Other findings concerned legitimate interpretative differences, possible differences in the underlying Latin text, or source and alignment uncertainties. In only 16 places did Millet’s rendering prompt us to reconsider the English translation (differences that were “category B”).
Following Pollard’s editorial review, eight of these 16 cases led to corrections. These revisions, prompted by the comparison with Millet, were incorporated into version 1.1, approved on 25 October 2026:
- I.32.6: paying twice over for sins, rather than paying for twofold sins.
- I.42.2: Herodias and Mariamne are Aristobulus’s two daughters.
- I.44.1: Antipater uses pretended hopes in the young men to conceal his faction’s activity.
- I.44.3: the advisers recommend what they want, rather than what Herod needs.
- II.10.5: the eighth day follows seven days of fighting; it is not the eighth day of a festival.
- IV.26.1: the discredit would fall on Vespasian’s comrades if another army chose him first.
- V.15.1: “the mainland” clarifies the geographical sense of “the land”.
- V.18.2: bodies still vigorous, rather than bodies turning green.
The other eight category-B cases received translation-comparison notes, recording alternative interpretations or ambiguities while retaining the English wording. These notes accompany the relevant passages in the reader.
Comparison with Lauro and version 1.2
Version 1.1 was systematically compared with Lauro’s Italian translation of 1544, with differences assessed against the Latin.
In 308 instances, spread across 212 passages, Lauro’s rendering was judged less persuasive or freer. This category includes amplification and compression as well as less persuasive interpretations. Other findings concerned legitimate interpretative differences, possible differences in the underlying Latin text, or source and alignment uncertainties. In only 6 places did Lauro’s rendering prompt us to reconsider the English translation (differences that were “category B”).
Following Pollard’s editorial review, three of these six cases were selected for revision. These revisions are incorporated in version 1.2:
- I.25.1: Antigonus seeks to arouse hostility rather than express grief; the emphasis falls on the rhetorical purpose of his accusations rather than personal envy.
- III.13.1: the Galileans are in greater danger from their own people than from their enemies, rather than being more hostile to their own people.
- III.19.1: decimum … et quintum ordinem is understood as the fifteenth legion, rather than separate tenth and fifth legions.
The first two revisions adopt Lauro’s interpretation. The third arose from reconsideration of the Latin: Lauro himself presents separate tenth and fifth formations. The “fifteenth legion” is therefore an interpretative decision prompted by the comparison, rather than an adoption of Lauro or a historical correction.
The other three category-B cases retain the previous English wording, with translation-comparison notes included at the relevant passages in version 1.2:
- I.37.3: retain “a woman attached to Antony,” while recording the possible interpretation “a married woman.” Lauro’s paraphrase does not clearly resolve the distinction.
- II.12.2: retain the statement that true salvation does not lie in prosperity, while noting the possible interpretation “in second place.” Lauro’s worldly paraphrase supports the retained reading.
- V.20.2: provisionally retain the four-person enumeration, rather than construing Adiabenus as “of Adiabene,” qualifying Magassarus. Lauro also presents four people; the difficulty concerning Adiabenus remains unresolved.
Citation
De excidio Hierosolymitano, book, chapter and paragraph, trans. R.M. Pollard, 2026, version 1.2, Latin Josephus Project. Include the passage link and date of access.
The French translation by Millet and the Italian translation by Lauro have separate discussion pages.
Institutional affiliation and research support
This project draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Ce projet s’appuie sur des recherches financées par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada.
Site development by
