Dragning till hednisk kult bland judar under hellenistisk tid och tidig kejsartid

Abstract

In a way similar to earlier biblical times Jews in the time after Alexander the Great were confronted with non-Jewish religious practices. The prohibition of the Torah to participate in heathen cultic activities was of course valid to the Jews also in the Hellenistic and the Imperial world. Notwithstanding, there is certain evidence that some Jews did participate in pagan cult during the time of the Greek and the Roman hegemonies in the eastern Mediterranean area. In the first place the religious situation in the Jewish homeland leading to the Maccabean revolt is discussed. The Books of the Maccabees make it clear that there existed groups among the Jews who were willing to compromise with the strict prohibitions concerning paganism in Deuteronomy. We also find indications that Jews could be forced to participate in pagan rites both in and outside their homeland.