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“They permit all that we abhor:” Persecutions and Public Attitudes Towards the Jews in Late Republican and Early Imperial Rome (63 BCE - 138 CE)
Location: West Ballroom
Mentor: Dr. Karen Matthews
This project examines the nature of the relationship between the Roman state and its Jewish population during the Late Republic and Early Empire. It argues that Jews were subject to popular discrimination and negative public opinions, but that in general they were protected by the Roman state. The essay uses three flashpoints of violence between Jews and Romans in order to illustrate how Roman leaders’ approach towards the Jews changed over time due to changing political circumstances. The project opens with a discussion of Roman Jewry’s historical context and the types of opinions about the community present in Roman literature. In general, the Romans disliked Jews because they fundamentally misunderstood Judaism itself and because of Jewish refusal to participate in civic functions. The actions of the Roman government are then considered. The essay argues that during the Julio-Claudian and Flavian periods, Jews were usually defended by Roman authorities. There were some sporadic instances of violence, such as Tiberius’ expulsion of the community in 19 CE and the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt, but these actions should be read as driven by secular motivations, rather than religious persecutions. The Roman emperors of these periods targeted the Jews because they saw attacking an already disliked minority as a way to achieve their political goals, not because they hated the Jewish community. This paradigm shifted during the Nerva-Antonine period, as the emergent universalizing imperial ideology was incompatible with the tolerance of Judaism. As a result, culturally motivated persecutions emerged during this period.
