Which ancient Jewish historian described Passover crowds in Jerusalem? Josephus did. In *The Jewish War* and *Antiquities of the Jews*, Flavius Josephus recorded the enormous pilgrim crowds, Temple sacrifices, and political tensions surrounding Passover in Jerusalem.
Josephus was born Joseph ben Matthias around 37 CE and later became a Roman citizen and court historian. His accounts are among the most important surviving non-rabbinic descriptions of Second Temple Judaism. He wrote that pilgrims came not only from the surrounding countryside but also from regions beyond Judea to worship and offer sacrifices.
A common mix-up is confusing Josephus with Philo of Alexandria. Philo was also a first-century Jewish writer, but he lived mainly in Alexandria and is better known for philosophical and biblical works. Josephus, by contrast, directly described events in Judea, including the Temple and Jerusalem’s festival crowds. His numerical estimates can be debated, but his identification as the historian who described these gatherings is clear.