Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

twined. The use of the Greek language was not a mere stopgap to make up

for a deficient knowledge of Hebrew or Aramaic but an intrinsic part of

the identity and worldview of early Jewish authors. And since words do

not convey meanings in a neutral way, even the simplest statement of Jew-

ish beliefs and customs in Greek took on a slightly different meaning than

one formulated in Hebrew or Aramaic and gave birth to a different kind of

Judaism. This is not to say that early Jewish writings composed in Greek

did not share common themes or characteristics with their counterparts in

Hebrew or Aramaic. A closer look at the issues tackled by the former will

help us evaluate their connections with the latter.

Some Important Themes

Regardless of their literary genre, all early Jewish works composed in

Greek convey a religious message at one level or another. Even Josephus’s

Jewish Warcontains considerable theological interpretation, and Philo’s

arguments against the rationality of animals inDe Animalibus,to cite but

one example, have an implicit biblical background: the first chapters of

Genesis, which establish the superiority of human beings over animals. So

there is no “profane” Jewish literature written in Greek, even if many texts

perform functions besides religious edification and even aim at entertain-

ing their audience. Humor, pleasure, aesthetics, polemics, and religious or

moral instruction are not mutually exclusive goals.

Jews and Foreign Rulers

Beyond this general statement, several key issues can be emphasized. First,

a strikingly recurrent theme of Jewish literature written in Greek consists

in reflections about the relationship between the king or the emperor and

his Jewish subjects. It represents a major topic in theLetter of Aristeas,

2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, Philo’sIn FlaccumandLegatio ad Gaium,

Josephus’sJewish Warand part of hisJewish Antiquities.It also appears,

though to a lesser extent, in 4 Maccabees. All these works convey a certain

vision of what a good king or emperor should be. The good monarch is the

one who protects the Jews and grants them the right to live according to

their ancestral laws and customs. In theLetter of Aristeas,the king even

bows down in front of the Mosaic law and gives orders for the banquet to

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katell berthelot

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:05 PM