The Israelites: An Introduction

253 Pages·1999·3.07 MB·English

by  Antony Kamm

THE ISRAELITES
Antony Kamm draws on Biblical, archaeological, historical, and
critical sources to present a straightforward, objective and largely
chronological account of the culture which produced the Old
Testament and from which Christianity derives, from its origins to
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 135 CE.
This succinct study traces the history of the Israelites against the
turbulent background of the times, and describes their society, religion
and ultimate dispersal through the ancient world. The text is
complemented by charts, maps, photographs and line drawings.
The Israelites is an accessible, user-friendly guide which will be
indispensable to students and general readers.
Antony Kamm read Classics and English at the University of Oxford.
He is a former lecturer in publishing studies at the University of Stirling.
He is the author of The Romans: An Introduction, Second edition
(Routledge 1999).
Also by Antony Kamm:
THE ROMANS: AN INTRODUCTION
‘Kamm writes with sensitivity, intelligence and vitality. He
tells a good story and is remarkably un-stuffy. . . . He allows
the Romans to speak for themselves whenever possible and his
familiarity with English literature prompts a number of happy
comparisons. . . . The gusto of the writing and the sweep of the
narrative will enthuse all but the most dour reader.’
Journal of the Association of Classical Teachers
‘A valuable work of introduction and reference that anybody
would be happy to possess.’
Classics Ireland
‘In easily digestible chapters, Kamm outlines the major aspects
of Roman history and society, encompassing politics, culture,
technological developments and social mores. Well chosen
extracts from Roman and Greek writers make for colourful and
enjoyable reading. . . . All in all, this is a sound introduction to
the Roman world and a handy quick-reference book.’
The Jewish Chronicle
‘As well as selecting and summarizing, Kamm has found space
for considerable incidental detail which adds much to the
book’s appeal. This is no dry epitome reduced to bare bones,
for he presents numerous quotations from an interestingly
wide range of ancient authors and repeatedly includes the
particular individual, story, or details, which convey the
flavour in a way which the mere accumulation of facts and
generalizations would not.’
The Classical Review
‘C’est une introduction réussie destinée aux étudiants de lettres
classiques autant qu’un guide appréciable pour ceux d’autres
disciplines où une compréhension de l’histoire romaine est
souhaitée. Le lecteur en général y trouvera aussi son compte.’
Les Études Classiques
THE ISRAELITES
An introduction
Antony Kamm
London and New York
First published 1999
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 1999 Antony Kamm
Line drawings © 1999 Jennifer Campbell
The right of Antony Kamm to be identified as the Author of this
Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Kamm, Antony.
The Israelites : an introduction/Antony Kamm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Jews—History—To 135 A.D. 2. Bible. O.T.—History of Biblical
events. I. Title.
DS121.K23 1999
933–dc21 98–53884
ISBN 0-203-02854-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-17509-3 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-18095-3 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-18096-1 (pbk)
CONTENTS
List of figures vi
List of charts vii
List of maps viii
Preface ix
1 The origins of the Israelites 1
2 The land of the Israelites 25
3 Kings and prophecies 51
4 The two monarchies 81
5 The Israelites: society, culture, religion 106
6 The Judaeans: Babylonian exile 586–538 BCE, and the
Persian years 538–332 BCE 127
7 Judaea: Hellenistic and Hasmonaean years 332–63 BCE 143
8 The Jews and the Roman world 63 BCE–135 CE 165
9 Legacies of the Israelites 202
Appendices 207
1 The Jewish calendar 208
2 Weights and measures 210
3 Table of dates 212
Bibliography 215
Index 221
v
FIGURES
1 Semitic nomads 4
2 Canaanite king 30
3 Prisoners of Rameses III 42
4 Pagan goddess 44
5 Tomb of Shebna 75
6 Ivory sphinx 82
7 Moabite Stone 84
8 Humiliation of Jehu 88
9 Israelite shrine at Arad 103
10 High Place at Petra 120
11 Antiochus IV 146
12 The Shema 159
13 Coin of Herod the Great 173
14 Temple of Herod 178
15 Coin of the procuratorship of Pontius Pilate 184
16 Coin of Herod the Tetrarch 185
17 Coins of Agrippa I and Agrippa II 186
18 Coin of Vespasian 193
19 Spoils from the Temple 194
20 Coins of the Jewish Wars 198
vi
CHARTS
1 The Children of Israel 11
2 Early alphabets 28
3 The kingdoms of Israel and Judah 80
4 Hasmonaean and Herodian dynasties 171
vii
MAPS
1 The ancient Middle East x
2 The land of Canaan 24
3 Israel and Judah 50
4 The incense trade 66
5 Peoples and places in the Assyrian, Babylonian,
Persian, and Hellenistic empires 126
6 Judaea 164
7 The Roman empire and the Jewish diaspora 175
viii
PREFACE
This is an account of the inhabitants of the kingdoms of Israel and
Judah, from their origins to the obliteration of Jerusalem in 135 CE,
when Jews, who were now dispersed throughout the Roman empire
and in the regions to the east, ceased to be able to regard the city as a
tangible focus of their religious and political affiliations. The more
inclusive terms BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era)
are used to denote the historical periods which in other contexts are
indicated by BC and AD. I have employed the historic present tense
when paraphrasing extracts from the Biblical narrative. The locations
of peoples and places mentioned in the text and captions are shown on
one or more of the maps, and can be found by means of the index.
Except where stated otherwise, Biblical quotations are from Tanakh:
The Holy Scriptures (1985), published by the Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia, USA, also referred to as the Jewish Bible. Other
Biblical quotations are from the Authorised Version (AV), and from
The New English Bible (1970), published jointly by Oxford University
Press and Cambridge University Press (NEB). The quotation from
the Koran on page 58 is from the Penguin translation (4th edn, 1974)
by N. J. Dawood.
I have where appropriate followed the Jewish Bible for names of
places and people. Alternative systems of transliteration that may be
identified are due to the variety of sources which have been used for
other terms. The coins illustrated are from the Hunterian Museum of
Glasgow University coin collection, whose curator, Dr J. D. Bateson,
has given me considerable help. For his good-humoured comments
and sound advice, I am much indebted to my editor, Richard Stoneman,
who suggested that I should write this book. I am also grateful to
Coco Stevenson, his assistant editor, for her practical support; to Fintan
Power for his organisational skills as production editor; to David
Saunders for his unerring instinct as a copy-editor, and for his calming
advice; to David Williams, who made sense of, and added artistry to,
my roughs of the maps; and to Tamar Wang, who read the proofs, for
her methodical mind and her scholarship.
A. K.
ix