ZA'i(;ENIIERG:REALIZINGDIVERSfnt 185others,however,simplywerecontentwilhthehopellutintheendlhere
would be nop3gans at all, not because they had allconverted but
hec,lLIseGodwouldhavethemdestroyedaspunishmentfortheiraberra-
tionandidol:Hry.
Theroleofpagansat theeschatologicalmarginsoftimeequaLstheir
roleonthemarginsofspace.Despitethefacithatthereweremanypagans
inIheland,andJewishauthorswerewellawareofthat,formanyancient
lextsthesepagans in<I strictsense werewithouthome. Althoughthey
mighthavebeenpresentintheland,theyh.ldnoclaimtoil.Mostofthem
wereseenaslivingoutsidelhelandof[sr:lelanyway,thereforebeing"out-
siders" inthestrictestsense.So, formanyauthors,Israelwasessentially
andsymbolicallysun'Olllle/edby Gentilenations,whilepagansexisted
essentiallyandsymbolicallyonthemarp,ills.lJustaspaganswouldhave
noshareintheworldtocome,theyalsolackeda placeontheeveryday
mapinthemindsofmanyofIhosepeoplewhoselextsfr.:lOleourown
perceptionofthereligiollsworldofPalestineuntilnow.
It goeswithoutsayingthat,toalargeextent,thispicturewas also
sharedbyearlyChrisli:lns.[ntheformativeperiodofearlyChristianity,all
ChristianauthorswereconvincedthatthefollowersofJesus(still)were
trueheirstothebiblicalcovenant,sotheytriedhardtoavoidanynotion
thatbynolongerbeingproper"Jews"anduncircumcised,theywerenoth-
inghurhellerr<lg:lns.WiThsuch:1posiTion,iTisnowonderrhaTunlilwell
inlOthelatesecondcenTurybasicChriSTianalTitudestowardpaganswere
moreorlessa reflectionofthevariCliesofJewishopinions.
Jewishrejectionofpaganismwasmatched bya distancedoreven
hostilealTitudetowardJewsonthesideofGreeksandRomans,Thepecu-
liarself-definitionsofbothsegmenlsofIhepopulationinPalestinecreated
a tensesilu:l1ionthatW:lS ratheruniquecomparedtootherregions. For
example,thefierce:.md oflenbloodyconfrontationbetweenCeltsand
I{omanswasfinallyovercome,andbytheconnationofbothculturesa1 Towhatl'xtel1tthest'twott'nl·ts1>ti11occupyl'\enmodl'rn1>cholarlyIiter.Huft'canbe
M:eninEmilSchliref,nJe/-lis/or)'of/bejeu'islJH.."opl"illfbe",tICoJ.k'SlisChn'sf(175/J.C-AD
/35)(rev.andcd. G. Verrne~, I'. ,\hIlM,,111d,\t, B!,Kk, Edinhllrj.:h,1'&1'Cbrk, 1973-
'Pl,2:52-51"Hellenbminitsrdi/o(iollS,I~pectW,ISdrivenoutofthl')ewhhregionproperby
theJ">lacGlbeanuprisingandilW;lsnutuntilafterthedefe,ltofthe.I",wl1>hnationinthew:m;
ofv",sl"lsi,ll1andH,ldri,ll1thaItheRomansforc",dan",ntryfOfthepaj.:'ll1(.'ults. Thesmall
Jcwbhterritorywassurroundedonalmo.stallsi(le~hyIlclkni.sticrq~ions:Sehlirer;Illdhis
modernL"{lilors,however,ri~htly,~tn.:s~Ih:uthisdocsnOIme:ll1thmJewswefCunaffectedby
I [ellcni:>tillUltUlC".Howe'el,S,hlnerWJCsonto".ly."TIl<;tk·JknizeJ'''l,ionsnotonl)bu,"
d",redPalestineonalmosl,IIIsidesbill,IboexistL--tlwithinit"(2:7';)SchOrcrcJl'arly"howsthe
aporiasofanapproachthatcom:cptu:lllyC{)l1centl:ltCS 011 dividingp:t/o(:mfromJewishnlhu~,
IImighlIX'bener 10 s<:eboth:t~p:lI1~ofonetlelJeni_ticculture