Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World

by Feldman, Louis H.

• ISBN13: 9780691074160
• ISBN10: 069107416X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-05-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

"Feldman is a world-class expert in the difficult but vitally important area of the intersection of Jewish and Gentile cultures in the Greco- Roman world. His encyclopedic knowledge of pagan, Jewish, and Christian writings of the period is nothing less than breathtaking. Scholars are deeply indebted to his writings, which are unfailingly accurate and unfailingly fair. Our ... debt to him is only increased by this latest exciting work."--"John P. Meier, The Catholic University of America"

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Contacts between Jews and Non-Jews in the Land of Israel	3	(42)
Contacts Prior to Alexander the Great	3	(3)
Literary Contacts between the Time of Alexander and the Maccabean Revolt	6	(5)
Military, Political, and Economic Contacts between Greeks and Jews from the Time of Alexander to the Maccabean Revolt	11	(3)
Linguistic Contacts between Greeks and Jews before the Maccabean Revolt	14	(2)
Influence of Greek Ideas before the Maccabees	16	(2)
Political Contacts between Greeks and Jews during the Hasmonean and Roman Periods	18	(1)
Cultural Contacts between Greeks and Jews during the Hasmonean and Roman Periods: The Alleged Influence of the Greek Language	19	(5)
Hellenization in Lower vs. Upper Galilee during the Hasmonean and Roman Periods	24	(1)
Cultural Contacts between Greeks and Jews during the Hasmonean and Roman Periods: Education and Literature	25	(6)
Alleged Greek Influence on the Talmudic Rabbis in the First Five Centuries C. E.	31	(8)
Greek Influence on Jewish Art	39	(3)
Summary	42	(3)
The Strength of Judaism in the Diaspora	45	(39)
Pagan Views on Jewish Unity and Diversity	45	(6)
Assimilation of the Jews to Greek Language and Thought	51	(6)
Secular Education of Jews in the Diaspora	57	(2)
Jews and Athletics	59	(2)
Jews and the Theater	61	(2)
The Organization of the Jewish Community	63	(2)
Syncretism among the Jews	65	(4)
The Strength of Judaism in Asia Minor	69	(5)
Excesses in Interpretation of the Law: Literalists and Allegorists	74	(2)
Deviations from Jewish Law	76	(1)
Intermarriage	77	(2)
Apostasy	79	(5)
Official Anti-Jewish Bigotry: The Responses of Governments to the Jews	84	(23)
Anti-Jewish Bigotry before the Era of Alexander the Great	84	(2)
Jews under Egyptian Ptolemies and Syrian Seleucids	86	(6)
The Attitudes of the Roman Government toward the Jews	92	(10)
The Reactions of the Jews to the Roman Government	102	(5)
Popular Prejudice against Jews	107	(16)
The Economic Factor	107	(6)
The Attack on the Jews in Alexandria in the Year 38	113	(4)
Attacks on the Jews in the Year 66	117	(3)
The Aftermath of the War of 66--74	120	(3)
Prejudice against Jews among Ancient Intellectuals	123	(54)
How Much Anti-Jewish Prejudice Was There among Ancient Intellectuals?	123	(2)
The Alleged Jewish Misanthropy	125	(6)
Answers to Charges of Misanthropy in Graeco-Jewish Writers before Josephus	131	(2)
Answers to Charges of Misanthropy in Josephus's Antiquities	133	(9)
Answers to Charges of Misanthropy in Josephus's Against Apion	142	(7)
Attacks on Jewish Theology	149	(4)
The Attack on Jewish Circumcision	153	(5)
The Attack on the Jewish Observance of the Sabbath	158	(9)
The Attack on the Jewish Dietary Laws	167	(3)
Contempt for the Jews' Credulity	170	(1)
Contempt for the Jews as Beggars	171	(1)
Alleged Jewish Influence	172	(5)
The Attractions of the Jews: Their Antiquity	177	(24)
The Importance of Antiquity	177	(1)
Writers Mentioned by Josephus	178	(4)
Other Classical References to the Antiquity of the Jews	182	(1)
Tacitus's Account of the Origin of the Britons and the Germans as Compared with the Origin of the Jews	183	(1)
Tacitus's Theories of the Origin of the Jews	184	(12)
The Importance for Christianity of the Ancient Jewish Connection	196	(2)
The Importance of the Antiquity of the Jews as Seen by Origen	198	(3)
The Attractions of the Jews: The Cardinal Virtues	201	(32)
Early Greek Writers on the Wisdom of the Jews	201	(3)
Later Greek and Roman Writers on the Wisdom of the Jews	204	(3)
Alleged Graeco-Jewish Historians before Josephus on the Wisdom of the Jews	207	(2)
Philo on the Wisdom of the Jews	209	(1)
Josephus on the Wisdom of the Jews	210	(4)
Second-, Third-, and Fourth-Century Writers on the Wisdom of the Jews	214	(6)
Praise by Pagans of the Courage of the Jews	220	(2)
Josephus on the Courage of Jewish Heroes	222	(1)
Praise by Pagans of the Temperance of the Jews	223	(2)
Josephus on the Temperance of Jewish Heroes	225	(1)
Praise by Non-Jews of the Justice of the Jews	226	(1)
Josephus on the Justice of Jewish Heroes	227	(3)
Praise by Pagans of the Piety of the Jews	230	(1)
Josephus on the Piety of Jewish Heroes	231	(2)
The Attractions of the Jews: The Ideal Leader, Moses	233	(55)
The Portrayal of Moses by Pagan Writers	233	(9)
The Virtues of Moses according to Graeco-Jewish Historians	242	(1)
The Virtues of Moses according to Josephus	243	(42)
Moses the Magician	285	(3)
The Success of Proselytism by Jews in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods	288	(54)
The Idea of Conversion	288	(2)
The Case for Non-Missionary Activity	290	(3)
The Demographic Evidence for Missionary Activity	293	(1)
The Literary Evidence for Missionary Activity	293	(5)
Evidence from Resentment against Proselytism	298	(2)
Expulsions of Jews as Evidence of Missionary Activity	300	(5)
The Means of Conversion	305	(19)
Converts in the Land of Israel and in the Various Lands of the Diaspora	324	(8)
Motives of Jews in Seeking Converts	332	(2)
Reasons for the Success of the Proselyting Movement in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods	334	(1)
Motives of Proselytes in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods	335	(3)
The Status of Proselytes and the Attitude of Born Jews toward Them in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods	338	(4)
The Success of Jews in Winning ``Sympathizers''	342	(41)
The Problem	342	(1)
Circumstantial Evidence	343	(1)
Pagan References	344	(4)
Jewish References	348	(8)
Christian References	356	(2)
Epigraphical and Papyrological Evidence	358	(4)
Aphrodisias: The Dramatic New Inscriptions and Their Implications	362	(7)
Factors That Attracted Non-Jews to Judaism in the Third Century	369	(14)
Proselytism by Jews in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Centuries	383	(33)
Issues	383	(2)
The Sources: Roman Imperial Legislation	385	(12)
The Sources: Church Canons	397	(3)
The Sources: Church Fathers before John Chrysostom	400	(5)
The Sources: John Chrysostom and Subsequent Church Fathers	405	(3)
The Sources: Rabbinic Literature	408	(3)
The Sources: Inscriptions and Papyri	411	(1)
Reasons for Jewish Success in Winning Converts	412	(1)
The Decline of the Outreach Movement and Its Renewal	413	(1)
Summary	413	(3)
Conclusion	416	(31)
Abbreviations	447	(14)
Notes	461	(126)
Bibliography	587	(34)
Indexes	621	(51)
Passages from Ancient Writers	623	(23)
Jewish Scriptures	623	(1)
Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and Dead Sea Scrolls	624	(1)
New Testament	625	(1)
Hellenistic Jewish Literature: Josephus, Philo, Other (Alleged) Graeco-Jewish Writers	625	(6)
Rabbinic and Allied Literature	631	(3)
Christian Writings (Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Arabic) and Canons of Church Councils	634	(2)
Inscriptions and Papyri	636	(1)
Classical Greek Authors	636	(7)
Classical Latin Authors	643	(3)
Names and Subjects	646	(16)
Geographical Place-Names	662	(2)
Greek, Latin, and Hebrew and Aramaic Words	664	(8)
Modern Scholars	672