Jews and Christians in Antioch in the First Four Centuries of the Common Era (Sources for Biblical study)

137 Pages·1978·1.86 MB·English

by  Wayne A. Meeks

JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH IN THE
FIRST FOUR CENTURIES OF THE COMMON ERA
SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE
SOURCES FOR BIBLICAL STUDY
edited by
Wayne A. Meeks
Number 13
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH IN THE
FIRST FOUR CENTURIES OF THE COMMON ERA
by
Wayne A. Meeks and Robert L. Wilken
SCHOLARS PRESS
Missoula, Montana
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH IN THE
FIRST FOUR CENTURIES OF THE COMMON ERA
by
Wayne A. Meeks and Robert L. Wilken
Published by
SCHOLARS PRESS
for
The Society of Biblical Literature
Distributed by
SCHOLARS PRESS
P.O. Box 5207
Missoula, Montana 59806
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH IN THE
FIRST FOUR CENTURIES OF THE COMMON ERA
by
Wayne A. Meeks
Yale University
and
Robert L. Wilken
University of Notre Dame
Copyright © 1978
by
The Society of Biblical Literature
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Meeks, Wayne A
Jews and Christians in Antioch in the first
four centuries of the common era.
(Sources for Biblical study ; no. 13 ISSN 0145-2762)
Includes translation of 8 letters of Libanius
concerning the Jews, Libanius' oration on systems
of patronage, and 2 of John Chrysostom's Homilia adversus Judaeos.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Jews in Antioch—History. 2. Christians in
Antioch—History. 3. Judaism—C—Controversial
literature. 4. Antioch—History. I. Wilken,
Robert Louis, 1936- joint author. II. Libanius.
III. Chrysostomus, Joannes, Saint, Patriarch of
Constantinople, d. 407. Logoi kata ioudaion.
English. Selections. 1978. IV. Title.
V Series
DS135.S95M4 209\564 78-3760
ISBN 0-89130-229-8
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6
Edwards Brothers, Inc.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE vii
ABBREVIATIONS ix
CHAPTER I
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS IN ANTIOCH 1
The Jews of Antioch 2
The Political Situation . . .. 2
Internal Organization 6
Social Relations 10
Christians and Jews 13
Beginnings of Christianity in Antioch 13
Christians and Jews in the Second and Third
Centuries 19
The Fourth Century 25
CHAPTER II
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES 53
Apamea 53
Beth She'arim 55
Tiberias 56
Antioch 56
CHAPTER III
LETTERS OF LIBANIUS CONCERNING THE JEWS 59
Ep. 1251, [To Priscianus] . . . . 60
Ep. 914, To the Patriarch 60
Ep. 917, To the Patriarch 60
Ep. 973, To the Patriarch 61
Ep. 974, To the Same 61
Ep. 1084, To the Patriarch 61
Ep. 1097, To the Patriarchs 62
Ep. 1098, To the Same 62
Ep. 1105, To the Patriarch 63
CHAPTER IV
LIBANIUS' ORATION ON SYSTEMS OF PATRONAGE . . .. 67
CHAPTER V
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM'S HOMILIA ADVERSUS JUDAEOS . . .. 83
Homily 1 Against the Jews (PG 48.843-856) . . .. 85
Homily 8 Against the Jews (PG 48.927-942) . . .. 105
v

PREFACE
This volume emerged out of the Working Group on the Social
World of Early Christianity of the Society of Biblical Litera­
ture and the American Academy of Religion. Its chief purpose
is to provide resources for the study of early Christianity in
its setting within the urban culture of the Roman Empire. We
have also tried to show that, for the understanding of early
Christianity, it is necessary to study Judaism, not only as
it existed in the so-called "intertestamental period," i.e.,
as "background" to Christianity, but as a vital social and
religious force during the early centuries of the Common Era.
Its presence as an independent religion alongside Christianity
during this period helped to shape the context in which Chris­
tianity developed. This book also reflects the convergence of
two disciplines. New Testament studies and early church history
or patristics. Early Christianity has a continuous history
throughout this period, and we believe there is no reason ar­
bitrarily to set off the first century from the history that
follows.
We are grateful for the comments and criticisms of our
colleagues in the Working Group. We wish also to thank Abraham
Malherbe of Yale University for his assistance on points of
translation and C. Thomas McCollough, graduate assistant at
Notre Dame, for help in preparing the manuscript. The major
part of Meeks's research for this project was made possible by
a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and
a special leave of absence from Yale University, for both of
which he expresses gratitude here. Part of Wilken's research
was made possible by a grant from the Association of Theologi­
cal Schools for which he expresses gratitude. He also wishes
to thank members of the library staff and faculty of Spertus
College of Judaica in Chicago for assistance. We are grateful,
too, for the invitation of the Research and Publication Com­
mittee of the Society of Biblical Literature to publish this
book in the Sources for Biblical Study series.
The division of work was as follows: Meeks translated the
oration and letters of Libanius, Wilken translated the homilies
vii
of John Chrysostom and the inscriptions. The introductory
essay was written jointly.
New Haven and Notre Dame W. A. M.
11 January 1978 R. L. W.
viii
ABBREVIATIONS
Ag. Ap. Against Apion
Ant. Antiquities of the Jews
ATR Anglican Theological Review
b. The Babylonian Talmud
CIJ Corpus inscriptionum judaicarum
Deut. Rab. Deuteronomy Rabbah
Gen. Rab. Genesis Rabbah
Geog. Geographia
HE Historia eoolesiastioa
HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament
HTR Harvard Theological Review
Horn. ad. Jud. Homilia adversus Judaeos
JAC Jahrbuch fur Antike und Christentum
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JR Journal of Religion
JRomSt Journal of Roman Studies
J. W. The Jewish War
KEK Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar iiber das NT
LCL Loeb Classical Library
Lev. Rab. Leviticus Rabbah
p. The Palestinian Talmud (Yerushalmi)
PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly
PG Patrologia graeca
PL Patrologia latina
RSR Religious Studies Review
SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation
Series
SJLA Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity
SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph
Series
SPB Studia postbiblica
ST Studia theologica
t. Tosefta
TAPA Transactions of the American Philological
Association
TU Texte und Untersuchungen
ix
For names of biblical books, the usual abbreviations are used;
for tractates of the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Talmuds, those of
H. Danby, The Mishnah} for Philo, those of the Loeb edition.
x