Twenty-first International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Jewish identity in antiquity is a deeply embedded reality whose lived experience weaves between modern scholarly boundaries of Biblical and Classical studies. In order to replicate that interconnectivity, I investigate Jewish identity here as first century Jews themselves presented it in Rome to gentile audiences. By utilizing the historical-critical and comparative methods, I place the works of Josephus, Paul, and Philo of Alexandria in conversation with each other and with Rome. Paul and Philo are treated as dynamic philosophical thinkers while Josephus provides a more ‘secular’ background against which to triangulate their thought. The result is an understanding of Jewish identity construction and legitimation in the first century that is inherently self-aware and philosophical, especially when presented to Roman gentile audiences.