Acts of the Apostles, 92, 218, 222
Aelia Capitolina, 203
Alexander the Great, 21, 23, 25–26, 27, 52
Alexander Yannai, 38, 41, 42, 70, 97
angels, 66, 78, 79, 85. See also demons
aniconism, 172, 174. See also iconoclasm, iconography
Antiochus IV, 32, 40, 52, 54–55, 77, 218
apostole, 115, 116–17, 118, 125–28, 193
aposynagogoi, 223
Arabia, Arabs. See Nabataeans
archisynagogues, 119, 126, 127, 197
Aristeas, Letter of, 60, 61, 219
Asia Minor, 27; Jewish communities in, 54
astrology, 77. See also zodiacs
aurum coronarium. See apostole
Avi-Yonah, Michael, 133–36, 209, 210
Babylonia, 21, 45, 82. See also Mesopotamia
Bar Kokhba Revolt, 61, 104, 105, 107, 110, 113, 130, 142
baths, 136, 147, 153, 167, 169, 171, 173, 203, 204. See also miqva’ot
Ben Sira, Wisdom of, 10, 30, 64, 77, 81, 82, 83, 84, 87
Bet Alfa, 209, 213, 252, 254, 256–57, 263, 279–80
Beth Shean, 38, 113, 129, 132, 198, 204, 206, 213; monasteries in, 263
Beth Shearim, 104, 124, 133, 149–50, 153–8
Bickerman, Elias J., 32–33, 54
Blenkinsopp, Joseph, 68
burial, 42, 52, 148–50; in the diaspora, 154; judaization of, 154–58
Caesarea, 46, 61, 113, 147, 204; synagogues in, 224
Cairo geniza, 7, 255, 258, 266, 276
charity, rabbinic attitude toward, 227–30. See also community, Christians
Christianity, 73, 90–91; conversion to, 119, 196; heresy in, 186, 192; origins in Galilee of, 39; orthodoxy in, 183, 192, 194; the sacred in, 259
Christians, 48, 49, 62, 64, 86, 92, 110, 147; apocalypticism and, 76; ascetics among, 195; charity among, 284; clergy among, 118, 127, 192, 195, 196; contact with Jews, 278; theological debates among, 97
churches, 143, 206, 207, 225; in Beth Shean Valley, Carmel region and Judaea, 208; dating of, 209; inscriptions in, 283–84; in private dwellings, 226; in Rome, 251. See also Ravenna
circumcision, 20, 109–10, 188, 190; among Arabs, 189; of slaves, 195
clergy. See Christians, primates
city councils, 104, 111, 112, 118, 119, 140; decline of, 185; exemptions from, 195; Jews in, 130, 136, 142, 190
coins, 25, 36, 53, 104, 126, 210, 213; debasement of, 185; Hasmonean and Herodian, 138; images on, 133, 136–44, 173
community, 236; rabbinic attitude toward, 227–30, 234; sanctity of, 232. See also qahal
Community Rule. See Serekh Hayahad
covenantal nomism, 66, 78, 259
Dead Sea scrolls, 9, 30, 78, 96, 97, 218. See also Serekh Hayahad
Dead Sea sect, 57, 62. See also Essenes, sects
demons, 77, 78, 79, 85. See also angels
Deuteronomic history, 29, 31, 65, 83
Deuteronomic theology, 29, 75, 217
diaspora, 45, 200; Herod’s relations with, 46, 47; patriarchal relations with, 104, 114, 117, 118, 119, 125–28; pilgrimage from, 95; revolt in, 114; status of Torah in, 73–74; synagogues in, 126, 221–22, 241
Diocaesarea. See Sepphoris
Diospolis. See Lydda
Ecclesiastes. See Koheleth
Edomites. See Idumaeans
Egypt, 24, 26, 31, 38, 51, 111, 126, 193, 200; status of Torah in, 74; synagogues in, 216–21
Enoch, First Book of, 10, 30, 31, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80
epigrams, funerary, 152–53, 157–58, 159
Epiphanius, 116, 117, 118, 143, 205
epispasm. See circumcision
euergetism, 127, 160, 185, 203, 276, 284–87; rural, 277
Ezra, Fourth Book of, 65, 82, 108–9
fiscus iudaicus, 109–10, 139, 187–88, 190. See also taxation
gabbaim. See charity
Galilee, 36, 39, 44, 61, 93, 108, 112, 130–32, 207; in Bar Kokhba Revolt, 110; devotion to temple in, 52; Hasmonean conquest of, 38; status of rabbis in, 113, 115; status of Torah in, 71; synagogues in, 208, 223; upper, 124, 128
Gamaliel II, Rabban, 112, 167, 168–71
Golan Heights, 108, 128, 130, 131
Goodenough, Erwin R., 7–8, 133–36, 160, 247
Gospels, 92; of Mark, 93; of Matthew, 93; synagogues in, 223
Great Revolt, 61, 87, 225; number of casualties in, 108
Greek cities, 26–7, 28, 32, 109, 111; Hasmonean treatment of, 38; rabbis in, 124; relations with Herod of, 44, 46; restoration by Pompey of, 43
Hadrian, 133, 141; cult of, 140, 143, 147, 159
Hamat Tiberias. See Tiberias
Hasmoneans, 33, 34, 56, 58; civil war of, 42–44; construction in Jerusalem by, 47; priestly origins of, 33; territorial expansion of, 36, 51–52, 95
hellenization, 1, 12–14, 22–25, 133
Herod, 34, 39, 41, 43–48, 51, 58, 87, 88, 106; relations with diaspora of, 114
Hyrcanus son of Joseph. See Tobiads
iconoclasm; Christian, 260; Jewish, 259–60
iconography; Christian, 244; Dionysiac, 144, 156–57, 159, 171; Jewish, 50, 134–36, 145, 148, 149–50, 154–57, 160, 243–63; pagan, 161
Idumaeans, 36, 39, 42, 46, 61, 67, 108, 200; circumcision among, 37; Hasmonean conquest of, 37, 51; status of Torah among, 72
James brother of Jesus, 89, 91
Jerome, 118
Jesus of Nazareth, 73, 89, 90–91
John the Baptist, 86
John Chrysostom, 182
John of Gischala, 72
Jones, A. H. M., 141
Joseph son of Tobias. See Tobiads
Josephus, 11, 27, 37, 39, 61, 64, 81, 86, 87–88, 91, 132, 218; documents quoted by, 54, 60; in Galilee, 72; on the Hasmonean expansion, 41; population numbers in, 93, 95; as priest, 90
Jotapata, 36
Jubilees, Book of, 75, 79, 80, 82
Judah I Ha-nasi, Rabbi, 113, 118, 121–22, 138, 140, 211
Judas the Galilean, 88, 89, 92
Justinian Code, 193
Koheleth, 10, 29, 30, 31, 77, 83
liturgy, 250; rabbinization of, 263; relation to epigraphy of, 280. See also piyyut
Lydda, 58, 104, 113, 130, 132; coins of, 139
Maccabees, First Book of, 33, 59, 61, 81, 87
Maccabees, Second Book of, 35, 40, 55, 59
Martial, 109
menorah, 50, 253; as symbol, 156, 244–45, 248, 252, 254, 256
Mesopotamia, 26, 43. See also Babylonia
minim, 132, 133. See also Christians
miqva’ot, 142, 144. See also baths
monetization. See coins
Mount Gerizim, 37, 39. See also Samaritans
mosaics, 144, 159, 169, 206, 213; funding of, 280
Nabataeans, 37, 38, 44, 51, 70, 72; Roman annexation of, 106, 107, 112
parnasim. See charity, community
patriarchs, 185, 196; crypto-Christianity of, 205; end of, 180, 192; imperial patronage of, 192; influence in villages of, 277; in public fasts, 231; and synagogues, 286–87
patronage, 196, 197, 198, 201, 222, 227–28; patriarchs and, 115; rabbis and, 128; rural, 285–86
Pentateuch, 65; authorization as law code of, 20–22, 55–58; interpretation of, 67; normative status of, 68–74; oral Torah and, 68; redistributive program of, 227–28. See also Torah scrolls
Persian Empire, 20, 24, 26, 52
Pharisees, 43, 49, 58, 62, 64, 88, 92–98, 110, 112; Herod’s relations with, 45. See also sects
Philo of Alexandria, 86, 218, 220, 221
pilgrimage, 46, 47, 58, 110, 223; Christian, 207; disorder during, 97; economic impact of, 94
piyyut, 180, 199, 205, 243, 250, 258, 263–74; attitude to Christianity in, 270; audience of, 267; non-rabbinic, 264; origins of, 267; relation to kontakion of, 266; social history of, 265; zodiac in, 270–73. See also liturgy
population size, of Palestine, 10–11, 41
priests (kohanim), 11–12, 40, 42, 61–62; gifts to, 110–13; Herod and, 45; as landowners, 72; in late antique epigraphy, 273; as mantics, 86; as mediators of Torah, 72; number of, 94–95
primates, 117, 118, 120–21, 127, 192–93, 195, 199. See also clergy, patriarchs
proseuche, 217, 218, 221. See also synagogues
Ptolemies, 27, 28, 29; Jews’ alliance with, 219
qahal, 200, 275; rabbinic silence about, 227. See also community
Qasyon, 131
rabbis, 69, 96, 97; attitude to art of, 247, 260; attitude to the synagogue of, 226–39; authority of, 6–7, 13; conception of sanctity of, 248; marginality of, 199; numbers of, 12
Roman citizenship, 40, 105, 161
Roman law; as historical evidence, 187; concerning Jews, 186–95
Roman legions, 107–8, 133; salary of troops in, 150–51
Roman provincial law, 70, 106, 111
Sadducees, 43, 49, 64, 81, 92–98; Herod’s relations with, 45. See also sects
Salome Komaise, archive of, 71
Samaritans, 36, 37, 48, 191, 198, 205, 213, 221. See also Mount Gerizim, Shechem
Sanders, Edward P., 66, 81, 91
Scythopolis. See Beth Shean
scribes, 11–12, 29, 64, 68, 72, 90; as mantics, 82–84, 86; multilingualism of, 107; priests and levites as, 74
sects, 91–98; size of, 93–95. See also Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Christians
Sefer Yezirah, 180
senate: of Constantinople, 117, 118, 198; of Rome, 35, 44
Sepphoris, 104, 108, 113, 118, 119, 124, 132, 134, 204, 207; bishops in, 205; priests in, 144; synagogues in, 143, 205, 248–52, 253, 254, 255, 259
Septimius Severus, 137, 139, 141, 142
Serekh Hayahad, 75, 78, 79–81. See also Dead Sea scrolls
Shechem, 37, 138, 141. See also Samaritans
slaves, 195
synagogues, 57–58, 131; art in, 104, 135, 246, 247, 249–52 (see also iconography); common meals in, 221, 222, 223; communal ownership of, 233; confusion with temples of, 237; dating of, 208–12; destruction of, 195; in fortresses, 225; in Jerusalem, 223–24; in Nazareth, 223; prayer in, 218, 221; rabbinization of, 259–74; rabbis’ relations with, 116, 124, 238; sacrifices in, 221; sanctity of, 227, 236–37
Syria, 26, 33, 126, 203, 207, 285–86; economic boom in, 212; pagan shrines in, 211, 247, 253, 282
taxation, 40, 125–28; Hasmonean, 41; Ptolemaic, 28; Roman, 105. See also apostole, fiscus iudaicus
Tcherikover, Victor, 32–33, 56
temple: of Jerusalem, 217–22: in art, 249; construction of, 20; destruction of, 104; Herodian reconstruction of, 47; imperial patronage of, 55; as symbol, 61; synagogue as reflection of, 259; in Egypt, 217; Oniad, 218
Theodosian Code, 114, 116, 118, 120, 185, 187
Theodosius I, 186, 192, 193, 194
Tiberias, 11, 57, 61, 104, 113, 117, 118, 124, 132, 173, 204, 207; bishops in, 205; Hamat, 117, 137, 143, 206, 255; and the Palestinian Talmud, 145–48; synagogues in, 143, 205, 224
Tobiads, 22, 27–28, 29, 33, 35, 57
Torah. See Pentateuch, Torah scrolls, Torah shrines
Torah scrolls, 50, 59, 60, 224, 241–43, 248; reading of, 218, 221, 222, 241; sanctity of, 231–33; as symbols, 61; in synagogues, 63, 259; translation of, 220, 242–43; written by magicians, 232
Torah shrines, 242; in iconography, 244–45, 254
Toubias. See Tobiads
trade, 108, 113, 126, 131, 212; velocity of, 278–80
Wasserstein, Abraham, 70
wisdom literature, 29–31. See also Ben Sira, Job, Koheleth
Yannai the payyetan, 181, 263, 268–70
Yohanan bar Nappaha, Rabbi, 140, 173
zodiacs, 244, 249, 253, 255–56, 258–59, 271–72. See also astrology, mosaics