Table Of Content

Arnaldo Momi^iano On Pagaps, Jews, and Christians Also by Arnaldo Momigliano La composizione della storia di Tucidide (1929) Prime linee di storia della tradizione maccabaica (1931) L'opera dell'imperatore Claudio (1932) Filippo il Macedone (1934) Contributo alia storia degli studi classici e del mondo antico (1955-1987) Secondo contributo alia storia degli studi classici (i960) The Conflict Between Paganism and Christianity in the Fourth Century (ed.) (1963) Terzo contributo alia storia degli studi classici (1966) Studies in Historiography (1966) Quarto contributo alia storia degli studi classici (1969) The Development of Greek Biography (1971) Quinto contributo alia storia degli studi classici (i975. Alien Wisdom (1975) Essays in Ancient and Modern Historiography (1977) Sesto contributo alia storia degli studi classici (1980) Storiografia Greca (1982) New Paths of Classicism in the Nineteenth Century (1982) Problemes d'historiographie ancienne et moderne (1983) Sui fondamenti della storia antica (1984) Settimo contributo alia storia degli studi classici (1984) Arnaldo Momigliano On Pagans, Jews, and Christians WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS Middletown, Connecticut Copyright © 1987 by Arnaldo Momigliano Chapters 2 and 11, Copyright © 1986 by Macmillan Publishing Company, a division of Macmillan, Inc. Chapters 4 and 9, Copyright © 1984 by The University of Chicago Chapter 5 appeared originally in Approaches to Ancient /udaism Vol V {Atlanta: Scholars Press for Brown Judaic Studies, 1985), Copyright © 1985 by Brown University Published by Wesleyan University Press Middletown, ct 06459 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Momigliano, Arnaldo. On Pagans, Jews, and Christians. Bibliography: p. Includes index. i. Rome—Religion, Judaism. 3. Historiography. i. Title. bl8io.m66 1987 291'.0937 87-24264 ISBN 0-8195-5 173-i ISBN 0-8195-6218-1 {pbk.) For Professor Karl Christ CONTENTS [Chapter bibliographies appear on pages 29, 52, 199, 221, 284, 313) Preface ix List of Abbreviations xi I. Biblical Studies and Classical Studies: Simple Reflections upon Historical Method 3 Historiography of Religion: Western Views 11 3. The Origins of Universal History 31 4. The Theological Efforts of the Roman Upper Classes in the First Century b.c. 58 5. Religion in Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem in the First Century b.c. 74 6. How Roman Emperors Became Gods 92 7. What Josephus Did Not See 108 8. Some Preliminary Remarks on the "Religious Opposition" to the Roman Empire 120 9. The Disadvantages of Monotheism for a Universal State 142 10. Ancient Biography and the Study of Religion in the Roman Empire 159 11. Roman Religion: The Imperial Period 178 12. The New Letter by "Anna" to "Seneca" 202 13. The Life of St. Macrina by Gregory of Nyssa 206 viii Contents 14. A Medieval Jewish Autobiography 222 A Note on Max Weber's Definition of Judaism as a IS Pariah-Religion 231 16. The Jews of Italy 238 17. Gershom Scholem's Autobiography 2.54 18. How to Reconcile Greeks and Trojans 264 Georges Dumezil and the Trifunctional Approach to IS»- Roman Civilization 289 Notes 315 Index 3*5 PREFACE I hope that these papers speak for themselves. They are a selection from the more recent volumes of my Contributo alia storia degli studi classici e del mondo antica (Rome, Edizioni di Storia e Let- teratura, 1955 — 1987) and form a continuation of the Essays in Ancient and Modern Historiography published by Wesleyan Uni versity Press in 1977. The title, On Pagans, Jews, and Christians, defines the present choice more precisely and perhaps indicates what has been my main interest in historical research. The treble tradition—Jewish, Classical, and Christian—that I have inherited as a Jew and as an Italian invited exploration and clarification, but did not carry inside it the seeds of any dramatic conflict. The spirit of the Risorgimento is still active in Italy. The conflicts in which I have been involved during my life—and the resulting cruelties—have other origins. A.M. December 1986 University of Chicago Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa