Oppression of Jews in the Roman Empire?

[Brucecarson]

Judaism has existed for a very long time, as we know, as well as ''phobia'' about Jews.

 

I'm aware that Christians were persecuted off and on in the Roman Empire, so, there is some overlap there between Jews and Christians, and therefore the prosecution of such. Especially in the early days of Christianity. Various Emperors had programs to halt the spread of Christianity after it caused problems and unrest. Trajan and some of the other emperors from that period are noted by historians as implimenting these programs. For example Pliney's letters to Trajan.

 

My question is, since Emperors took action against Christians in response to the unrest and instability that they were causing, did they do the same against Jews? In the middle ages, some of the anger towards Jews stemmed from their (Jews) disregard for laws which banned money lending. However, to my knowledge, money lending was entirely legal within the Roman Empire. I do understand from some sources that money changing was looked down upon at that time, a profession Jews were historically involved in. Beyond that, there is the age old problem that Jews primarily feel loyalty to the state of "Israel," whether it exists at the time or not. They either look to Israel for guidance, or want to create the state of Israel (the movement of Zionism).

 

Did any Roman emperors or officials recognize these problems and undertake programs to destroy copies of the Talmud and Torah or expel Jews, similar to what the Russians, French and Spanish did in medieval times?

 

As a side note... Personally, I am an atheist. I don't buy into any religious stuff. The intersection of Religion and politics, such as Israel today or George Bush's presidency, deplores me.

[Nephele]

The Jewish population did not fare badly under Julius Caesar, who showed his gratitude for Antipater's help during the civil war with Pompey by prevailing upon Cleopatra to improve the status of Jews in Alexandria. Caesar also (to quote historian Michael Grant, The Jews in the Roman World) "promulgated a series of measures confirming the freedom of worship and privileged autonomous status of Jewish communities in Phoenicia and Asia Minor. Such decrees were not new, but the extent and detailed character of the edicts attributed to Caesar seem to justify their description as 'a veritable Magna Carta' guaranteeing the privileges of the Jewish Dispersion."

 

In the city of Rome and its environs, there was a significant Jewish population, and synagogues were granted autonomous administration of their communal property. Conditions for the Jews began to deteriorate under the reign of the emperors, though. Others here can elaborate further.

 

Beyond that, there is the age old problem that Jews primarily feel loyalty to the state of "Israel," whether it exists at the time or not. They either look to Israel for guidance, or want to create the state of Israel (the movement of Zionism).

 

Pardon?

 

-- Nephele

[Ludovicus]

Below you find a summary from the Jewish History Sourcebook regarding the status of Jews in the later Roman Empire. If you go to the website you can find a bibliography of the sources:

 

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jews-romanlaw.html

 

Jewish History Sourcebook:

Jews and the Later Roman Law 315-531 CE

 

[Marcus Introduction] The Middle Ages, for the Jew at least, begin with the advent to power of Constantine the Great (306-337). He was the first Roman emperor to issue laws which radically limited the rights of Jews as citizens of the Roman Empire, a privilege conferred upon them by Caracalla in 212. As Christianity grew in power in the Roman Empire it influenced the emperors to limit further the civil and political rights of the Jews. Most of the imperial laws that deal with the Jews since the days of Constantine are found in the Latin Codex Theodosianius (438) and in the Latin and Greek code of Justinian (534). Both of these monumental works are therefore very important, for they enable us to trace the history of the progressive deterioration of Jewish rights.

 

The real significance of Roman law for the Jew and his history is that it exerted a profound influence on subsequent Christian and even Muslim legislation. The second-class status of citizenship of the Jew, as crystallized in the Justinian code, was thus entrenched in the medieval world, and under the influence of the Church the disabilities imposed upon him received religious sanction and relegated him even to lower levels.

 

In our first selection - laws of Constantine the Great - Judaism is denied the opportunity of remaining a missionary religion because of the prohibition to make proselytes.

 

The laws of Constantius (337-361), the second selection, forbid intermarriage between Jewish men and Christian women. A generation later, in 388, all marriages between Jews and Christians were forbidden. Constantius also did away with the right of Jews to possess slaves. This prohibition to trade in and to keep slaves at a time when slave labor was common was not merely an attempt to arrest conversion to Judaism; it was also a blow at the economic life of the Jew. It put him at a disadvantage with his Christian competitor to whom this economic privilege was assured.

 

The third selection, a law of Theodosius II (408-410), prohibits Jews from holding any advantageous office of honor in the Roman state. They were compelled, however, to assume those public offices which entailed huge financial losses and almost certain ruin, and they were not even granted the hope of an ultimate exemption. This Novella (New Law) III of Theodosius II also makes a direct attack on the Jewish religion by reenacting a law which forbade the building of new Jewish synagogues. This prohibition was known a generation before this. It was reenacted now, probably to pacify the aroused Christian mob in the Eastern Empire which desired to crush the religious spirit of the Jews who were massing at Jerusalem and confidently looking forward to the coming of a Messianic redeemer in 440. This disability, later taken over by some Muslim states, was reenunciated by the Church which sought to arrest the progress of Judaism, its old rival.

 

A Latin law of Justinian (527-565), the final selection, does not allow a Jew to bear witness in court against an orthodox Christian. Thus as early as the sixth century the Jews were already laboring under social, economic, civil, political, and religious disabilities.

 

I. Laws of Constantine the Great, October 18, 315: Concerning Jews, Heaven-Worshippers,* And Samaritans

 

We wish to make it known to the Jews and their elders and their patriarchs that if, after the enactment of this law, any one of them dares to attack with stones or some other manifestation of anger another who has fled their dangerous sect and attached himself to the worship of God [Christianity], he must speedily be given to the flames and burn~ together with all his accomplices.

 

Moreover, if any one of the population should join their abominable sect and attend their meetings, he will bear with them the deserved penalties.

 

*Heaven-Worshippers were a sect closely allied to Judaism.

 

II. Laws of Constantius, August 13, 339:Concerning Jews, Heaven-Worshippers, And Samaritans

 

This pertains to women, who live in our weaving factories and whom Jews, in their foulness, take in marriage. It is decreed that these women are to be restored to the weaving factories. [Marriages between Jews and Christian women of the imperial weaving factory are to be dissolved.]

 

This prohibition [of intermarriage] is to be preserved for the future lest the Jews induce Christian women to share their shameful lives. If they do this they will subject themselves to a sentence of death. [The Jewish husbands are to be punished with death.]

 

A Jew Shall Not Possess A Christian Slave

 

if any one among the Jews has purchased a slave of another sect or nation, that slave shall at once be appropriated for the imperial treasury.

 

If, indeed, he shall have circumcised the slave whom he has purchased, he will not only be fined for the damage done to that slave but he will also receive capital punishment.

 

If, indeed, a Jew does not hesitate to purchase slaves-those who are members of the faith that is worthy of respect [Christianity]then all these slaves who are found in his possession shall at once be removed. No delay shall be occasioned, but he is to be deprived of the possession of those men who are Christians.

 

III. A Law of Theodosius 11, January 31, 439: Novella III: Concerning Jews, Samaritans, Heretics, And Pagans

 

Wherefore, although according to an old saying [of the Greek Hippocrates, the "father" of medicine] "no cure is to be applied in desperate sicknesses," nevertheless, in order that these dangerous sects which are unmindful of our times may not spread into life the more freely, in indiscriminate disorder as it were, we ordain by this law to be valid for all time:

 

No Jew - or no Samaritan who subscribes to neither [the Jewish nor the Christian] religion - shall obtain offices and dignities; to none shall the administration of city service be permitted; nor shall any one exercise the office of a defender [that is, overseer] of the city. Indeed, we believe it sinful that the enemies of the heavenly majesty and of the Roman laws should become the executors of our laws - the administration of which they have slyly obtained and that they, fortified by the authority of the acquired rank, should have the power to judge or decide as they wish against Christians, yes, frequently even over bishops of our holy religion themselves, and thus, as it were, insult our faith.

 

Moreover, for the same reason, we forbid that any synagogue shall rise as a new building. [Fewer synagogues meant less chance of Christians becoming Jews.] However, the propping up of old synagogues which are now threatened with imminent ruin is permitted. To these things we add that he who misleads a slave or a freeman against his will or by punishable advice, from the service of the Christian religion to that of an abominable sect and ritual, is to be punished by loss of property and life. [That is, the Jew who converts any one to Judaism loses life and property.]

 

On the one hand, whoever has built a synagogue must realize that he has worked to the advantage of the Catholic church [which will confiscate the building]; on the other hand, whoever has already secured the badge of office shall not hold the dignities he has acquired. On the contrary, he who worms himself into office must remain, as before, in the lowest rank even though he will have already earned an honorary office. And as for him who begins the building of a synagogue and is not moved by the desire of repairing it, he shall be punished by a fine of fifty pounds gold for his daring. Moreover, if he will have prevailed with his evil teachings over the faith of another, he shall see his wealth confiscated and himself soon subjected to a death sentence.

 

And since it behooves the imperial majesty to consider everything with such foresight that the general welfare does not suffer in the least, we ordain that the tax-paying officeholders of all towns as well as the provincial civil servants - who are obligated to employ ,heir wealth and to make public gifts as part of their burdensome and diverse official and military duties hall remain in their own classes, no matter what sect they belong to. Let it not appear as if we have accorded the benefit of exemption to those men, detestable in their insolent maneuvering, whom we wish to condemn by the authority of this law. [Jews have to accept financially ruinous public offices without hope of exemption.]

 

This further limitation is to be observed, namely, that these public servants from these above mentioned sects shall never, as far as private affairs are concerned, carry out judicial sentences, nor be wardens of the jail. This is done in order that Christians, as it sometimes happens, may not be hidden away and suffer a double imprisonment through the hatred of the guards- [imprisonment is bad enough without having a Jewish jailer.] And furthermore it may be doubted that they have been justly imprisoned.

 

 

IV. A Law Of Justinian, July 28, 531: Concerning Heretics And Manichaeans And Samaritans

 

Since many judges, in deciding cases, have addressed us in need of our decision, asking that they be informed what ought to be done with witnesses who are heretics, whether their testimony ought to be received or rejected, we therefore ordain that no heretic, nor even they who cherish the Jewish superstition, may offer testimony against orthodox Christians who are engaged in litigation, whether one or the other of the parties is an orthodox Christian. [but a Jew may offer testimony on behalf of an orthodox Christian against some one who is not orthodox.]

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

Ave

 

I believe Roman persecution of Jews was more sporadic than anything else. It got progressively worse with the passage of time but there were some visceral reasons for that. As Nephele pointed out, there was a substantial Jewish population in Rome itself at the time of Julius Caesar and they apparently even mourned his death.

Part of the problem, from the point of view of Roman rule at least, was the lack of separation between church and state, or sacred and secular, in traditional Judaism. All the kings, rulers and judges of Biblical Israel and later Judah were Divinely appointed. Even much of the topography and the landscape were somehow imbued with a sacred quality. The rule over God's Chosen People by pagan potentates and their minions was naturally seen as an offense in Jewish eyes. This was a situation unique among the ancients and didn't contribute towards a stable political chemistry. Hence the rebellions, the assassinations, the defiance and the increasingly brutal Roman response.

This separation of church and state (for lack of a better term) had to be forced down their throats at the point of the Roman sword and did not take effect until the final defeat of the Bar Kokhba revolt and the renaming of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina. Thereafter the religious institution at Jamnia was established and formed the basis for modern Rabbinical Judaism.

I think the idea propagated in many circles that the Romans persecuted the Jews (and Christians) because they refused to worship the Emperor is extremely simplistic and caution has to be exercised in making blanket statements. I am also convinced that part of the reason Christians were so reviled was their deification of a person who was purportedly crucified for political sedition and defiance of Roman rule. People back then had a much better understanding of crucifixion than we do. I always like putting forward the following analogy: The US executed the Rosenbergs for spying for the Soviet Union. What if a cult suddenly sprang up out of nowhere that deified the Rosenbergs and used a symbol of the electric chair as an icon. How would Americans in the 50s and 60s have reacted to that?

[Centurion Marcus Valerius]

Sporadic persecution, perhaps. But when the hammer fell, it came down hard.

 

Look into Vespassian & Titus' war in Judea that culminated in the siege of Jerusalem in 70BC.

 

Hadrian's suppression of the Bar Kochba rebellion (132-135 AD) was devastating to the Jewish people. We are still living in the aftermath.

 

No Roads Lead to Rome

[Maty]

If anyone is looking for a ballpark figure, I believe the usual estimate is about 50,000 Jews in Rome at the time of Trajan. This is based on known synagogues, percentage of contemporary burials and some Jewish texts (I can't recall which ones offhand.)

 

In the very early days Christianity was seen as a Jewish sect (even Jews and Christians themselves were uncertain about whether this was the case), and the Jews were afraid that Christianity would upset the status quo with the authorities.

[Centurion Marcus Valerius]

If anyone is looking for a ballpark figure, I believe the usual estimate is about 50,000 Jews in Rome at the time of Trajan. This is based on known synagogues, percentage of contemporary burials and some Jewish texts (I can't recall which ones offhand.)

 

In the very early days Christianity was seen as a Jewish sect (even Jews and Christians themselves were uncertain about whether this was the case), and the Jews were afraid that Christianity would upset the status quo with the authorities.

 

 

I've read estimates that Titus brought back 20,000- 40,000 Jewish slaves from his conquest of Judea in 70BC. Many were used to build the Colosseum.

 

This is probably the source of the population cited in the Trajan census figure.

 

One of these enslaved prisoners is the great-grandfather of my character Gaius Severus in

"No Roads Lead to Rome."

[caldrail]

According to Jpsephus, most of the survivng jewish rebels (or those accused of as such) were either sent to Egypt for hard labour or distributed to provincial arenas.

[Ingsoc]

The only systematic long lived persecution of Jews by the Romans was the Fiscus Iudaicus, a special tax that was instituted after the Great Revolt and that all Jews were forced to pay.

 

Other than that there were few times that Jews (or certain Jewish groups) were expelled from Rome, however this was not so much due to an Anti-Jewish sentiment as to Anti-Eastern one as the Romans consider certain eastern religions present at the Roman Pomerium as offensives.

 

There were an attempt to forbade the Jewish religion after the Bar-Kochba Revolt by Hadrian but this decision was canceled by his heir Antoninus Pius.

[Yehudah]

Hadrian briefly surpressed the rights of the Jews, and did not allow them to practice circumcision. His successor Antoninus Pius revoked these laws.

[BUTSeriously]

The Jewish population did not fare badly under Julius Caesar

 

While this is correct, it does not represent the whole story. Caligula resurrected the heresy decree, later again resurrected by Nero in 66. Here, the Jews found a unique problem as no other nation or peoples, having already incurred such wars with a host of nations prior to the Roman invasion of Arabia. The premise of later Christian persecution was negligible in comparison. This issue, IMHO, became the fulcrum point for the strict monotheism adopted at that time by Judean Jews, culminating in the greatest war in history - by period of time [70 years, from 66 to 135], human toll [over 2 Million], destruction [an entire city was plowed ton the ground with the then greatest monument in the world utterly destroyed], and world impact: had this war not occured, there would be no Christianity of Islam. In a sense, Rome lost.

[BUTSeriously]

According to Jpsephus, most of the survivng jewish rebels (or those accused of as such) were either sent to Egypt for hard labour or distributed to provincial arenas.

 

What factor allows the term rebels here? I mean, did any other nation observe monotheism to be tested as the Jews? In a sense, those who did not reject Rome's heresy decree should be called rebels and/or disloyal. The Jews did not revolt because of the heavy taxes, which went on since day one; the revolt occured because of the heresy decree, and this was a foregone conclusion. When Caligula introdcued heresy, Herod did not obey it and it was not enforced, because he knew what outcome would result.

 

The situation under depraved Nero changed the status quo, whereby the great revolt resulted. The Roman contemporary archives [not Josephus] clearly show the Jews revolted against the decree to house Roman statues and conduct daily sacrifices in the temple - a situation which found a unique rejection by Jews alone in the Roman empire. In a sense, Jews paid the price for freedom of belief, one which did not bode well with divine kings. Josephus also states the revolt was initiated by the rejection of the sacrifice order as opposed anything else.

 

One must not forget this was not a new situation - the Jews held to this belief for 2000 years before Rome entered the scene, lastly with the Hellenist invasion of Judea, specially after Alexander's death. The Hellenists were firmly behind the revolt instigation, and issued similar decrees before Rome. After the Hellenists' first translation of the Hebrew bible in 300 BC, their priests started to despise Judaism, a situation seen by the Jews in all pagan systems before this time. The heresey decree continued under Christianity for some 1500 years, and implemented with a greater ferocity than all previous regimes.

[BUTSeriously]

I've read estimates that Titus brought back 20,000- 40,000 Jewish slaves from his conquest of Judea in 70BC. Many were used to build the Colosseum.

 

 

There were 95,000 Jews brought to Rome. 3000 were expended as sport in the colosseum. The Jews battled Rome to the last man and women, including all the priests, throwing themselves onto the Roman swords and denying Rome the kill. The Jews taken to Europe represent substantially the only people who withstood enforced conversion and remained as Jews for the next 2000 years. Some 10,000 in the Roman army converted to Judaism of their own free will, while no person in the Roman/Christian block was able to withstand the presurre to conform or be eliminated or cast as an outcast. One cannot conclude only by considering European later descriptions of this war - a very different picture emerges when contemporary, pre-christian archives of Rome and Hellenism are studied. One finds this was the greatest display of belief in all recorded history - and the most distorted one as well, and actual historical examination presents logical reasons for such a position.