Abstract
According to the thirdcentury historian Cassius Dio, two third-century emperors, Septimius Severus and Macrinus, received oracles by verses of Homer in the temple of Zeus Belus in the Syrian city of Apamea. [...]just a few verses further on (1 Macc 3.56), Judas orders those who have just built a house, married, or planted a vineyard to return home according to the Law. [...]Van der Horst's interpretation is not convincing because this passage draws a parallel between the book of the Law and pagan cult statues, and not pagan sacred books, which is entirely understandable given that, as we have seen, there is no evidence whatsoever of a Greek divinatory practice consisting in opening any book at random. [...]the very idea of book divination was certainly known to Jews, pagans, and Christians.
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