Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World: Attitudes and Interactions from Alexander to Justinian

690 Pages·1993·4.29 MB·English

by  Louis H. Feldman

Jew and Gentile
in the Ancient World
Jew and Gentile
in the Ancient World
ATTITUDES AND INTERACTIONS
FROM ALEXANDER TO JUSTINIAN
Louis H. Feldman
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
http://avaxhome.ws/blogs/ChrisRedfield
Copyright(cid:211) 1993byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
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IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,
Chichester,WestSussex
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Feldman,LouisH.
JewandGentileintheancientworld:attitudesandinteractions
fromAlexandertoJustinian/LouisH.Feldman.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindexes.
ISBN0-691-07416-X
1. Judaism—Relations. 2. Jews—Publicopinion—History.
3. Jews—History—586B.C.–70A.D. 4. Jews—History—70–638.
5. Antisemitism—History. 6. Judaism—Controversialliterature—
Historyandcriticism. 7. Proselytesandproselyting,Jewish—
History. 8. Philosemitism—History. I. Title.
BM534.F45 1992
296.3¢872¢09015—dc20 92-11952
Publicationofthisbookhasbeenaidedbyagrantfromthe
LuciusN.LittauerFoundation,Inc.
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinAdobeJanson
PrincetonUniversityPressbooksareprintedon
acid-freepaper,andmeettheguidelines
forpermanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeon
ProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevityof
theCouncilonLibraryResources
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
To the Memory
of my mother,
of blessed memory,
whose lullaby
still rings
in my ears:
“Vos iz di beste schorah?
Das kind vet lernen
Torah.”

CONTENTS
Preface xi
CHAPTER1:ContactsbetweenJewsandNon-JewsintheLand
ofIsrael 3
1.ContactsPriortoAlexandertheGreat 3
2.LiteraryContactsbetweentheTimeofAlexanderandthe
MaccabeanRevolt 6
3.Military,Political,andEconomicContactsbetweenGreeksand
JewsfromtheTimeofAlexandertotheMaccabeanRevolt 11
4.LinguisticContactsbetweenGreeksandJewsbeforetheMaccabean
Revolt 14
5.InfluenceofGreekIdeasbeforetheMaccabees 16
6.PoliticalContactsbetweenGreeksandJewsduringtheHasmoneanand
RomanPeriods 18
7.CulturalContactsbetweenGreeksandJewsduringtheHasmoneanand
RomanPeriods:TheAllegedInfluenceoftheGreekLanguage 19
8.HellenizationinLowervs.UpperGalileeduringtheHasmoneanand
RomanPeriods 24
9.CulturalContactsbetweenGreeksandJewsduringtheHasmoneanand
RomanPeriods:EducationandLiterature 25
10.AllegedGreekInfluenceontheTalmudicRabbisintheFirstFive
CenturiesC.E. 31
11.GreekInfluenceonJewishArt 39
12.Summary 42
CHAPTER2:TheStrengthofJudaismintheDiaspora 45
1.PaganViewsonJewishUnityandDiversity 45
2.AssimilationoftheJewstoGreekLanguageandThought 51
3.SecularEducationofJewsintheDiaspora 57
4.JewsandAthletics 59
5.JewsandtheTheater 61
6.TheOrganizationoftheJewishCommunity 63
7.SyncretismamongtheJews 65
8.TheStrengthofJudaisminAsiaMinor 69
9.ExcessesinInterpretationoftheLaw:LiteralistsandAllegorists 74
10.DeviationsfromJewishLaw 76
11.Intermarriage 77
12.Apostasy 79
viii TABLEOFCONTENTS
CHAPTER3:OfficialAnti-JewishBigotry:TheResponsesof
GovernmentstotheJews 84
1.Anti-JewishBigotrybeforetheEraofAlexandertheGreat 84
2.JewsunderEgyptianPtolemiesandSyrianSeleucids 86
3.TheAttitudesoftheRomanGovernmenttowardtheJews 92
4.TheReactionsoftheJewstotheRomanGovernment 102
CHAPTER4:PopularPrejudiceagainstJews 107
1.TheEconomicFactor 107
2.TheAttackontheJewsinAlexandriaintheYear38 113
3.AttacksontheJewsintheYear66 117
4.TheAftermathoftheWarof66–74 120
CHAPTER5:PrejudiceagainstJewsamongAncientIntellectuals 123
1.HowMuchAnti-JewishPrejudiceWasThereamongAncient
Intellectuals? 123
2.TheAllegedJewishMisanthropy 125
3.AnswerstoChargesofMisanthropyinGraeco-JewishWritersbefore
Josephus 131
4.AnswerstoChargesofMisanthropyinJosephus’sAntiquities 133
5.AnswerstoChargesofMisanthropyinJosephus’sAgainstApion 142
6.AttacksonJewishTheology 149
7.TheAttackonJewishCircumcision 153
8.TheAttackontheJewishObservanceoftheSabbath 158
9.TheAttackontheJewishDietaryLaws 167
10.ContemptfortheJews’Credulity 170
11.ContemptfortheJewsasBeggars 171
12.AllegedJewishInfluence 172
CHAPTER6:TheAttractionsoftheJews:TheirAntiquity 177
1.TheImportanceofAntiquity 177
2.WritersMentionedbyJosephus 178
3.OtherClassicalReferencestotheAntiquityoftheJews 182
4.Tacitus’sAccountoftheOriginoftheBritonsandtheGermansas
ComparedwiththeOriginoftheJews 183
5.Tacitus’sTheoriesoftheOriginoftheJews 184
6.TheImportanceforChristianityoftheAncientJewishConnection 196
7.TheImportanceoftheAntiquityoftheJewsasSeenbyOrigen 198
CHAPTER7:TheAttractionsoftheJews:TheCardinalVirtues 201
1.EarlyGreekWritersontheWisdomoftheJews 201
2.LaterGreekandRomanWritersontheWisdomoftheJews 204
3.AllegedGraeco-JewishHistoriansbeforeJosephusontheWisdomof
theJews 207
TABLEOFCONTENTS ix
4.PhiloontheWisdomoftheJews 209
5.JosephusontheWisdomoftheJews 210
6.Second-,Third-,andFourth-CenturyWritersontheWisdomof
theJews 214
7.PraisebyPagansoftheCourageoftheJews 220
8.JosephusontheCourageofJewishHeroes 222
9.PraisebyPagansoftheTemperanceoftheJews 223
10.JosephusontheTemperanceofJewishHeroes 225
11.PraisebyNon-JewsoftheJusticeoftheJews 226
12.JosephusontheJusticeofJewishHeroes 227
13.PraisebyPagansofthePietyoftheJews 230
14.JosephusonthePietyofJewishHeroes 231
CHAPTER8:TheAttractionsoftheJews:TheIdealLeader,Moses 233
1.ThePortrayalofMosesbyPaganWriters 233
2.TheVirtuesofMosesaccordingtoGraeco-JewishHistorians 242
3.TheVirtuesofMosesaccordingtoJosephus 243
4.MosestheMagician 285
CHAPTER9:TheSuccessofProselytismbyJewsintheHellenistic
andEarlyRomanPeriods 288
1.TheIdeaofConversion 288
2.TheCaseforNon-MissionaryActivity 290
3.TheDemographicEvidenceforMissionaryActivity 293
4.TheLiteraryEvidenceforMissionaryActivity 293
5.EvidencefromResentmentagainstProselytism 298
6.ExpulsionsofJewsasEvidenceofMissionaryActivity 300
7.TheMeansofConversion 305
8.ConvertsintheLandofIsraelandintheVariousLandsoftheDiaspora 324
9.MotivesofJewsinSeekingConverts 332
10.ReasonsfortheSuccessoftheProselytingMovementintheHellenisticand
EarlyRomanPeriods 334
11.MotivesofProselytesintheHellenisticandEarlyRomanPeriods 335
12.TheStatusofProselytesandtheAttitudeofBornJewstowardThem
intheHellenisticandEarlyRomanPeriods 338
CHAPTER10:TheSuccessofJewsinWinning “Sympathizers” 342
1.TheProblem 342
2.CircumstantialEvidence 343
3.PaganReferences 344
4.JewishReferences 348
5.ChristianReferences 356
6.EpigraphicalandPapyrologicalEvidence 358
7.Aphrodisias:TheDramaticNewInscriptionsandTheirImplications 362
8.FactorsThatAttractedNon-JewstoJudaismintheThirdCentury 369
x TABLEOFCONTENTS
CHAPTER11:ProselytismbyJewsintheThird, Fourth,and
FifthCenturies 383
1.Issues 383
2.TheSources:RomanImperialLegislation 385
3.TheSources:ChurchCanons 397
4.TheSources:ChurchFathersbeforeJohnChrysostom 400
5.TheSources:JohnChrysostomandSubsequentChurchFathers 405
6.TheSources:RabbinicLiterature 408
7.TheSources:InscriptionsandPapyri 411
8.ReasonsforJewishSuccessinWinningConverts 412
9.TheDeclineoftheOutreachMovementandItsRenewal 413
10.Summary 413
CHAPTER12:Conclusion 416
Abbreviations 447
Notes 461
Bibliography 587
Indexes 621
PassagesfromAncientWriters 623
1. JewishScriptures 623
2. Apocrypha,Pseudepigrapha,andDeadSeaScrolls 624
3. NewTestament 625
4. HellenisticJewishLiterature:Josephus,Philo,Other(Alleged)
625
Graeco-JewishWriters
5. RabbinicandAlliedLiterature 631
6. ChristianWritings(Greek,Latin,Syriac,andArabic)and
634
CanonsofChurchCouncils
7. InscriptionsandPapyri 636
8. ClassicalGreekAuthors 636
9. ClassicalLatinAuthors 643
NamesandSubjects 646
GeographicalPlace-Names 662
Greek,Latin,andHebrewandAramaicWords 664
ModernScholars 672
PREFACE
THIS BOOK began withaquestion: Howcanweexplainwhythe Jewsin
antiquity—so bitterly hated, as so many scholars have insisted—suc-
ceeded in winning so many adherents, whether as “sympathizers” who
observedoneormoreJewishpracticesorasfull-fledgedproselytes?
Ofcourse,wemightconcludethattheywerenotsobitterlyhatedafter
all,thoughthatseemstocontradictdeep-seatedassumptionsandstereo-
types.Some yearsago, whenIwroteanarticleentitled“Philo-Semitism
among Ancient Intellectuals,” a colleague of mine at Yeshiva University
indignantly objected to the very idea that non-Jews ever failed to hate
Jews.Hehadquiteclearlyadoptedthe“lachrymose”conceptionofJew-
ishhistoryasanarrationofuninterruptedsuffering;thushefeltuncom-
fortablewiththenotionthatJewsweresometimesstrong,self-confident,
andinfluential,winning manytotheircause.
Alternatively,wemightdenythattheyhadreallybeensosuccessfulin
winningadherents,orinanycaseadopta“showme”attitude,askingfor
hard evidence for large-scaleproselytizing by Jews.Howcould theJews
have converted so many when we do not have a single missionary tract
and when theonlymissionaries thatweknowof bynamearethose such
asPaul,Peter,andBarnabas,whopreachedtheGospel?Indeed,itwould
seem that the proper question is, How, in view of the tremendous
strength and attractiveness of Hellenism and of the various pagan cults,
the Jews managed to avoid assimilation both in the Land of Israel and
especiallyintheDiaspora.
The missing link that precipitated this book was the publication in
1987 of the Aphrodisias inscriptions from Asia Minor. These seemed to
establishonceandforalltheexistenceofalargeclassof“G-d-fearers”or
“sympathizers,” people who adopted certain practices of Judaism with-
out actually converting. I had always assumed that Judaism’s “outreach”
to Gentiles had ended for all practical purposes with the Bar Kochba
rebellion (132–135 C.E.), one result of which was to make proselytism a
capitalcrime.Andyet,inthethirdcentury,inanareawhereChristianity
wassupposedlymakingtremendousinroads,Judaismseemedtobecoun-
terattacking,asitwere,withgreatsuccess.Thisledmetore-examinethe
whole picture of therelationship betweenJewandGentileintheHelle-
nisticandRomanworld.
Portionsofthisworkhaveappearedinpreliminaryforminthefollow-
ing publications: Chapter 1: “Hengel’s Judaism and Hellenism in Retro-