tithe did not signify a desire for the “Return.” It rendered the Return un-
necessary.
A comparable institution reinforces that inference: the pilgrimage of
Diaspora Jews to Jerusalem. Major festivals could attract them with some
frequency and in substantial numbers. According to Philo, myriads came
from countless cities for every feast, over land and sea, from all points of
the compass, to enjoy the Temple as a serene refuge from the hurly-burly
of everyday life abroad. Josephus informs us that the women’s court at the
Temple was large enough to accommodate those who resided in the land
and those who arrived from abroad—aclear sign that numerous female
pilgrims came with some regularity.
The Holy City was a compelling magnet. But the demonstration of de-
votion did not entail a desire for migration. Pilgrimage, in fact, by its very
nature, signified a temporary payment of respect. Jerusalem possessed an
irresistible claim on the emotions of Diaspora Jews, forming a critical part
of their identity. But home was elsewhere.
The self-perception of Second Temple Jews projected a tight solidarity
between center and Diaspora. Images of exile and separation did not
haunt them. What affected the dwellers in Jerusalem affected Jews every-
where. The theme of intertwined experience and identity recurs with im-
pressive frequency and variety in Second Temple literature. The two letters
affixed to the beginning of 2 Maccabees illustrate the point. The Jews of Je-
rusalem take for granted the intimate relationship that exists with their
brethren in Egypt. The preamble of the first letter greets them as “broth-
ers” to “brothers” and alludes to their common heritage: God’s covenant
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the concluding lines of the second
letter make reference to the desired reunion of all Jews in the holy site. The
latter delivers a summons to Egyptian Jews to attend the newly instituted
festival, thus to celebrate the purification of the Temple, a reaffirmation of
the solidarity among Jews everywhere. It reflects the practice of pilgrim-
age, not a program to dissolve the Diaspora.
TheLetter of Aristeasmakes an equally forceful statement about the
connection between Jerusalemites and other Jews. King Ptolemy’s missive
to the high priest in Judea asserts that his motive in having the Hebrew Bi-
ble rendered into Greek is to benefit not only the Jews of Egypt but all Jews
throughout the world, including those yet unborn. One may legitimately
question whether the king ever made such a statement. But the Jewish au-
thor of theLetterconceived or conveyed it. And that is the point. At the
conclusion of the work, when the scholars from Jerusalem complete their115Judaism in the DiasporaEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:03:56 PM