The Jews of Italy: Antiquity PDF
Preview The Jews of Italy: Antiquity
The Jews of Italy Brill’s Series in Jewish Studies Series Editor David S. Katz VOLUME 52 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bsjs Jews of Italy in Antiquity The Jews of Italy Antiquity By Shlomo Simonsohn LEIDEN | BOSTON Cover illustration: Arch of Titus Simonsohn, Shlomo, 1923– author. The Jews of Italy : antiquity / by Shlomo Simonsohn. pages cm — (Brill’s series in Jewish studies ; volume 52) “The history of the Jews in Italy is the longest continuous one of European Jewry and lasted for more than two millennia. It started in the days of the Roman Republic and continued through the Middle Ages to Modern Times. Jewish Italy served as melting pot throughout its history, first for migrants from East to West and eventually from all over the Mediterranean littoral and beyond. Some of them moved on from Italy to other countries, while the majority stayed on in the country for generations. This volume of their history covers the first seven centuries of Jewish presence on the peninsula from the days of the Maccabees to Pope Gregory the Great. It is based on archaeological finds in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, on relevant literary and legal sources and on other records”—Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-90-04-28235-3 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-28236-0 (e-book) 1. Jews—Rome— History. 2. Jews—Italy—History. 3. Italy—History—To 476 4. Rome—Ethnic relations. 5. Italy— Ethnic relations. I. Title. DS135.I8S56 2014 937’.004924—dc23 2014027752 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 0926-2261 isbn 978-90-04-28235-3 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-28236-0 (e-book) Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill nv provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, ma 01923, usa. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Contents List of Plates xi Introduction: Sources and Methodology 1 1 Historical Background 13 First Contacts 13 Under the Julio-Claudian Caesars 20 The Flavian Period 31 The Nervan-Antonine Dynasty 43 The Severi and the Last Pagan Emperors to Constantine 53 The Christian Empire until the Division 59 The Divided Empire and the Decline of the West 69 2 Jewish Settlements and Their Demography 78 Rome 78 The Islands: Sicily, Lipari, Malta and Sardinia 85 Southern Mainland Italy 94 The Mainland North of Rome 102 Demography 107 Excursus 113 Proselytism 113 3 The Jews and the Law 118 Civil Status 118 Roman Jewry Law, Privileges, Charters and Decrees 125 The Christian Empire 131 Civil Service 136 Slaves and Circumcision 141 Other Roman Civil Laws on Jews 145 Jewish Law and Jurisdiction 154 4 The Socio-Economic Setting 157 The Economy of Italian Jewry under Roman Rule (1) 157 The Economy of Italian Jewry under Roman Rule (2) 164 Taxes and Imposts 172 viii contents 5 Jews and Judaism as the Roman Pagans Saw Them 177 The Significance of the Texts and Their Impact 177 The Beginnings 181 From Pompey’s Conquest to the Principate 188 The Age of Augustus 196 The Flavians and the Severi 204 Tacitus, Juvenal and Sueton 208 In Rome and in the Provinces 214 Cassius Dio and the Last Pagan Authors 220 6 Rome and Romans as the Jews Saw Them 231 First Contacts 231 The Pagan Emperors 236 Rome and Romans 245 More on Rome and Romans and Some Dire Predictions 252 7 Judaism and Christianity 263 The Birth of Christianity and Its Diffusion 263 The Early Fathers of the Church and Judaism 270 The Fathers of the Church after the Victory of Christianity 281 Augustine and His Age 289 Jews on Jesus and Christianity 293 Min, Minim, Minuth 298 The Church Fathers and Rabbinic Views on Christianity 301 8 The Culture of Italian Jewry 307 Hellenism 307 The ‘Am-Ha’Areẓ 311 Assimilation and Acculturation 314 Links of the Judaean Centre with Italy 322 Scholars and Their Writings: From Caecilius of Calacte to Josephus 330 The Collatio Legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum and Beyond 340 9 The Jewish Community 350 The Roots 350 The Ritual in the Synagogue 359 Some Archaeological Evidence: Inscriptions 362 The Officers 367 Instruction and Schools 376 Other Communal Institutions 380 contents ix Conclusion 385 Bibliography 393 Index of Persons 452 Geographical Index 460 Subject Index 464 Plates 471
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