Hasmonean Historical Traditions Preserved in a Tenth-Century CE History of Ancient Israel: The Intriguing Case of Sefer Yosippon

The term “Hellenistic Judaism” is a conventional one, long used, but a misnomer according to many contemporary scholars. Traditionally, “Hellenistic Judaism” was a designation for Judaism in the Greek-speaking world, including those Jews who spoke Greek and adopted (to some extent) a Greek way of life. It has been argued, however, that all Judaism after the conquests of Alexander was Hellenistic Judaism. The Hellenistic period begins with the conquests of Alexander, but when did it end? In one sense, it continued under the Romans and even encompassed the Byzantine period, ending only with the Islamic conquest. For practical purposes, however, the bibliography given here covers primarily the period from Alexander to the Roman conquest under Pompey, circa 335 to 65 bce, a period of almost three centuries. From the point of view of the region or province of Judah, it takes in first Ptolemaic, then Seleucid, and finally Hasmonean rule. The last is very important as almost a century of rule by a native Jewish dynasty of priest-kings. Although many have seen the Maccabean revolt as opposing Hellenistic culture, this is to be very much doubted. Hellenistic Judaism is part of a wider historical period and phenomenon known as “Second Temple Judaism,” which refers to Judaism from Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon to the fall of the Jerusalem temple in 70 ce, or the Persian, Greek, and early Roman periods. Many of the major developments of Judaism during this time actually began in the Persian period, but they sometimes accelerated under Greek rule, and Greek rule brought its own influences and contributions to the Jewish people. This has been most discussed with regard to Hellenization and the so-called Hellenistic reform preceding the Maccabean revolt. See Hellenism and Hellenization and Maccabean Revolt and Hasmonean Rule.

Reviewed by: T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, Volumes I and II ed. by Daniel M. Gurtner and Loren T. Stuckenbruck Bradley C. Gregory daniel m. gurtner and loren t. stuckenbruck (eds.), T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, Volumes I and II (London: T&T Clark, 2020). Pp. xcii + 1429. $400. This reference work is a major achievement that brings together a remarkable collection of scholars and represents the best of recent scholarship on Second Temple Judaism. There are two lengthy introductory essays and 640 encyclopedic entries. At the end of each of the encyclopedic entries there is a brief bibliography and a list of related entries. Many entries are enhanced by illustrations and photographs. After a series of sixteen periodized color maps of the eastern Mediterranean, Judea, Jerusalem, and Masada, the work is divided into four parts. Volume 1 contains the first three parts, while volume 2 contains part 4. The essay “What Is Second Temple Judaism?” by Loren T. Stuckenbruck (pp. 1–19) constitutes part 1. Stuckenbruck begins by considering the time frame that is in view in references to the Second Temple period. He argues that, although the temple was destroyed in 70 c.e., it is reasonable to include the period up to the mid-second century within the purview of the present work because a wrestling with the significance of the temple at its destruction continued through the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135 c.e. He then turns to issues of terminology and nicely demonstrates the inadequacy of terms such as “intertestamental,” “late Judaism,” and “post-biblical.” Next, he considers the features of the Second Temple period and points out how difficult it can be to define what is meant by “Judaism” in the Second Temple period without succumbing to reductionistic or anachronistic descriptions. In fact, Stuckenbruck offers a persuasive approach that “there is little need to opt for the binary or principled alternatives of a ‘mainstream Judaism’ or ‘Judaisms’ in the plural. Rather, the tension between these alternatives may be considered important in itself: a search for shared identity, even if not resolved, is necessary if one is to reconstruct fault lines and how, if at all, different ways of being Jewish could remain in conversation with one another” (p. 5). From there, he identifies three “pillars” that run through the Second Temple period: (1) the effect of ongoing sociopolitical and cultural influences on Judaism, (2) the modes of responding to these changes, along various continuums such as accommodation versus resistance, in ways that shaped a variety of Jewish identities, and (3) the [End Page 527] expansion, shaping, and reception of sacred tradition. Stuckenbruck’s introductory essay concludes by considering some of the main challenges confronting scholars of the Second Temple period. The essay “The Historical and Political Contexts of Second Temple Judaism” by Daniel M. Gurtner (pp. 21–89) constitutes part 2. In this contribution, Gurtner provides a recounting of the events from the Persian conquest of Babylon in 538 b.c.e. to the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135 c.e. However, because his chief intention is to provide a narrative framework for the entries in parts 3 and 4, Gurtner’s overview draws mainly on the presentation of the literary sources. He alerts the reader that “relatively little attention is paid to historical problems that emerge from literary and other sources, nor does the question of historical veracity in itself occupy much attention as critical assessments and reconstructions are left to the specialized contributions that are cross-referenced” (p. 21). Because of this, readers should consult the other entries on specific events, as Gurtner recommends. They also may wish to read this essay while referencing more critical histories of the period such as Lester L. Grabbe’s magisterial four-volume work A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, the first three of which have been published (LSTS; London: T&T Clark, 2004, 2008, 2020). It should be noted that Gurtner spends less than two pages on the Persian period, a far briefer treatment than what is devoted to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Nevertheless, this is a helpful overview of...

Reviewed by: Regulating Sex in the Roman Empire: Ideology, the Bible, and the Early Christians by David Wheeler-Reed Helen Rhee David Wheeler-Reed Regulating Sex in the Roman Empire: Ideology, the Bible, and the Early Christians New Haven, CT; London, England: Yale University Press, 2017 Pp. x + 177. $45.00. This book aims to expose that modern conservative American Christians, wanting "to (re)establish so-called Judeo-Christian [family] values in this country," without knowingly doing so, "have codified the imperial discourse of Augustus, with its emphasis on marriage and procreation, instead of early Christian ideology that [End Page 138] won out under the monastics, which emphasized singleness as [superior]" (xx). As a work of exposé of ideologies and "general history" in contrast to "total history" (a study of "overarching principles that govern the development of an epoch," quoted in xv), the author seeks to achieve that goal by "describing differences, transformations, continuities, mutations, and so forth" (xv, 105) of ideologies of marriage and sexuality in relation to power in the Roman imperial period and early Christianity that bear upon contemporary American ideologies and politics of marriage and procreation. The foundational chapter is the first chapter where the author discusses Augustan marriage legislation as Augustus's codification of morality: the lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus and the lex Julia de adulteriis (both in 18 b.c.e.); and the lex Papi Poppaea (9 c.e.). Based on the Roman ideal of harmonia (unity), these laws established marriage as a civic duty incumbent on all Roman male citizens between twenty-five and sixty years of age and on all Roman women between twenty and fifty, penalized singleness and marriage between social unequals such as senators and freed people, and granted ius liberorum to fertile women with at least three children. These laws were not really about "family values," however, but about economic and political purpose by ensuring "population growth for the expansion of the empire" (14). The author then shows how moral philosophers such as Musonius Rufus, a philosopher-physician Galen, and even a romance writer Achilles Tatius all served as propagandists of this "ideological state apparatus"—the "fulfillment of the common good through marriage" and procreation (36). The author rightly drives home the (sinister) significance of the apparently unified Augustan ideology and its seemingly unilateral impact on the empire through culturally ingrained misogyny and despite Augustus's own moral hypocrisy; however, he largely ignores heated internal debates among moral philosophers on marriage and celibacy and complexities surrounding the legislation in terms of its execution, reception, and efficacy both in ancient and modern critical sources. Discussing the sexual ethics of Second Temple Judaism (515 b.c.e.–70 c.e.) in the second chapter, the author highlights its privileging of "the home, marriage, and procreation" and commitment to "heteronormativity and the family," thus upholding "the same hegemonic ideology of empire, reducing a woman's body to the reproductive act" (40, 60). According to the author, "this shows just how widespread certain broader cultural patterns were in the ancient world" (60). Second Temple Jews interpreted Gen 1.28 ("Be fruitful and multiply") and 2.24 ("Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh") as commandments and confined sex into marriage only for procreation (44). Philo in particular was the chief advocate of this "new sexual program of Procreationism" as he linked sexual desire to idolatry (44–48). The Essenes were (the only) notable exception to this in their practice of (permanent) asceticism. The chapter on the New Testament argues that two competing ideologies of marriage and sex, "antifamily" and "profamily," pervade the New Testament as the "impasse" (63–64). Here the author takes the well-trodden paths of scholarly discussions. The "antifamily" ideology shown in 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, [End Page 139] Mark, and Matthew chronologically precedes the "profamily" developed in Luke and the disputed letters of Paul, namely Ephesians, Colossians, and the Pastorals. The authentic Paul's view of sex and marriage in 1 Thess 4 and 1 Cor 7, which is thoroughly negative as "the prophylaxis against desire" (69), is predicated on his expectation of the imminent parousia...

While the Torah enjoys central importance in the sectarian scrolls, it is not nearly so central in the Aramaic texts found at Qumran. These texts show familiarity with the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but they treat them as sources for stories and wisdom instruction rather than for prescriptive law. The same is true of Ben Sira. Ancestral laws were very important in the Hellenistic world, but their importance was largely symbolic. Even Ezra seems to have focused primarily on a few issues of symbolic importance. Only after the Maccabean revolt do we begin to get sustained halakic discussion in such books as the Temple Scroll and Jubilees. The increased prominence of halakic disputes went hand in hand with the rise of sectarianism.

The production of knowledge is a core element of the apocalyptic literature of Second Temple Judaism. Critical for understanding this trope is the legitimization of esoteric knowledge as heavenly revelation. Apocalypses in this way put forward totalizing systems of knowledge by which the world can be understood. The presentation of such knowledge as revelation transforms it into an intellectual commodity that various social groups can utilize. This essay argues that the theme of supernatural revelation in apocalyptic literature should be understood not simply in the context of political crises, such as the Maccabean revolt, but also in terms of the cultural politics of knowledge in the Hellenistic Age.

Given the traumatic nature of Antiochus IV Epiphanes' assault upon the Jewish way of life, and the dramatic deliverance brought about by the Maccabean revolt, it should occasion little surprise that such events lived on in the memories of later generations. Indeed, the analysis in chapter one has already intimated as much. However, the significance of this fact has not always received the consideration it deserves. Thus, while recognizing the multifarious nature of Second Temple Judaism, the intent of this chapter is to establish that the Maccabean period – and not least the pivotal role of its martyr figures – was current as an inspirational living tradition readily at hand to a first-century Jew such as Paul.

Reviewed by: An Introduction to Early Judaismby James C. Vanderkam Zev Garber james c. vanderkam, An Introduction to Early Judaism( 2nded.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022). Pp. xiv + 239. Paper $28.99. Generally speaking, semipopular textbooks that attempt to understand important events and personalities of early Judaism (popularly known as "Second Temple Judaism") highlight major archaeological discoveries, relevant texts, notable movements, influential shapers and shakers, and on. These introductions present a necessary backdrop story of the importance of these named references in the history and culture of Judaism from 587/586 b.c.e. (major phase of the Babylonian exile) to the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 c.e.). Maps, outlines, and photography bring to life archaeological, architectural, topographical, historical, biblical, and cultural data referenced and discussed in the text. They illuminate visually and textually significant personalities, geographical locations—historical data that are central in understanding this epoch of Jewish history, beginnings, and destiny. Alas, these expected features are nearly missing in VanderKam's book. His thesis is that the terrain of early Judaism is unexplored territory and therefore heavy tomes of scholarship and debate impede the learning process and progress of the beginning student, nonspecialist instructor, and general reader. His methodology is the use of biblical and extra-biblical texts that are not intended to be data set in situ, he argues, but are instead literary writings that serve ideological positions. His goal is to decode the literary genres in canonical texts and commentary and non-Jewish writings/sources to understand how the scriptural and extrascriptural writers interlaced literature, history, geography, and ideology in their descriptive take on what constitutes the religious and spatial agenda of early Judaism. The volume is divided into four main sections. The first ("The Time of the Second Temple") is parsed into the Persian period (538–332 b.c.e.), the Hellenistic age (323–63 b.c.e.), and the Roman period (63 b.c.e. and beyond). Important events, influential personalities, and decisive history-making decisions are effectively introduced, discussed, and evaluated. The work of Ezra and Nehemiah for Jewish identity and self-government, Ptolemaic and Seleucid control, the Hasmonean state, and individual leaders (Cyrus, Alexander, Judas Maccabeus, Herod, Bar Kokhba) are clearly presented. Nonetheless, cursory descriptions and evaluations can cause unanswered and/or necessary probing queries. For example, whence does the number 70/72 come in relation to the translators of the Septuagint, as recorded in the Letter of Aristeas)? VdK. offers no explanation. Support material in this section is drawn from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, 1–4 Maccabees, and particularly from the writings of Flavius Josephus. Sections 2 ("Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period") and 3 ("Great Archaeological Discoveries") embrace additional nonrabbinic literature and archaeology of the Second Temple period since the first edition of this volume (2001). Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha are defined and selected genre and topics are chosen for analysis, discussion, and importance. Categorical divisions embrace Histories (1 Esdras; 1 and 2 Maccabees), Tales (Tobit; Judith; Susanna; 3 Maccabees; Letter of Aristeas; Greek Esther; Joseph and Aseneth), Rewritten Scripture ( 1 Enoch; Aramaic Levi Document; Book of Jubilees; Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs; and Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities), Apocalypses (Apocalypse of Weeks [ 1 En. 93:1–10; 91:11–17]; Book of Dreams [ 1 Enoch83–90]; Sibylline Oracles; Similitudes or Parables of Enoch [ 1 Enoch37–71]); and Testament of Moses), Wisdom Literature (Wisdom of Ben Sira; the Epistle of Enoch [ 1 Enoch91–107/108]; Baruch; Wisdom of Solomon; and 4 Maccabees), Poetic Works ( Psalms of Solomon; Psalms of [End Page 347]Manasseh; and Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men), Mockery of Idols (Letter of Jeremiah; and Bel and the Dragon); and the importance of Philo of Alexandria and Josephus. Archaeological findings relate to the Elephantine papyri, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Masada. In sum, literature and archaeological findings are concisely presented with erudition and accessibility. Section 4 ("Synthesis: Leaders, Groups, and Institutions") treats the role and responsibility of religious functionaries (the high priest and the priesthood), civil authority, Sanhedrin, and major sectarian groups (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and others, most notably, Sicarii/Zealots, whose leadership conquered Masada in...

This book covers 26 independence wars that have irrevocably changed the world, beginning with the Maccabean Revolt against Rome (167–160 BCE) and ending with the Tamil War for Independence in Sri Lanka (1983–2009). Throughout history, people longing for independence have fought wars to win their freedom. Some of these wars, such as the American Revolution and the Israeli War of Independence, were great successes. Others, such as the Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire, were devastating failures. In some cases, most notably the Arab Revolt, the outcome had immense repercussions that are still felt today all over the world. This book examines 26 of the most significant independence wars, from ancient times to the modern era and identifies the origins and consequences of these key conflicts. Comprehensive overview essays as well as explanations of the causes and consequences of each war give readers the background needed to understand the importance of these seminal events. Additional learning tools include detailed timelines that contextualize all of the key events in the conflict, maps of several of the key battles that help readers visualize the strategies of both sides, and a lengthy bibliography that offers a wealth of options for students looking to further investigate any of the conflicts.

The Maccabean revolt contains in nuce all the elements of a war, which is to say a putatively commanded by God and carried out on behalf of religious goals. The war's religious justification produced parameters that could not always be harmonized easily: on the one hand the warfare's character had to be recognizable in praxis. On the other hand, the interests of dynastic power were meant to be promoted, not hindered. This chapter suggests that these parameters remained stable although the Hasmoneans adjusted the concrete formation of the holy war to suit changing circumstances. It distinguishes three phases: the phase of the wars of annihilation under Judas und Jonathan, the phase of the wars of expulsion under Simon, and the phase of wars of annexation under John Hyrcanus, Aristobulus, and Alexander Jannaeus. The chapter addresses each of these phases before drawing some general conclusions. Keywords:Hasmoneans; war; Maccabean revolt

Reviewed by: The Dragon and the Eagle: The Rise and Fall of the Chinese and Roman Empires by Sunny Y. Auyang Nathan Rosenstein Sunny Y. Auyang. The Dragon and the Eagle: The Rise and Fall of the Chinese and Roman Empires. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2014. xxvi + 399 pp. 3 appendices, 5 timelines, 18 maps. Cloth, $35.00. Comparative histories are difficult to write. They require mastery of two or more completely different bodies of scholarship, a sophisticated understanding of the sources on which those works are based, and the ability to read them in their original languages. And most important, the comparisons should produce insights into the individual histories that would not easily emerge if viewed in isolation. Sunny Auyang, a retired professor of physics, has undertaken a comparative study of the Roman and Chinese empires from the foundations of Rome and the Zhou dynasty to the collapse of each in the fourth and fifth centuries c.e. The result is an object lesson in why good comparative histories are so rare. Auyang divides her study into two roughly equal parts of four chapters each. The first part traces the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and the state of Qin, the second treats Imperial Rome to its fall in 476 c.e. and the Han dynasty to the wars that ended it in 220 c.e. The chapters mostly blend chronological with thematic treatments. Thus the first chapter, “Nation Formation,” narrates the creation of a “melting pot” during the Zhou era of early China and the Roman conquest of Italy. Chapter 2, “State Building,” examines the Warring States period and the early and middle Republic in terms of their respective internal developments, especially the roles of Legalism and Confucianism, the two principal political philosophies competing for influence during the Warring States period. The third chapter, “Empire Building,” narrates the military and diplomatic events of the Warring States period, culminating in the victory of the state of Qin and of Rome’s conquest of the Greek east. Chapter 4, “Winning the Peace,” deals with the failures of Qin and the Roman Republic, which she claims were the consequence in either case of the acquisition of an empire. [End Page 740] Part 2 opens with “The Courses of Empire,” which presents brief sketches of events in the West from the Julio-Claudians down through the Later Roman Empire and in the East during the Former and Later Han. The main thrust of the chapter however is a long indictment of Confucianism and the corruption that resulted when it supplanted Legalism as the dominant philosophy of government in the former Han. Chapter 6, “The Arts of Government,” examines each empire’s administrative organization and methods of rule, focusing on relations between the emperors and the elite, particularly the role of the latter in local administration, taxation, and the role of law and ideas about its role in society. The seventh chapter, “Strategies of Superpower,” deals with each empire’s wars, diplomacy, and “Grand Strategy.” It covers Rome’s conflicts with the German tribes, the Parthians, and the Huns, and the problems Confucianism created for the Han government in dealing with the Xiongnu, nomadic horsemen and herders of the steppe. Chapter 8, “Decline and Fall,” naturally examines the course of events that led to the end of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the Later Han dynasty. The cause of each “fall” in Auyang’s view was corruption, a “cancer” in both empires that led to a maldistribution of wealth in which “too few producers support too many idle mouths.” In the case of China, Confucianism was the ultimate source of the cancer, while at Rome an effete cultural elite’s entry into high government positions under the Emperor Gratian and the inability of Orthodox bishops to accept the barbarians’ version of Christianity doomed the empire. For Auyang, once the Visigoths sacked Rome and the last emperor was deposed, the Roman Empire was at an end. Any work that endeavors to present a comparison of the long histories of two great empires in a little over three hundred pages must necessarily compress a lot into a very brief...

In Judea, at the end of the Second Temple period, a new religiopolitical concept appears, which soon became dominant: it was the concept of qinʾah , i.e. zeal or jealousy for God. With the Hellenistic crisis, the ancient problem of the priestly functions in Israelite warfare became acute again. This chapter establishes two fundamental positions that point to different trends within Second Temple Judaism. First, the different choices concerning the status of priests can be defined in terms of ritual purity and holiness versus commitment to participate in com- bat. The second position over which the groups differ is their attitude towards “les etrangers dans la maison .. Keywords: Israelite warfare; Second Temple Judaism; Zeal

Divine Beneficence and Human Generosity in Second Temple Judaism:Reflections on John Barclay's Paul and the Gift Bradley C. Gregory In his recent landmark book, Paul and the Gift,1 John Barclay situates Paul's theology of grace within the ancient understanding of gift giving. In order to do this, he outlines six ways that gift giving or grace can be "perfected," understood in its "purest essence." A gift may be "perfected" in terms of superabundance (size, importance, permanence), its singularity (it is the defining characteristic of the giver), its priority (it comes before any initiative by the recipient), its incongruity (the recipient is unworthy of such a gift), its efficacy (it accomplishes the purpose for which it was given), and noncircularity (it is given without any expectation of return) (66–78). These different dimensions of gifts/grace provide a helpful schema for understanding how both ancient authors and their interpreters throughout history have understood what grace is and what it is not. For example, the different understandings of Paul found in Augustine and Luther largely stem from each of the latter's different conceptions of how grace is perfected. The upshot of this approach to grace for the study of Paul is twofold. First, in examining the anthropology and history of gift giving from antiquity to the present, Barclay shows that the "disinterested gift," one that is given with no expectation of return, is an almost exclusively modern, Western notion. In contrast, for the ancient person, gift giving always expected [End Page 183] some sort of reciprocal exchange because gift giving was always embedded in an interpersonal dynamic of creating and developing social ties (11–65). Thus, it is no surprise that, in the second part of the book, when Barclay explores how different Second Temple Jewish authors perfect divine grace, not a single one perfects noncircularity. In each of the five works, some sort of return is expected, even if it is "only" profound gratefulness to God. Second, by reading Second Temple works with these six different perfections in mind, Barclay shows convincingly that "grace is everywhere; but this does not mean that grace is everywhere the same" (319). For example, while Wisdom of Solomon and Philo do not perfect divine grace in terms of incongruity, the Qumran Hodayot and Pseudo-Philo do; yet all perfect grace in at least one way. In fact, each Second Temple Jewish author represents a different constellation of grace, perfecting it in different combinations of the six dimensions, and each perfection in different ways. In turning to Paul, then, it becomes quite clear that one cannot simply ask whether Paul agrees or disagrees with Second Temple Judaism on the topic of grace. Rather, the question is how his view of grace is situated among this diversity. On one hand, Paul is continuous with other ancient authors in not perfecting noncircularity. Like his contemporaries, he firmly believed that God's grace creates a new relational dynamic and demands a response from the recipients. On the other hand, Paul's view of divine grace as radically incongruous and centered on God's gift in Christ was largely discontinuous with ancient views of (human) gift giving, though in different ways in comparison to Judaism and Greco-Roman culture. Key to this aspect of Barclay's thesis is the claim that, for ancient authors, gift giving was routinely viewed as congruous in some way with the worth or status of the recipient, and then further, the question of how gift giving in early Judaism aligned with this broader Greco-Roman perspective. It is this aspect of Barclay's work that I would like to engage for this symposium. I hope the following discussion will help to supplement Barclay's treatment and to suggest some further ways that divine beneficence and human generosity are interrelated among some Second Temple Jewish authors.2 Social Worth and Well-Placed Gifts One aspect of gifts in the ancient world that Barclay rightfully highlights is that the status or worth of a potential recipient was generally a significant factor in the decision to give: "What distinguishes the sphere of gift [End Page 184] is not that it is 'unilateral,' but...

Silifke is a district of Mersin province, currently located in the Mediterranean Region. Silifke Castle is located in the south of the region called Rough Cilicia in history, on the west side of the city, on the route that provides passage from the Mediterranean coast to Central Anatolia, at the intersection of land and sea trade. Silifke Castle was built at a point overlooking all roads, controlling both the trade route and the port. After the Silifke Castle excavations (2011-2022); Four periods have been identified: Roman, Byzantine, Karamanid and Ottoman Periods. It is understood that Silifke Castle was built in the Roman Period, and that it took its final shape by adding the defensive moat around the castle, the B-1 entrance gate, the A-16 military place adjacent to the walls, the church, the chapel, and some of the public and civil buildings in the Byzantine Period. After Silifke Castle was conquered by the Karamanids, the church in the center of the castle was converted into a mosque as a symbol of the Conquest, and the walls, moat, fortress veil and the spaces inside the castle began to be shaped according to the needs of the Turks. During the Ottoman Period, the settlement pattern inside the castle took its final shape. Thus, the castle, which is an important element of the medieval Turkish urban fabric, shows itself in the Silifke castle settlement pattern with the general characteristic of Turkish-Islamic cities. The settlement structure inside the castle was renewed according to need during the Ottoman Period. Rough-cut masonry, which is the traditional masonry of the region and built without the use of mortar, was applied in the interior spaces of the castle. With the excavations, the texture of the settlement inside the castle; It has been determined that the residences and social buildings belonging to the administration in the west, the mosque and the commercial buildings developed around it in the middle, and the residences and social buildings belonging to the public and the military in the east. Excavation findings are one of the most important data in identifying the castle. Excavation findings provide us with a wide range of data, from the art environment to daily life and aesthetic tastes of the Roman, Byzantine, Karamanid and Ottoman periods. The majority of the findings reflect the Turkish- Islamic period, and how the settlement pattern developed in every area we work can be followed.Each piece, especially architectural plastics, ceramics, metal, glass, stone, bone and wooden findings, is of great importance to us. These findings allow us to establish a bond with the master who made the work and the person who used it, understand their practices, and share this with today’s people.It also tells us about the social taste of that period, the technology they used, the exchange and solidarity between societies or different tastes. After the Silifke Castle excavation (2011-2022); It has been revealed that the castle has been used since ancient times and continued its effectiveness in the Roman and Byzantine periods. From the architectural remains and small artifacts identified, it is understood that Silifke Castle was inhabited until the last times of the Karamanoğlu and Ottoman Periods. Thus, it was revealed that Silifke Castle is one of the rare ruins in Anatolia that display the castle-city feature of the Turkish period. For more detailed information, please refer to the Extended Abstract at the end of the text

The story of Philo Christianus's reception in the Christian tradition continues throughout the Later Roman, Byzantine and Medieval periods. The origins of Christianity can be located nowhere else than in the matrix of Second Temple Judaism, of which also Alexandrian Hellenistic Judaism formed a part. It is natural, therefore, that there are lines of resemblance between Philo's writings and the New Testament, which will later encourage the rapprochement that the Church fathers make between Philo and Christian thought. Philo is not explicitly named in Christian sources until the end of the 2nd century, when he is extensively used by Clement of Alexandria. Detailed studies of the transmission of the Philonic treatises may shed light on the extent to which the Christian reception of Philo has had influence on the constitution of the actual text. In various later Christian sources Philo is simply regarded as a bishop.Keywords: Christian tradition; Church fathers; Clement; New Testament; Philo Christianus; second temple Judaism

Zadokite Propaganda in the Late Second Temple Period is a monumental epoch-breaking work of scholarship in ancient history and Jewish studies. This book examines centuries of scholarship on ancient Jewish group identity and official Jewish religion in the most tumultuous period of Jewish history, namely the beginnings of the Maccabean era. Popularly known as the time period that gave the Jewish world the most famous Jewish celebration period, Hanukkah, the Maccabean Revolt was far more than a rebellion against Syrian domination. The period represented an important turning point in Jewish history, as village priests without any significant heritage or repute successfully overthrew and expelled Zadokite priests from the Jerusalem Temple and the city of Jerusalem itself. The Zadokites had been the legitimate and dominant priests of the Jerusalem Temple since the days of King Solomon, who built the First Jerusalem Temple. The physical and political displacement of Zadokite priests from their places of power, authority, and wealth produced historically significant literate communities, such as the Qumran community, and an abundance of literature, such as commentaries, creative poetry, and apocalyptic works. These writings all lamented the Zadokite displacement and prophesied a New Age, when all would be restored to the way it should be. Thus, Zadokites engaged in propaganda warfare of epic proportions with all their erudition and political savvy, creating a model for effective propaganda warfare. The Zadokite propaganda was so effective that it set the tone for the language and theme of the New Testament.