The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature: The Hellenistic PeriodThis landmark contribution to ongoing debates about perceptions of the Jews in antiquity examines the attitudes of Greek writers of the Hellenistic period toward the Jewish people. Among the leading Greek intellectuals who devoted special attention to the Jews were Theophrastus (the successor of Aristotle), Hecataeus of Abdera (the father of "scientific" ethnography), and Apollonius Molon (probably the greatest rhetorician of the Hellenistic world). Bezalel Bar-Kochva examines the references of these writers and others to the Jews in light of their literary output and personal background; their religious, social, and political views; their literary and stylistic methods; ethnographic stereotypes current at the time; and more. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 13 | |
1 Theophrastus on Jewish Sacrificial Practices and the Jews as a Community of Philosophers | 15 |
2 Aristotle the Learned fJew and the Indian Kalanoi in Clearchus | 40 |
3 The Jewish Ethnographic Excursus by Hecataeus of Abdera | 90 |
4 Megasthenes on the Physics of the Greeks Brahmans and Jews | 136 |
5 Hermippus of Smyrna on Pythagoras the Jews and the Thracians | 164 |
6 The Diachronic Libels and Accusations A | 206 |
9 The Diachronic Libels and Accusations C | 306 |
10 Posidonius of Apamea A | 338 |
11 Posidonius of Apamea B | 355 |
12 Posidonius of Apamea C | 399 |
13 Posidonius of Apamea D | 440 |
14 The Geographical Description of Jerusalem by Timorchares the Siege and the Libels | 458 |
15 The AntiJewish Ethnographic Treatise by Apollonius Molon | 469 |
Conclusion | 517 |
THE HASMONAEAN PERIOD | 251 |
7 The Diachronic Libels and Accusations B | 253 |
8 Agatharchides of Cnidus on the Sabbath as a Superstition | 280 |
Appendix | 525 |
Bibliography | 543 |
| 577 | |
Other editions - View all
The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature: The Hellenistic Period Bezalel Bar-Kochva Limited preview - 2016 |
The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature: The Hellenistic Period Bezalel Bar-Kochva No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
according adduced agatharchides alexandria animal anti-Jewish antiochus sidetes apamea apion apollonius Molon appears aristotle athenaeus attributed Bar-Kochva biography blood libel Bollansée century b.c.e. cicero clearchus concerning contemporary context Contra Apionem cosmos cult customs deeds described detailed diod diodorus diog diogenes laertius divine egypt egyptian ethnography eusebius explain explicitly FGrH fragment GLAJJ gods Greek authors Guttmann Hasmonaean Hecataeus of abdera Hecataeus’s Hellenistic Hermippus hostile Hyrcanus idumaean indian invented Jacoby Jerusalem Jewish excursus Jews Josephus Josephus Contra Apionem Josephus’s Judaea Judaism Kalanos karteria Kidd king laert later literature lysimachus Manetho Megasthenes mentioned Mnaseas Moses original parallel passage period philosophers Photius Plato Plutarch pneuma Posidonian Posidonius Posidonius’s priests prohibition Ptolemy Pythagoras Pythagorean reference regarded rhetoric roman sabbath sacrifice scholars schürer seleucid sentence siege story stern stoic strabo suggested temple testimonia Theophrastus timochares tion tradition writings καὶ τῶν