The always interesting Krista Dalton introduces the work of Seth Schwartz. His book, as can be seen from the title, covers more than the Second Temple period.
http://kristadalton.com/who-exactly-were-the-ancient-jews-at-least-according-to-seth-schwartz/
-anthony
What were Jesus, and the Jews of his time, really like? Many today try to argue that Jesus was wholly Jewish. On the other hand, I note 1) constant collaborations between Jews like Herod, with Greco-Roman occupiers. There were huge communities of Hellenistic Jews in Alexandria Egypt and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThen too 2) Alex the Great had conquered Israel in 300 BC; this meant strong Greek influence in Jerusalem for centuries. Then 3) when the Hasmonean/Maccabean revolt collapsed, in 64 BC Pompey took over Jerusalem.
So 4) in the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was occupied by Roman soldiers, and had a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
So? There was lots more Greco-Roman influence and collaboration in the Jewish community than many scholars have thought, I conclude.
- Griffin
Griffin,
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Greek culture and Jewish identity has been heavily researched.
I would recommend this book as a good place to start: http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Hellenism-Reinvention-Jewish-Tradition/dp/0520235061
Also, be careful about assuming that being "wholly Jewish" was something distinct from Greek culture.
-anthony