Ancient Judaism, Early Christianity, Hellenism

Eight endorsements for Reading Revelation After Supersessionism written by Elaine Pagels (Princeton University), Paul Trebilco (U of Otago), Richard Ascough (Queens University), Anders Runesson (U of Oslo), Greg Carey (Lancaster Theological Seminary), Paul Rainbow (Sioux Falls Seminary), Gerald Borchert (Carson Newman University), and Henri Goulet (Messianic Studies Institute)

In his most recent book, Matthew Thiessen elegantly and efficiently closes the yawning gap between decades of Jewish Studies scholarship on ritual impurity and the attempt by New Testament scholars to characterize Jesus’s relationship to the purity beliefs and practices of his day. The result is a Jesus who makes both narrative and historical sense as a first century Jew for whom the ritual and cultic norms of the community are unquestioned axioms. Thiessen's work adds to a growing body of scholarship that aligns Jesus with Jewish groups known to have adopted a posture of metaphysical realism (or ontological “essentialism”) on a range of hotly debated topics in late Second Temple and early post-destruction Jewish society. Online version: http://enochseminar.org/review/20395

This paper appeared in the volume, Modern and Ancient Literary Criticism of the Gospels, in 2020, edited by Robert Matthew Calhoun, David P. Moessner, and Tobias Nicklas. It was the subject of a seminar at the Australian Catholic University, Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry (Biblical and Early Christian Studies seminar), on September 3 (2020).

[due to copyright restrictions, just the first two pages are included herewith; feel free to email me to request a copy]

The aim of this volume is to present a balanced description of preexistence in the contect of present exegetical and sytematic-theological Discours. The article about the idea of a preexistence Messiah (Schimanowski) develops my dissertation "Weisheit und Messias. Die jüdischen Voraussetzungen der urchristlichen Präexistenzchristologie" (WUNT 2,17; Tübingen 1985), especially now from texts of the LXX and the different visions of 1 Enoch (similitudes).

James R. Harrison is a New Testament social historian. He is the Director of Research at Sydney College of Divinity and an Honorary Associate of Macquarie University Ancient History Department. He provides an extensive review of Korner's volume The Origin and Meaning of Ekklesia in the Early Jesus Movements (AJEC98; Brill, 2017).

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions

Following a scholarly conference given in honor of Adela Yarbro Collins, this collection of essays offers focused studies on the wide range of ways that women and gender contribute to the religious landscape of the ancient world. Experts in Greek and Roman religions, Early Christianity, Ancient Judaism, and Ancient Christianity engage in literary, social, historical, and cultural analysis of various ancient texts, inscriptions, social phenomena, and cultic activity. These studies continue the welcomed trend in scholarship that expands the social location of women in ancient Mediterranean religion to include the public sphere and consciousness. The result is an important and lively book that deepens the understanding of ancient religion as a whole. With contributions by:Patricia D. Ahearne-Kroll, Loveday Alexander, Mary Rose D'Angelo, Stephen J. Davis, Robert Doran, Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, Carin M. C. Green, Fritz Graf, Jan Willem van Henten, Paul A. Holloway, Annette B. Huizenga, Jeremy F. Hultin, Sarah Iles Johnston, James A. Kelhoffer, Judith L. Kovacs, Outi Lehtipuu, Matt Jackson-McCabe, Candida R. Moss, Christopher N. Mount, Susan E. Myers, Clare K. Rothschild, Turid Karlsen Seim

Genesis 34:14 tells of Jacob's sons' refusal to marry their sister to Shechem the son of Hamor: "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who has a foreskin, for that is a disgrace among us". 1 When Peter returns to Jerusalem after baptizing Cornelius, a group of people "of the circumcision" criticized him for his actions: "Why did you go to men who have a foreskin and eat with them?" (Acts 11:3). 2 In Mishna Nedarim 3:11, R. Elazar b. Azarya proclaims: "The foreskin is disgusting". These are a few examples of the fundamental negative perception of the foreskin that is prevalent in ancient Jewish texts. However, while Genesis and Acts present the physical foreskin as a barrier that prevents association with "men who have a foreskin", a peculiar category appears in Mishna Nedarim: "Foreskinned Israelites"-Jews with a foreskin. According to the Tannaitic sources, this type of man is considered a normative Jew, he may marry any Jewish woman he wishes, and his children are completely legitimate Jews. And so the seeming uniformity between the sources breaks down. Even though they all

Im Zentrum des Interesses stehen das Neue Testament und das antike Judentum Langfristige Forschungsvorhaben: 1. Eine Gesamtdarstellung über die Religionsgeschichte des frühen Christentums im Kontext der antik-jüdischen und hellenistisch-römischen Kultur (soll im Verlag Mohr Siebeck erscheinen). 2. Ein Kommentar zum Römerbrief in der Reihe »Dansk kommentar til Det nye Testamente (DKNT)«; ein deutschsprachiger Kommentar zum Römerbrief (bei Mohr Siebeck) 3. Ein Kommentar zur Offenbarung des Johannes im Handbuch zum Neuen Testament. 4. Eine Monographie über den Teufel im Alten Testament, im antiken Judentum und im frühen Christentum-in Zusammenarbeit mit Susanne Rudnig-Zelt und Thilo Rudnig, die das Alte Testament verantworten (soll erscheinen in der Reihe »Topoi biblischer Theologie«). 5. Ein Kommentar zur Ascensio Isaiae in der Reihe »Kommentare zur apokryphen Literatur (KAL)«. 6. Testament Isaaks. Einleitung, Übersetzung und Kommentar (soll erscheinen in der Reihe »Jüdische Schriften aus hellenistisch-römischer Zeit. Neue Folge«). 7. Narratio Zosimi. Einleitung, Übersetzung und Kommentar (soll erscheinen in der Reihe »Jüdische Schriften aus hellenistisch-römischer Zeit. Neue Folge«). 8. Edition der Historia de Melchisedech (CAVT 95), einer parabiblischen Erzählung mit jüdischen Hintergründen. 9. Literaturbericht zur Septuagintaforschung für die Theologische Rundschau. 10. Textausgaben und Handschriftenrecherchen zu Bêta Esrâêl-Parabiblica in Zusammenarbeit mit Lasse Toft.  Dieser Titel wird in Dänemark für eine sogenannte Disputats verliehen, eine öffentliche Verteidigung einer zweiten wissenschaftlichen Abhandlung, die einer deutschen Habilitation entspricht. 57. Research Seminar: Introduction into Synchronic and Diachronic Methods of New Testament Exegesis (Undergraduate). 58. Syriac I + II (Master; phD). 59. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Master): Introduction (1 En; Jub, 4 Esdra) and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. 60. Greek Reading Group for phD Students: Colossians. 2017/18 in Durham 61. The Historical Jesus (Undergraduate) 62. The Passion Narratives in Greek (Undergraduate). 63. Research Seminar: Introduction into Synchronic and Diachronic Methods of New Testament Exegesis (Undergraduate). 64. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Master): Historia de Melchisedech and Apocalypsis Mosis. 65. Greek Reading Group: 1 Henoch (graece). 2018/19 in Durham 2018/19 in Durham 66. Jewish Religion in Antiquity (in cooperation with the teaching assistants Adam Gye and Vasile Condrea) (Undergraduate) 67. Advanced Greek Texts: 2 Timothy 68. Research Seminar: Introduction to Synchronic and Diachronic Methods of New Testament Exegesis (Undergraduate; strand of an interdisciplinary module). 69. Syriac I + II (Undergraduate) 70. Greek Reading Group: 1 Enoch II (Postgraduate; con amore)

The present study explores the origins of Jewish ritual immersion – inquiring when immersion first appeared as a rite of purification and what the reasons may have been for this development specifically at this time. Textual and archaeological evidence suggest that immersion emerged at some point during – or perhaps slightly prior to – the first half of the first century B.C.E. It is suggested here that the practice grew out of contemporary bathing practices involving the Hellenistic hip bath. Through a process of ritualization, full-body immersion emerged as a method of purificatory washing clearly differentiated from profane bathing. By way of a subsequent process of 'hyper-ritualization', some ventured further to distinguish purificatory ablutions from profane bathing by restricting use of 'drawn water' for purification and by assigning impurity to anyone who bathed in such water. Before us is an enlightening example of one of the many ways wherein Jewish religious practices evolved and adapted in response to Hellenistic cultural innovations.

The “Apostolic Fathers,” a group of Christian texts written from the late first century to the early second century, are recognized as unusual in their era for their paucity of references to demons, demon possession, exorcism, and illness caused by demons; additionally, rejection of supernatural evil beliefs has also been noted in texts such as the Didache. The fact that a number of texts in the Apostolic Fathers contain explicit reference to supernatural evil, typically a figure identified as Satan, makes it more remarkable that other texts in the same corpus do not contain any such references.

Although texts without references to supernatural evil are a minority report (rather than a growing trend) within early Christian literature, this distinctive feature of these other texts is even more apparent when they are compared with the Christian texts from the mid-second century onwards, which demonstrate a significant development in the role of supernatural evil within Christian theology; the introduction of exorcism and repudiation of Satan at baptism, enlargement of Christian demonology, adoption of the concept of Satan as a fallen angel, and the identification of fallen angels with demons.

Lack of consensus on the reason for the absence of demons and exorcism from these texts prompts this study. It is proposed that certain texts among the Apostolic Fathers corpus exhibit a significant marginalization of Satan and demons, and that the cause of this is an etiology of evil which is anthropogenic rather than supernatural. Specifically, it is argued that the writers of the Didache, 1 Clement, Shepherd of Hermas, Martyrdom of Polycarp, and 2 Clement, identify humans as the origin and cause of evil, rather than Satan or demons.

Partiendo de los estudios de Momigliano sobre judaísmo y helenismo, se analizan los avances historiográficos recientes en torno a la relación entre ambas realidades, así como el conflicto que se produce en época de los asmoneos entre los partidarios de la helenización y los partidarios de la judaización. Fue precisamente en 2Macabeos donde aparece por primera vez el término "judaísmo" como contraposición a "helenismo". La Estela de Heliodoro es un reciente descubrimiento arqueológico que aclara el panorama religioso de la época, e incluso permite interpretar textos de Qumrán. Finalmente, se termina reflexionando sobre la judaización experimentada por el mundo helenístico a partir de la cristianización.

Thérapeutique des maladies helléniques, 8, 68 : « leurs temples [des païens] ont été si complètement détruits qu'on ne peut même plus se faire une idée de leur plan, et que les hommes d'aujourd'hui ne savent plus la forme de leurs autels » Voir également Augustin qui parle de « mortuus est paganus », dans son Enarr. in Ps.,

The rich tradition and profound spirituality of Judaism has touched people the world over for thousands of years. With the arrival in the Near East of Alexander the Great and the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the synagogue came to represent a new era of this powerful religion, one which witnessed a greater emphasis on shared religious experience and prayer. In turn, the synagogue, derived from the Greek, meaning an "assembly," has come to mean the Jewish house of worship, evolving into a "sacred realm," in which the Torah came to play a central role linking the biblical past with the messianic future. Of course, the synagogue has been much more that a house of worship--it served the Jewish people as a place of learning, a community center, and often as the official seat of Jewish self-government. Indeed, it is the institution most closely associated with the development of post-biblical Judaism throughout the ages.
Sacred Realm: The Emergence of the Synagogue in the Ancient World offers the first comprehensive history of the architectural and archaeological development of the synagogue from the third century BCE to 700 CE. Telling the story of over one hundred ancient synagogues throughout the world and their place in the history of Judaism and of Western civilization, this book provides a fascinating representation of the cultural, intellectual, and artistic achievements of three thousand years of Jewish experience. Informative essays detail every aspect of the ancient synagogue, while beautiful illustrations and maps take the reader to the actual historic site.
Sacred Realm is an accompaniment to a monumental exhibition organized by the Yeshiva University Museum in New York. Borrowing from museums in North America, Europe, and Israel, the exhibition presents a unique collection of artifacts and manuscripts--including many pieces never before displayed in the United States--and will depict for the first time an in-depth history of the synagogue during the Greco-Roman period. From fourth-century Egyptian incense burners and inscribed bowl fragments to fifth-century Gaza mosaics decorated with Menorah and Shofar, Piyyut (liturgical poetry) manuscripts, and assorted textile, column, and pottery fragments, this collection is the most significant presentation of ancient Jewish religious life ever assembled in the United States.
Lavishly illustrated with both color and black and white photographs of the artifacts, manuscripts, maps, site diagrams, and reconstructions, Sacred Realm is not only a detailed record of this historic exhibit, but a guide to the evolution of Judaism's most sacred institution.

In The Origin and Meaning of Ekklēsia in the Early Jesus Movement, Ralph J. Korner explores the ideological implications of Christ-follower associations self-designating collectively as ekklēsiai. Politically, Korner’s inscriptional research suggests that an association named ekklēsia would have been perceived as a positive, rather than as a counter-imperial, participant within Imperial Greek cities. Socio-religiously, Korner argues that there was no universal ekklēsia to which all first generation Christ-followers belonged; ekklēsia was a permanent group designation used by Paul’s associations. Ethno-religiously, Korner contends that ekklēsia usage by intra muros groups within pluriform Second Temple Judaism problematizes suggestions, not least at the institutional level, that Paul was “parting ways” with Judaism(s), ‘Jewishness’, or Jewish organizational forms.

This study analyzes the use of prior authoritative literature in the Book of Watchers (BW), an ancient Jewish text written ca. 200 BCE. The authors of this text were intimately familiar with several texts that would later become part of the Hebrew Bible, and they interacted with and altered the narratives now found in Gen. 2-4 and 6-9, as well as several sections of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Job.
Past scholarship has identified almost all of these literary correspondences, but few projects have been aimed specifically at examining and explaining how and what texts the authors of the BW employ. Lars Hartman’s research was the most thorough, next to Nickelsburg’s commentary, in examining the influence of prior authoritative texts on the first five chapters of the BW. His study was often too cluttered, and some of his identifications are not as strong as others once given critical scrutiny.
Siam Bhayro’s research on chapters six through eleven also significantly moved this field forward, but he failed to make several important connections that other scholars had made while providing a few new ones himself. Chapters twelve through thirty-six of the BW have not received as close scrutiny as the prior chapters in earlier studies. This thesis aims to fill that void by bringing to the foreground several important texts underlying the composition of the BW. These connections highlight the priority of the opening chapters of Genesis over the Enochic BW by pointing out how the BW assumes that the reader already knows the details of the Eden narrative, the expulsion from the garden, and the murder of Abel by his brother Cain.
It is hoped that this study helps to settle the question of the direction of dependence, and also provide a well-organized resource for future work looking at the use of the Hebrew Bible in the BW as well as compositional techniques by the authors of this work.

We do not have to conjecture about what the early Israelite religion consisted of, and we need not depend upon the tendentious descriptions of the bible. It is described in documents (A E Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century BC) from the Jewish colony at Elephantine, an island in the Nile below the First Cataract—now submerged by the Aswan Dam—dated towards the end of the fifth century BC, just at the time the Persians were setting up their temple state in Yehud. What was Jesus's Judaism?

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions
Key words: mythological mosaic, House of Aion, Nea Paphos, Late Antiquity, Roman art, allegorical narrative, allusive language of mythological pictures, wordplay (Marsyas-Messias), Jesus Christ, anti-Christian polemic, Dionysos, Cassiopeia, Apollon, Nereides, Abstract Personifications, Greek Mythology, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ

This book recounts the heroic story of the Maccabees and explains how they successfully took on the might of the Seleucid realm, illustrated by the coins issued by the main protagonists.  What was an epic struggle of an oppressed people to win their national and religious freedom has provided much inspiration through the ages and continues to strike a strong resonance with our own times. However, that historical drama, as recorded in 1 and 2 Maccabees, with its unfamiliar roll-call of major players and place-names, has acquired a considerable mystique. The coins put faces to many of these seemingly obscure names and help to bring those stirring events back to life. In this new edition, archaeological findings that have elucidated the historical backdrop to the Wars of the Maccabees are also given due attention. An updated and considerably augmented bibliography is included. The origin of Torah Judaism is discussed and an appendix on 'Hellenization of the Hasmonaeans in the Later Second Century BCE' has also been added to this new addition.

A Chronology for events leading to the creation of Christianity with Historical Background: The Long War: Beginning with the Jewish changeover from the Seleucid leadership to the Hasmonean leadership (circa 135 BCE). The War Between The Hasmonean Leadership & The Pharisees (to circa 50 BCE, Julius Caesar). The Sadducees, Herodians & The Caesars (circa 30 BCE-6 BCE). The Roman Committee To Create A New Religion (Under Tiberius, circa 14-37 CE).

In honour of Terry Donaldson's fundamental work on Paul, I have here expanded for publication my 2016 T. W. Manson Memorial Lecture in the University of Manchester. Hearty thanks to Prof. emer. George Brooke for hosting me. This is the AAM (author's accepted manuscript) or typescript of the chapter, likely to be in production for a while.

As for content: this basically applies some long-developing themes of my research on Roman Judaea and Judaeans to Paul. Paul's relationship with Judaism has been among the most basic questions in research on this important figure in Christian origins. But what if 'Judaism' was not a thing, which he could have had a view of (or been in or out of)? The essay deals first with what it meant to be a Ioudaios, then separately inquires into  Paul's relationship with his Judaean heritage, not a religion.

The Magdala synagogue ashlar is an excellent test case for the ways we interpret Roman period iconography, and particularly that of ancient Judaism.  The interplay of text and artifact is particularly significant within Jewish contexts, where a wide range of both visual and literary sources are available.  This essay discusses the circumstances of this discovery and recent interpretation, before offering my own tentative interpretation of this artifact.

Philo and Paul enjoy a tradition of being read alongside each other in comparative studies of early Judaism and early Christianity.² One of the areas of recent investigation of the work of both authors has focused on the similarities (and differences) between their respective writings from the perspective of "mysticism."³ As we will see in more detail, both Philo and Paul share "a form of religiosity which has the immediate experience of divine reality as its center. This experience, which transcends everyday consciousness and cognition based on reason, is at the same time the experience of an intimate closeness to the divine reality."⁴

Abstract. Although little studied in the bibliography on Justin's works, his notion of teaching is an essential one. Founder of a school in Rome and propagator of the “didascolic" doctrine of Christ, the Apologist places his writings and his missionary activity in a tradition dating back to the prophets, and in the perspective of an imminent Second Coming. In his work, as in its contemporary universe, Judaism, Christianity, paganism and heresy confront each other, and at times converge. The study of the argumentation presented in the Dialogue with Trypho and in the Apologia (the Syntagma against all Heresies is lost today) enables us to piece together some of the criticisms expressed by their different adversaries with regard to these doctrines, as well as the answers given by their defenders. But in this clash of influences, Justin presents us with a subjective point of view oriented towards the defense of Christianity. The "truth" of a doctrine can, of course, be evaluated according to certain universal criteria (human or divine origin, ancientness, unity, absence of contradictions, existence of evidence, coherence of behaviour with the principles expressed), but, for Justin, it is essentially its compatibility with the teachings of Christ which gives the measure of its authenticity. Thus, the image he gives of Judaism or of the heresies is an entirely negative one, whereas his judgement on paganism appears rather more qualified.

Résumé : Bien que peu étudiée dans la bibliographie consacrée à l'œuvre de Justin, la notion d'enseignement y est essentielle. Fondateur d'une école à Rome et propagateur de la doctrine du Christ « didascale », l'apologiste situe ses écrits et son activité missionnaire dans une tradition qui remonte aux prophètes, et dans la perspective d'une seconde Parousie imminente. Dans son œuvre, comme dans l'univers qui lui est contemporain, judaïsme, christianisme, paganisme et hérésies s'affrontent et se rencontrent parfois. L'étude de l'argumentation présentée dans le Dialogue avec Tryphon et dans l'Apologie (le Syntagme contre toutes les hérésies est aujourd'hui perdu) permet de reconstituer certaines des critiques dont ces courants de pensée faisaient l'objet de la part de leurs adversaires, et les réponses de leurs défenseurs. Mais dans cette lutte d'influence, Justin nous présente un point de vue subjectif, orienté vers la défense du christianisme. La « vérité » d'une doctrine peut, certes, être évaluée par certains critères universels (origine divine ou humaine, ancienneté, unité, absence de contradiction, preuves, cohérence entre les principes et les comportements), mais pour Justin, c'est essentiellement sa compatibilité avec les enseignements du Christ qui offre la mesure de son authenticité. Aussi l'image qu'il donne du judaïsme et des hérésies est-elle tout entière négative, tandis que son jugement sur le paganisme apparaît plus nuancé.

Some contend "Jesus never existed"; their evidence is rather circumstantial as negative evidence is problematic. However, an argument according to which Jesus was not a historical figure but an invention by Roman-Jewish aristocrats, meant to serve to serve the Roman domination is new to me.

O presente artigo tem por base mostrar os desmandos praticados pelos governantes selêucidas, em especial do governante Antioco IV, Epifanes (175-164 a.C ) ao longo do exercício do poder na província da Judéia. As medidas tipicamente helenizantes outorgadas pelo governante tiveram baixa aceitação entre a população judaica, que tinha na religião e nos costumes o elo norteador da suas ações, e a idéia de "pertencer" ao grupo judeu estava intrinsecamente ligada a questão da fé, principalmente as práticas religiosas ligadas ao templo e ao sacerdócio. Como forma de repúdio a tais práticas helenizantes o autor de Dn utiliza de padrões de descrição de reis perversos recorrentes ao longo da literatura mesopotâmica e da própria tradição judaica descrita na Bíblica.

Ancient Jews who were afflicted with diseases had a number of options to explain the causes and to find healing. These options were partly overlapping and complementary, even though the underlying ideologies might seem contradictory. Biblical tradition traces illness back to sins; only God himself and the human observance of God's commandments were believed to change this state.1 Throughout antiquity various types of self-promoting healers offered their wares, ranging from herbal remedies to magical spells and amulets.2 In addition, trained physicians, whose knowledge was based on empirical science and Greek medical traditions, were active at least in the major cities of Roman Palestine.3 If we apply the labels 'religious' , 'popular' , and 'scientific' to healing, various overlaps between these three phenomena are recognizable: physicians might complement medicinal treatments with remedies based on 'popular' beliefs; religious leaders such as priests and rabbis would utilize physicians and their knowledge for their own religious and ritual purposes; and these leaders could also possess medical knowledge themselves and/or engage in 'spiritual' healings.

Abstract : Justin Marty’s Dialogue with Trypho contains many allusions to Jewish religious authorities, which are then presented with various titles. A detailed analysis of these titles shows that they are always anonymous and interchangeable, sometimes anachronistic, and very often influenced by Scriptural sources. Because of this indifferenciation and the role they are given to play in the Dialogue, these Jewish authorities seem closely similar to New Testament  « Doctors of the Law ». A list of Jewish « sects » appears in Dial. 80, 4. It is the most ancient list we find in Christian literature of the first centuries, and some later ones seem inspired by it. Once again, from a detailed analysis questions more than certainties arise, and this passage is in various ways interpreted by scholars. Perhaps Justin gives us here a Christian lecture of Jewish realities. In both cases, polemical or apologetical intentions seem to have prevailed over historical concern. This is not strange in a work which is the expression of an almost entirely theological perception of reality

Résumé : Le Dialogue avec Tryphon de Justin Martyr comporte de nombreuses références à des autorités religieuses juives alors désignées par divers vocables. L’étude de détail montre que ces désignations sont toujours anonymes, imprécises et interchangeables, parfois anachroniques, et le plus souvent inspirées de sources scripturaires. Par leur indifférenciation et par le rôle qui leur est assigné dans le Dialogue, ces autorités juives rappellent étrangement les « Docteurs de la Loi » du Nouveau Testament. La liste de « sectes » juives qui apparaît en Dial. 80, 4 est la plus ancienne de celles qu’on trouve dans la littérature chrétienne des premiers siècles, et qui s’en inspirent parfois. Là encore, l’analyse du passage suscite plus d’interrogations que de certitudes, et chez ses commentateurs, l’interprétation en est encore discutée : il n’est pas impossible qu’en ce domaine Justin nous présente une lecture chrétienne de la réalité juive. Dans les deux cas, il semble bien que l’intention polémique ou apologétique ait pris le pas sur les préoccupations historiques, ce qui n’a rien de surprenant pour une œuvre presque entièrement inspirée par une perception théologique du réel.

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Eschatological fantasies of divine judgment and retribution constitute a common feature of sacred literature and often serve to legitimate violence, both physical and rhetorical, against others. is paper examines allusions to Roman spectacles of violence-which operated part and parcel of imperialist strategies to dominate and intimidate subject populations-in descriptions of final judgment. It argues that these references constitute forms of colonial mimicry, which ambivalently appropriate Roman symbols of power for their own self fashioning. is process, however, is not uniform, but serves different purposes and strategies in different texts and contexts. is article explores examples of such mimicry and asks what it means for visions of the final judgment to reinscribe the very methods of domination that these fantasies seek to displace. Additionally, it considers the role of voyeurism implicit in public disciplinary displays and the implications that imagining eschatological justice as a blood spectacle has for theological conceptions of divine surveillance and control.

This is something that I had discovered many years ago, but which had remained only in my own private notes until I began sharing this information with others after the year 2000. I finally wrote it out as a genealogical chart as a means to demonstrate some of the discoveries of the New Classical Scholarship (NCS). King Herod is still generally thought of by scholars today as being an Idumean. Though, his ancestors married into the royal house living and ruling in Idum (Edom/Idom/Idumia), his actual royal ancestry (through a male line) descended from Eleazar Auran. And therefore, King Herod was actually a descendant of Hasmoneas (via Eleazar Auran's father, Mattathias) through a collateral line of the Hasmoneans (or Maccabees). He was also, therefore, already a closely related cousin of Mariamne I, his wife, who was the last ruling descendant of the Hasmonean rulers. Though this information is found within the works of Flavius Josephus, he also made it fairly difficult to find-which is why no one had ever written about finding and knowing about this until I did. He (Flavius Josephus) had good reason for both giving this information and cleverly hiding it by giving it out of chronological order and in disjointed passages. He, Flavius Josephus (aka Arrius Calpurnius Piso) wanted to confuse his non-royal readers and prevent them, for as long as possible, from piecing together crucial pieces of information such as this, because he, himself, was a descendant of this very line. These were his own ancestors. He also wanted to paint a much different picture of the Pharisees than was actually true. It is only by having a great deal of knowledge and information about the Pharisees (and the other Jewish sects of the time) that one can begin to weed through and correctly perceive, the truth about the Jewish sects, and be able to tell just where he (Flavius Josephus) lied and misled his readers regarding them.

Lycia is best known among Christians worldwide as the place where Paul stopped at the harbors of Patara and Myra, and as the home of the famous Saint Nicholas. However, the rise of Christianity in Anatolia is built on the foundation of Judaism, and the story of early Judaism in Lycia is little told. This article discusses the rise of Judaism and Christianity and interacts especially with a 2015 article by the historian Julian Bennett. Several of his hypotheses are debatable such as Paul’s visit to Myra on his first Anatolian journey, so a reappraisal of these is done in this article. Bennett also failed to provide a substantive discussion of the Jewish presence in Lycia; that omission is rectified here. Lycia’s most famous early bishops, Methodius of Olympus and Nicholas of Myra, are discussed. The role of these two bishops in the final persecutions of Christians in the late Roman Empire is then evaluated. The article’s chronological scope spans the Hellenistic period through Late Antiquity.