"What Was Antisemitism Like in the Ancient World?" Topic

"Writing about 100 A.D. in his Histories, the Roman historian Tacitus describes the origin of the Jews in Palestine. Tacitus was focused on the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the final act in Rome's war to end the Jewish revolt that had begun four years earlier. But he digresses to provide a brief history of the Jews.

Tacitus' description of the Jews is hostile. It's also unreliable, which is unusual for Tacitus. It's unreliable because Tacitus simply repeats what other sources say about the Jews, and these sources are unreliable because they have no first-hand knowledge. Tacitus places the Jewish population in Egypt (this is true), then writes that the King of Egypt expel them because they brought a plague of leprosy on Egypt. Led by Moses, the Jews wander aimlessly. Becoming incredibly thirsty, they follow a herd of asses to water with the result that the Jews decide to make an ass their god. The Jews continue their aimless wanderings for six days, stopping on the seventh day in a new land where they build a city and a temple…"

link

Armand

Don't forget Doc Holliday in Tombstone.
"Credat Judaeus Apella. Non ego."
"You may believe the Jew Apella. I don't." From Horace. Look Darlin'! He's an educated man!
So hatred for the Jews, and considering them liars, is part of a decent classical education, I guess.
Although I believe the context was that Apella only believed in one God.

The Diaspora Jews got along well with the Romans.

Have you heard of the Kitos War (115–117 CE)? This massive Diaspora revolt in Cyrenaica, Egypt, and Cyprus resulted in "near-total destruction" of those Jewish communities by Roman forces.

The relationship between Diaspora Jews and the Romans is best described as a complex mix of official protection and legal acceptance punctuated by periods of intense local conflict and imperial crackdowns.

While many communities thrived and were "generally accepted" into the Roman social fabric, it is inaccurate to say they always "got along well".

That was pretty much the Roman attitude to anyone who didn't toe the line

Thanks

Armand

Just finished a wonderful book on Alexandria! Jews were welcomed there, most of the time, and flourished! Many fled Isarael and settled there, even adopting their new language!

One needs to remember that Jews made up the largest minority in the Roman Empire. Some estimates are as high as 7 million. The Jewish instinct to remain separate and apart from the broader Greco-Roman society was often perceived by Roman authorities as subversive. When the Jews revolted it was always a big deal and represented a real threat to Roman rule.

Thanks also…

Armand

John the OFM

"So hatred for the Jews, and considering them liars, is part of a decent classical education, I guess.
Although I believe the context was that Apella only believed in one God".

Well no and yes. A classical education mitigated against unthinking reactions such as "hatred", which are more typical of the female. The Aristotelian ethic promoted considering events dispassionately and objectively. While Roman imperial thought distained the deleterious effects of tribalism in favour of the duties of citizenship. For example, if Jews lied and believed lying to, or getting one over non-jews carried no moral stigma (as we later discovered when they collated their thoughts in the Talmud), then an intelligent man would be reacting against evidence to come to any other general conclusion.

So Shakespeare, who had a classical education which followed the precepts of the Trivium, could write "The Merchant of Venice", giving two important Jewish characters the sympathy deserved of individuals, and the ontological volition to accept or reject the tragedy towards which their culture lead them.