Hellenism in the Land of Israel

John J. Collins, Gregory E. Sterling, John J. Collins, Gregory E. Sterling

• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780268030520, 9780268030513
• eBook ISBN: 9780268201623
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Historical Theory & Criticism

Israeli Jews' response to and appropriation of Greek culture is the subject of the essays in this rich volume. Contributors provide evidence of Greek cultural influence in Judea and Galilee, from before the Maccabean revolt into the rabbinic period. They also probe the limits of that influence, the persistence of Semitic languages and thought patterns, and the exclusiveness of Jewish religion. While Greek thought had a significant impact on Judaism, Jews remained distinct in the Greco-Roman world. Hellenistic Judaism's relationship to Greek culture was never simply one of assimilation or repudiation. Similarly, the Hebrew and Aramaic-speaking Judaism of the homeland remained distinct from the Hellenistic Judaism of the Diaspora.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright
• Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Series (CJAS)
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. Judaism and Hellenism Revisited
• 2. Cult and Culture
• 3. Jewish Perspectives on Greek Culture and Ethnicity
• 4. The High Cost of a Good Education
• 5. The Honorary Decree for Simon the Maccabee (1 Macc 14:25–49) in Its Hellenistic Context
• 6. The Honorary Decree for Simon the Maccabee
• 7. Greek in Jewish Palestine in Light of Jewish Epigraphy
• 8. Greek at Qumran
• 9. Galileans, Phoenicians, and Itureans
• 10. Hellenismin Unexpected Places
• 11. Greeks and Barbariansin Josephus
• 12. Judaism between Jerusalem and Alexandria
• Epilogue
• Contributors
• Index of Ancient Authors and Texts
• Index of Modern Authors