vate the dilapidated temples in their own cities but sent their monies to a
temple way off in Jerusalem. They therefore took steps to rectify this lack,
which was felt as injustice, and seized the monies that the Jews had col-
lected to be sent to the Jerusalem Temple. The situation must have been
grave, since Augustus had to provide a special penalty for those caught
stealing Jewish sacred monies or sacred books (JRRW22).Libya
In Libya as well we hear of friction between Jews and Greeks over taxation.
Josephus quotes a letter in which Agrippa, Augustus’s best general and
son-in-law, writes to the magistrates of Cyrene: the Jews complain that
“they are being threatened by certain informers and prevented (from send-
ing their monies) on the pretext of their owing taxes, which are in fact not
owed” (Ant.16.170). Scholars suggest that this statement may refer to the
metoikion,which all noncitizens had to pay. If so, the claim would have
been that some or all of the Jews of Cyrene had the same (or equivalent)
rights as those of the members of the Greek city, thepolis,and therefore
did not have to pay the taxes owed by noncitizens. But other suggestions
may be offered too. For example, the taxes here may have been related to
pagan worship, as was the case in Ionia in the same period. In any case, at-
tempted tax evasion was apparently a common feature of the time. During
Augustus’s reign, the Greek cities also appealed to the emperor against Ro-
man citizens who claimed exemption from taxation and liturgy duties
(SEG9, 8, section III). Moreover, since the Greek cities were engaged in a
war against native tribesmen, economic pressure may have exacerbated fi-
nancial disputes.Egypt
Theoretically, there was no dramatic change when Egypt fell under
Octavian’s control in 31b.c.e.after the Battle of Actium. Octavian, now
Augustus, implemented the traditional policy of the Ptolemies toward the
Jews and confirmed their traditional rights. The testimonies of Josephus
(J.W.2.488;Ant.14.282) and Philo (Legat.159, 291;Flacc.50) are confirmed
by a Greek papyrus that mentions the religious freedom enjoyed by Alex-
andrian Jews “in the time of the god Augustus” (CPJ2:153).381Jews among Greeks and RomansEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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