The religious life within and around the Roman Empire, and the context into which Christianity emerged and where it spread, provides a topic of the widest interest. Yet this context was not that of a completely pagan world, for Judaism was already firmly established and continued as a vigorous contender in the field throughout the first four centuries after the death of Christ - a fact not always well recognized. Historically, Christianity's relationship with Judaism continued to be intimate but ambivalent long after their separation. This has distorted scholarly perceptions right down to our own day, when the religious history of the period still tends to be written from a Christianizing perspective. The suggestion of this book is that we can and should reassess, from a more neutral position, how the competition between these three religions influenced the development of each of them. "The Jews Among Pagans and Christians" offers a model of this complex area by drawing on a variety of types of material and method. This book should be of interest to students and lecturers of classics, ancient history, Jewish studies, theology and religious studies.

Contents:
Introduction Judith Lieu, John North and Tessa Rajak Chapter 1 The Jewish Community and its Boundaries Chapter 2 The Pre-Christian Paul Martin Hengel Chapter 3 Jewish Proselytizing in the First Century A.D. Martin Goodman Chapter 4 History and Theology in the Chritisn Views of Judaism Judith Lieu Chapter 5 The Jews of the Graeco-Roman Diaspora Between Paganism and Christianity, A.D. 312-438 Fergus Millar Chapter 6 Syrian Christianity and Judaism Han Drijvers Chapter 7 From Judaism to Chritianity: The Syriac Version of the Hebrew Bible Michael Weitzman Chapter 8 The Development of Religious Pluralism John North

The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek was the first major translation in Western culture. Its significance was far-reaching. Without a Greek Bible, European history would have been entirely different - no Western Jewish diaspora and no Christianity. Translation and Survival is a literary and social study of the ancient creators and receivers of the translations, and about their impact. The Greek Bible served Jews who spoke Greek, and made the survival of the first Jewish diaspora possible; indeed, the translators invented the term 'diaspora'. It was a tool for the preservation of group identity and for the expression of resistance. It invented a new kind of language and many new terms. The Greek Bible translations ended up as the Christian Septuagint, taken over along with the entire heritage of Hellenistic Judaism, during the process of the Church's long-drawn-out parting from the Synagogue. Here, a brilliant creation is restored to its original context and to its first owners.

This volume in honour of Miriam Griffin brings together seventeen international specialists. Their essays range from Socrates to late antiquity, with a particular focus on Cicero. Subjects covered include the Stoics and Cynics, Roman law, the formulation of imperial power, Jews and Christians, 'performance philosophy', Augustine, late Platonism, and women philosophers.

The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek was the first major translation in Western culture. Its significance was far-reaching but largely forgotten. Without a Greek Bible, European history would have been entirely different - no Western Jewish diaspora and no Christianity. Translation and Survival is a radical new study of the ancient creators and receivers of the translations and of their impact. The Greek Bible sustained Jews who spoke Greek and made the survival of the first Jewish diaspora possible: indeed, the translators invented the term 'diaspora'. The translations were a tool for the preservation of group identity and for the expression of resistance. They devised a new kind of language: many of the words they coined are still with us. The Greek Bible translations ended up as the Christian Septuagint, taken over along with the entire heritage of Hellenistic Judaism when the Church parted from the Synagogue. Here, a brilliant creation is restored to its first owners, and to its historical context among Jews, Greeks and Christians.

"The lively, serious, and informed discussions in this book provide impressive examples of the insights achieved when the Jewish evidence of the late Second Temple period is shown both to illuminate and to reflect the wider history of the Hellenistic world."--Martin Goodman, author of "Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations"
"What sets this book apart is that it bears the fruits of a truly interdisciplinary investigation into the topic. The result sheds light not just on Hellenistic kings and how they were viewed by their Jewish subjects, but also on the early Greek Bible and, more generally, the meeting of, and cross-fertilization between, Jewish and Graeco-Roman culture that occurred in the centuries following Alexander's conquest."--Guido Schepens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
"This wonderful collection of essays illuminates many facets of kingship in the Hellenistic world. The essays range over Hellenistic philosophy, Jewish fiction, the nuances of translation in the Greek Bible and archaeological evidence. Richly informative, and enjoyable reading besides!"--John J. Collins, author of "Jewish Cult and Hellenistic Culture"
"This wide-ranging collection of essays brings together the too often separate perspectives of classical scholarship and Jewish studies. "Jewish Perspectives on Hellenistic Rulers" will be an indispensable reference work for anyone working on virtually any aspect of Hellenistic Jewish studies."--Sara Raup Johnson, author of "Historical Fictions and Hellenistic Jewish Identity: Third Maccabees in its Cultural Context"
"This thought-provoking book presents a series of superb studies on Jewish-Greek views of hellenistic monarchy thattogether are suggestive of the rich interplay between Hellenistic Jewish intellectual traditions and their deep connections to the greater world of the Hellenistic monarchies. The volume will surely stimulate much more work on the subject, and will be required reading for all those whose interests touch on the subject of Hellenistic Judaism and Hellenistic history and culture more broadly."--J.G. Manning, author of "Land and Power in Hellenistic Egypt: The Structure of Land Tenure"

Josephus, author of the "Jewish War" and the "Jewish Antiquities," belongs equally to Jewish and to Greco-Roman history. A well-to-do priest and Pharisee at Jerusalem, he was a contemporary and chronicler of the great changes which took place in the Roman Empire in the first century AD and a controversial general in the great Jewish revolt of 66-73 against Rome. Tessa Rajak, an ancient historian versed in both Greek and Hebrew, assesses the varied source material to produce a sociological account of the Jewish revolt which casts fresh light on Josephus' attitudes, placing his achievement in the context of both Jewish values and the Greek historical tradition. This second edition includes a substantial new introduction and bibliography.