Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

some political refugees and forced settlements. Roman intervention in the

Near East temporarily accelerated the process. Pompey’s victories in Judea

in 63b.c.e., followed by battles on Palestinian soil over the next three de-

cades, brought an unspecified number of Jews to Italy as human booty, the

victims of conquest.

Compulsory displacement, however, cannot have accounted for more

than a fraction of the Diaspora. A host of reasons could motivate Jews to

migrate voluntarily. Overpopulation in Palestine may have been a factor

for some, indebtedness for others. But more than hardship was involved

here. The new and expanded communities that sprang up in consequence

of Alexander’s acquisitions served as magnets for migration. In a mobile

society, a range of options presented themselves. Large numbers of Jews

found employment as mercenaries, military colonists, or enlisted men in

the regular forces of Hellenic cities or kingdoms. Others seized opportuni-

ties in business, commerce, or agriculture. All lands were open to them.

The Jewish Conception of Diaspora

How did Jews conceptualize the Diaspora? What sort of self-perception

shaped the thinking of those who dwelled in Antioch, Alexandria, Rome,

Cyrene, Ephesus, or anywhere outside Judea? The biblical reverberations

of the scattering of Israel possessed a decidedly somber character, a dark

cloud cast upon Jews whose memories of the homeland grew ever dimmer.

The book of Leviticus had declared that divine retaliation for their sins

would disperse Israelites among the nations. The anger of YHWH, so one

reads in Deuteronomy, would pursue them in foreign lands where they

would worship false gods and idols. Jeremiah’s pronouncements rein-

forced the message: the Israelites who turn their backs on YHWH will live

as slaves of alien lords in alien parts, scattered among strange peoples

where they will endure God’s punishment until their destruction. And

Daniel warns that failure to heed divine commandments will provoke God

to order the dispersal of Israel. Diaspora thus appears to emblematize en-

forced expulsion from the homeland, a condemnation for wickedness,

with sinners languishing abroad in distant parts under the oppressive sway

of hostile strangers.

Yet dire biblical forecasts may bear little relevance to Diaspora life in

the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Historical reality stands in the way.

Can one plausibly conceive of Jews living abroad in countless numbers

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Judaism in the Diaspora

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:03:55 PM