The Jews of Italy: Antiquity

498 Pages·2014·5.67 MB·English

by  Shlomo Simonsohn

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.
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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.
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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