The History of the Jews in the Greco-Roman World

In the encounter with Hellenism which confronted the Jews of Palestine in the form of Greek, Roman and finally Christian supremacy, a Judaism developed which had far outgrown its biblical origins and which was to influence the history of Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Jews in the Greco-Roman World examines the political history of the Jewish people in Palestine in terms of the interaction between political activity and social, economic and religious circumstances. Of particular concern is the investigation of social and economic conditions in the history of Palestinian Judaism. The Jews of antiquity are presented as both the subject and the object of history as they attempt to achieve their political and social goals in a variety of changing circumstances. The period chosen for this study is that represented by the global domination of Hellenism, from the conquest of Palestine by Alexander the Great in the second half of the fourth century BCE until the seizure of the land by the Arabs in the seventh century CE. Great care has been taken to make the reader aware of the relationship between the author's account and the original source. Likewise, reference has been made to the relevant sources as often as possible, so that the reader can look these up and check the information provided against the source material.