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2 - The Diaspora from 66 to c. 235 ce

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Allen Kerkeslager
Affiliation:
Department of Theology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia
Claudia Setzer
Affiliation:
Department of Religion, Manhattan College, New York
Paul Trebilco
Affiliation:
Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin
David Goodblatt
Affiliation:
Department of History, University of California, San Diego
Steven T. Katz
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

introduction

The geographical delimitation of this section of the chapter arguably glosses over cultural differences and Roman administrative boundaries that distinguished the Jewish communities of Egypt from those in Cyrenaica. Nevertheless, some justification for treating the Jewish communities of these two regions together may be found in the long history of close relationships between them. Determining the chronological limits of this section is not difficult in the case of the lower limit because the outbreak of hostilities in Palestine in 66 had a decisive impact on these communities. However, fixing an upper limit is more problematic because the rebirth of Judaism in Egypt and Cyrenaica after the devastating revolt of 116–17 was only gradual. This process is not well attested until the fourth century. The demise of the Severan dynasty in 235 has been rather arbitrarily chosen as the formal date of the permeable upper limit for this section, however, because the growth of institutional Christianity in the mid-third century generates complexities that require separate treatment.

The literary sources available for this section are severely limited. Papyri and other non-literary sources have helped to fill this lacuna. Reliance on ethnographic analogy, however, is inescapable in the following reconstruction.

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  • The Diaspora from 66 to c. 235 ce
    • By Allen Kerkeslager, Department of Theology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Claudia Setzer, Department of Religion, Manhattan College, New York, Paul Trebilco, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, David Goodblatt, Department of History, University of California, San Diego
  • Edited by Steven T. Katz, Boston University
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Judaism
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521772488.004
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  • The Diaspora from 66 to c. 235 ce
    • By Allen Kerkeslager, Department of Theology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Claudia Setzer, Department of Religion, Manhattan College, New York, Paul Trebilco, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, David Goodblatt, Department of History, University of California, San Diego
  • Edited by Steven T. Katz, Boston University
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Judaism
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521772488.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Diaspora from 66 to c. 235 ce
    • By Allen Kerkeslager, Department of Theology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Claudia Setzer, Department of Religion, Manhattan College, New York, Paul Trebilco, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, David Goodblatt, Department of History, University of California, San Diego
  • Edited by Steven T. Katz, Boston University
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Judaism
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521772488.004
Available formats
×