The Jewish People in Classical Antiquity: From Alexander to Bar Kochba (review)

Abstract

Hebrew Sludies 40 (1999) 355 Reviews and marital behavior" which were at variance among sectarian groups within first century Judaism. The phrase n,mn ~l'Q shows similarity with epyoov VOJ.lOU in the Pauline letters; it is unlikely, however, that this was the heading of the document or that Paul's use of the phrase was a direct reference to it. On the whole, these essays are carefully argued and cautious in their approach , specially in the search for biblical or rabbinic parallels. In spite of the problems raised by the fragmentary character of 4QMMT and the uncertainty of the composite text, the authors generally agree on a few major points, such as the proto-Sadducean and early setting of the document . They also show the importance of 4QMMT for Jewish and New Testament studies, and map the ground for further research. It is to be hoped that they fmd followers from various horizons whose work will enhance our understanding of this important text from Qumran. Jean Duhaime Universile de Montreal Montreal Quebec, Canada jean.duhaime@umontreal.ca THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY: FROM ALEXANDER TO BAR KOCHBA. By John H. Hayes and Sara R. Mandell. pp. x + 246. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. Paper. $28.00. In The Jewish People in Classical Antiquity: From Alexander 10 Bar Kochba, John H. Hayes and Sara R. Mandell have produced an erudite and readable text for the study of the Judean-Jerusalem community from 333 B.C.E. through 135 C.E. This work is described in the preface as being the companion volume to J. M. Miller and John H. Hayes' earlier work A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (Philadelphia/London: Westminster Press/SCM Press, 1986). The book consists of an introduction followed by four chapters: "The Jewish Community under Ptolemaic and Seleucid Rule" (chap. 1), "The Hasmonaeans" (chap. 2), "The Herodian Period" (chap. 3). and "The Jewish-Roman Wars" (chap. 4). In the Introduction, Hayes and Mandell treat three critical issues that must be carefully considered by any scholar writing about ancient Judaism. First, the scholar must be conscious of-and avoid-the theologicallyrooted tendency to see the Yahwistic community of Jerusalem, beginning with the Babylonian returnees of 538 B.C.E., as being the "authentic" representative of a "normative" Judaism to which essentially all Jews gave their assent. Such a reading of the history. the authors correctly point out. Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 356 Reviews was probably adhered to by the Jews of the time who saw themselves as the heirs of that particular Yahwistic tradition and by those today whose view of the history is built upon a Jewish or Christian faith perspective. Yet it is an unacceptable perspective for an historian, who must not be swayed by an image of the Jews as a "totally unique people, chosen by the one and only real deity" (p. 1). Rather, we must recognize that "normative Judaism" is a construct, and that the evidence shows great diversity in religious and political viewpoints among the Yahwists who lived in Palestine during this period . The members of these various groups "were Jewish insofar as they were Yahwists" (p. 2). Hayes and Mandell next take up the issue of the sources available to the historian of the period. While primary source materials for the period are scarce, there are the accounts of Josephus, 1 and 2 Maccabees, some material that may help shed light on the Samaritans, the Qumran community, and the followers of Bar Kochba, and the writings of a number of Greek and Roman authors (aside from Josephus) including Polybius, Cicero, Livy, and Tacitus. Hayes and Mandell correctly argue that the literary products of the Roman world outside of Palestine are relevant to a study of the Judean community because we thereby gain a Roman perspective on Rome's interactions with those under its suzerainty. This information can then balance the information obtainable from internal Judean sources alone. Yet Hayes and Mandell are aware that caution is also required when using Roman sources, since the latter often do not explicitly treat the issue for which they are being mined-the relationship of Greeks or Romans to...