The Jewish-Greek Tradition in Antiquity and the Byzantine Empire

This comprehensive survey of Jewish-Greek society's development examines the exchange of language and ideas in biblical translations, literature and archaeology.

James K. Aitken (Edited by), James Carleton Paget (Edited by)

9781107001633, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 October 2014

381 pages, 20 b/w illus. 1 map
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.8 cm, 0.76 kg

The Jewish-Greek tradition represents an arguably distinctive strand of Judaism characterized by use of the Greek language and interest in Hellenism. This volume traces the Jewish encounter with Greek culture from the earliest points of contact in antiquity to the end of the Byzantine Empire. It honors Nicholas de Lange, whose distinguished work brought recognition to an undeservedly neglected field, in part by dispelling the common belief that Jewish-Greek culture largely disappeared after 100 CE. The authors examine literature, archaeology, and biblical translations, such as the Septuagint, in order to illustrate the substantial exchange of language and ideas. The Jewish-Greek Tradition in Antiquity and the Byzantine Empire demonstrates the enduring significance of the tradition and will be an essential handbook for anyone interested in Jewish studies, biblical studies, ancient and Byzantine history, or the Greek language.

Preface Amos Oz
1. Introduction James K. Aitken and James N. Carleton Paget
Part I. History: 2. Jews and Greco-Roman culture: from Alexander to Theodosius II Günter Stemberger
3. The Jewish experience in Byzantium Steven Bowman
4. Jews and Jewish communities in the Balkans and the Aegean until the twelfth century Alexander Panayotov
Part II. Historiography: 5. Origen and the Jews and Jewish-Greek–Christian relations William Horbury
6. Jewish-Greek studies in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Germany: a brief overview Giuseppe Veltri
Part III. Greek Bible and Language: 7. The origins of the Septuagint James N. Carleton Paget
8. The language of the Septuagint James K. Aitken
9. Afterlives of the Septuagint: a Christian witness to the Greek Bible in Byzantine Judaism Cameron Boyd-Taylor
10. Medieval and early modern Judaeo-Greek biblical translations: a linguistic viewpoint Julia Krivoruchko
Part IV. Culture: 11. Philo's knowledge of Hebrew: the meaning of the etymologies Tessa Rajak
12. The plain and laughter: the hermeneutical function of the sign in Philo of Alexandria Francis Schmidt
13. Jewish archaeology and art in antiquity David Noy
14. Jewish-Greek epigraphy in antiquity Pieter van der Horst
15. The rabbis, the Greek Bible, and Hellenism Philip Alexander
16. Greek-Hebrew linguistic contacts in late antique and medieval magical texts Gideon Bohak
17. Jewish and Christian hymnody in the early Byzantine period Wout van Bekkum
18. On the Hebrew script of the Greek-Hebrew palimpsests from the Cairo Genizah Judith Olszowy-Schlanger.

Subject Areas: Jewish studies [JFSR1], Judaism [HRJ], Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG], Church history [HRCC2], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]