be prepared according to Jewish dietary laws. Moreover, he is willing to
take advice on how to rule from the Jewish sages who come from Jerusa-
lem. In works that describe a historical or fictional religious persecution,
either perpetrated or only planned — Antiochus IV in 2 Maccabees and
4 Maccabees, Ptolemy IV in 3 Maccabees, Ptolemy VI in Josephus,Against
Apion2.51-55, Caligula, and Flaccus—anegativeportraitoftheruleris
drawn that helps to define what a good and just sovereign should be. In
many instances, the monarch or his representatives repents of his wicked
ways and recognizes the greatness of the God of Israel. This is the case with
Heliodorus and Antiochus IV in 2 Maccabees and with Ptolemy IV in
3 Maccabees. The alternative scenario is the death of the impious ruler, as
in the case of Flaccus and Caligula. However, a quite different picture
emerges from Josephus’s writings, due to his perspective on the First Re-
volt and his position as a protégé of the Flavians. In theJewish War,he is at
pains to describe Vespasian and Titus in a positive light, even if he is not as
uncritical as some commentators have thought. In theAntiquities,he also
insists on the “privileges” granted to the Jews by the Roman senate and the
Roman emperors, who generally allowed the Jews to live according to their
ancestral traditions. In this respect, Josephus’s conception of the just ruler
is similar to that of his predecessors from Alexandria.
Another leitmotiv in these texts is the Jews’ faithfulness to the king. It
is stressed again and again that the Jews are loyal subjects. According to
these texts, the normal or ideal relationship between Jews and Hellenistic
or Roman rulers is one of mutual trust and collaboration: the king pro-
tects the Jews and grants them the right to live according to their laws, at
least in certain matters, and the Jews serve the king, pray for his welfare
and that of his kingdom, dedicateproseuchai(houses of prayers) to him
and his family, and even offer sacrifices at the Jerusalem Temple on his be-
half. The same theme also appears in works composed in Hebrew and Ara-
maic, such as Daniel, Esther, and 1 Maccabees. Yet these works tend to de-
pict non-Jewish sovereigns in a harsher light than do the Jewish texts
written in Greek, and to present a less optimistic vision of the relationship
between Jews and foreign rulers. There is no Hebrew or Aramaic counter-
part of theLetter of Aristeas.This fact likely owes to the different ways in
which Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule were experienced by Jews in Eretz Israel
and in the Diaspora.241
Early Jewish Literature Written in GreekEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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