Power and Politics in Palestine: The Jews and the Governing of Their Land, 100 BC-AD 70

249 Pages·12.609 MB·English

by  James S. McLaren

l i b r a ry o f n e w t e s ta m e n t s t u d i e s
POWER AND
POLITICS IN
PALESTINE
The Jews and the Governing of
their Land 100 BC–AD 70
JAMES S. McLAREN
JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
63
Executive Editor
David Hill
JSOT Press
Sheffield

POWER
AND POLITICS
IN PALESTINE
The Jews and the
Governing of their Land
100 BC-AD 70
James S. McLaren
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 63
For
Mary-Rose
Copyright © 1991 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by JSOT Press
JSOT Press is an imprint of
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
The University of Sheffield
343 Fulwood Road
Sheffield S10 3BP
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
McLaren, James S.
Power & politics in Palestine: the Jews
and the governing of their Land, 100BC-AD70.-
(JSNT supplements, 0143-5108; 63).
I. Title II. Series
933.05
EISBN 9781850753193
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 7
Abbreviations 8
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION 9
1. Survey of Main Scholarship 10
2. Outline of the Approach Taken in this Study 28
3. Comments regarding the Sources Used 34
Chapter 2
HASMONAEAN RULE: 100 BC-40 BC 54
1. Trouble under Alexander Jannaeus 54
2. Affairs of State under Salome Alexandra 60
3. The Trial of Herod 67
Chapter 3
DIRECT ROMAN RULE: AD 6-41 80
1. Samaritan Intrusion into the Temple 80
2. Two Protests under Pilate's Prefectship 81
3. The Trial of Jesus 88
4. First Hearing against Peter and John 102
5. Second Hearing against Peter and John 105
6. The Trial of Stephen 109
7. The Statue of Gaius 114
Chapter 4
THE RETURN OF DIRECT ROMAN RULE: AD 44-65 127
1. Petition over the High Priests' Robes 127
2. Dispute between Galilaeans and Samaritans 131
3. The Trial of Paul 139
4. Petition regarding the Temple Wall 145
6 Power and Politics in Palenstine
5. The Trial of James and Several Other Men 148
6. The Influence of Ananias 155
Chapter 5
OPEN REBELLION AGAINST ROME: AD 66-70 158
1. Trouble between the Jews and Greeks in Caesarea 158
2. Floras in Jerusalem 160
3. Cessation of Sacrifices Offered for Foreigners 169
4. Events in Jerusalem during the Revolt 172
5. Revolt of Tiberias against Josephus 184
Chapter 6
SYNTHESIS 188
CONCLUSION 223
Bibliography 226
Index of References 235
Index of Authors 242
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are many people whose guidance, example and expertise have
been important in the writing of this book, the text of which was
originally submitted for a doctorate at the University of Oxford in
Hilary Term, 1990.1 had the privilege of working under the auspices
of Professor Ed Sanders and Dr Martin Goodman. Ed was instru-
mental in guiding my research, giving direction, criticism and encour-
agement when necessary. I benefitted greatly from his support,
generosity and enthusiasm for the subject. Martin was also generous in
offering focus and direction in the latter stages of my research. My
thanks are due also to Professor Fergus Millar and Dr Philip Davies,
who examined the thesis and offered encouragement and suggestions
regarding the work. I take this opportunity to mention also Mr Ron
Ridley who encouraged me to pursue my interest in this period of
history as an undergraduate and graduate at the University of
Melbourne. Dr Geoff Jenkins kindly undertook to read the first
section of the manuscript, for which I am grateful. Naturally, I take
full responsibility for any omissions or errors of judgment that may
remain in the work. During my time in Oxford I had the good fortune
to be a member of Pembroke College. I am grateful for the friends I
made there, for the pleasant setting it provided, and for the financial
assistance the College offered. I also wish to thank the staff at
Sheffield Academic Press, and especially Andrew Kirk, for the
assistance they have provided in the publication of the book. Their
speed and efficiency have been greatly appreciated.
I am especially aware of the numerous occasions when my family,
in particular my mother, have provided support and encouragement;
to them my thanks. Finally, and undoubtedly, the person to whom I
am most grateful is my wife. Few words could express how much I
have depended on her love and support—to her I dedicate this book
with my deepest gratitude.
ABBREVIATIONS
AB Anchor Bible
Ant. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
Apion Josephus, Against Apion
b. Babylonian Talmud
BARev Biblical Archaeology Review
Bib Biblica
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CCER Cahiers du Cercle Ernest Renan
CQ Classical Quarterly
CRIANT Compendium Rerum Iudicarum ad Novum Testamentum
HTR Harvard Theological Review
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
IBS Irish Biblical Studies
IEJ Israel Exploration Journal
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JES Journal of Ecumenical Studies
JJS Journal of Jewish Studies
JQR Jewish Quarterly Review
JR Journal of Religion
JRA Journal of Roman Archaeology
JRS Journal of Roman Studies
JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism
JSS Journal of Semitic Studies
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
Leg. Gai. Philo, Legatio ad Gaium
Life Josephus, Life of Josephus
m. Mishnah
NovT Novum Testamentum
NTS New Testament Studies
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
SBT Society of Biblical Theology
War Josephus, The Jewish War
ZNW Zeitschriftfiir die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft unddie
Kunde des Urchristentums
Certain specific terms in the text that have been translated are accompanied by the
original Greek the first time they appear in each section.
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
There has been a long-standing scholarly interest in the political and
social organization of Palestine in the first centuries BC and AD. In
Jewish circles this examination has focused on the underlying reasons
for the AD 66-70 revolt. From the Christian perspective, interest has
centred on the question of who was responsible for the death of Jesus.
The few classical scholars who discuss the events in Palestine do so
because the extant narratives provide one of the most detailed accounts
of a Roman province in the first century AD. These, and other under-
lying concerns, have resulted in a large amount of general discussion
of the administration with some detailed investigation of a few specific
issues.
In this study the emphasis does not fall exclusively on any one of the
three branches of scholarship. It is a historical examination of the
administration and differs from previous work in two aspects: what it
seeks to establish and the approach that will be taken. In a broad sense
this study seeks to determine the extent to which the Jews were self-
governing. It examines which people and/or institutions are recorded
as actually making decisions for the Jewish community. The majority
of the study focuses on detailed case studies of incidents recorded in
the sources. On the basis of observations drawn from these case
studies we shall be in a position to assess who held authority in
Palestine and how this authority was used in decision-making and
understood by the Jews.
The following analysis of the main scholarly approaches to the
administration in Palestine displays the ways in which these have often
rested on theoretical ideas of government rather than on a close
examination of the contemporary sources. I will then outline the
approach used in this study, highlighting the ways in which it differs
from previous works. The final section of this introduction is devoted