Greco-Roman synchretizing of Greco-Roman cults with Judean text and misunderstood praxis to evolve a "new" religion

It is a recognized aspect of early Christianity that the early church, in order to survive, synchretized with pagan cults, incorporating their gods as "saints" in order to expand Church membership.  One of the more amusing synchretizations was the minor god of war Mithras who became Saint Mithras, patron of warriors.

it should not be assumed that synchretization was a later development, or was in any way randomly executed.  It was an essential part of the development, not just of church membership, but of basic doctrine.

It is common for early Church scholars to claim that Philo was not terribly important to early Christian doctrine because his use of the logos was common in the ancient world.  That argument is little more than a paper tiger:  Philo's writings contained far more than just the Logos, and, as we have seen, Philo's writings were the basis for the narrative surrounding the Last Supper, the virgin/whore dichotomy as evidenced in the Mary/Mary Magdalen narratives, the diminution of Africa, in addition to providing the "philosophical" basis on which Greco-Romans deemed it acceptable to usurp Judean writings, and writings which Greco-Romans used to demonize Judeans as part of the rationale legitimizing that usurpation.

The early Church synchretized Greco-Roman praxis with poorly understood and misinterpreted Judean praxis, all of which was synchretized with Philo's writings, which were understood as "judean philosophy."  Greco-Roman "mystery cults" were the basis for the early Church's insistence that the "mysteriousness" of Jesus' teachings could only be comprehended by believers.  The notion that the parables were somehow mystical utterances that could only be dimly perceived by those who had been accepted as participants in the cult is consistent with mystery cults as they operated in Greco-Roman society.

The construction of "faith" as something somehow superior to logic and reason was (and is) a manipulative device that was (and is) used by members to elevate their rhetoric into something is meant to be perceived as more significant than it would otherwise seem.  It is common today for pastors to tell their congregants "the opposite of faith is not unbelief;  the opposite of faith is certainty."

That is an absurdity that only succeeds when accompanied by an insistence that the obvious has some greater significance than can be perceived by ordinary, mortal eyes.  This gives the congregant the illusion that s/he is a part of something greater, more mysterious, more exalted than that which ordinary mortals can comprehend.  That is a pernicious fiction because it elevates any position taken by the community/denomination/organization to something that is above human critique and/or evaluation. 

good god/bad god

One of the less comprehensible claims made by Christians, both ancient and contemporary, is that the god of judeans is "bad" and "punishing," while the god of Christians is good.

If we look at the text, we find that the Judean god was punishing when those who could be presumed to have accepted the contract with him violated that contract.  The "punishment" was not random, nor was it capricious.

In contrast, if we look at both Greco-Roman gods and the Christian construct of God, we find something different:  Greco-Roman gods behaved with more-than-human capriciousness, not limiting behaviour to human jealousies, but going as far as inciting wars.

God as a Christian construct goes further than that: giving his only son to be killed (John 3:16), he engages in act that the Judean god prohibited Abraham from committing.

How is it possible to claim that a God who intervenes in and rejects human sacrifice is "bad" and "punishing" while calling "good" a later construct of that same god, predicated on the same texts, who performs the same act that he had previously repudiated?

judean over-legislation v Roman over-legislation

    It is a truism of Christianity that Judean praxis was bound by rules.  this is contrasted with the claim that Christianity has only one rule:  to love your neighbor as yourself.  Christians fail to note, however, that that rule, which is ascribed to the wisdom of Jesus, appears in Leviticus.  Christians do not present the same argument regarding the Roman empire, which, as we have noted, was so over-legislated that there were legal provisions concerning the age and social status of male intrasexual interaction.

    Why has Christianity focussed on attacking Judean praxis as over-legislated rather than challenging Roman over-legislation?

    Principally, the answer is that the Roman Empire was a dominant force from which early Christians wanted recognition and legitimation from Roman authorities, rather than having any desire to present themselves as an opposing force.  Post bar Cochbah Judeans, on the other hand, were an already demolished force--one that not only did not need to be reckoned with, but which had already been demonized as hostile and rebellious by Roman authorities (most notably Hadrian, who was responsible for the demolition of the Judean populace).

    Christians, both ancient and modern, enjoy representing themselves as oppressed, struggling for justice and recognition against a persecuting majority.  Yet history demonstrates (beginning with Justin Martyr's First Apology) that the early Christians demonized Judeans for the purpose of usurping ownership of Judean texts.  Justin Martyr's First Apology attempts to curry favor with Roman authorities by energetically separating the proto-Christian movement from Judean praxis. 

Irenaeus, Jesus and Bar Cochba

Howls of delight or outrage arise when non-scholars discover that the “historic Jesus” and the “historic Paul” might not be as “historic” as the Church would have them.  The delight (or outrage) comes because those non-scholars believed the catechism they were told, and only when they bothered to check the documents for themselves, they discovered that Church catechism is a collection of conflated narratives that were agreed upon because that conflation created a cohesive “history” out of a collection of disjointed documents which disagree with each other.

One of the prime examples of this is when non-scholars discover that Jesus was not crucified at age 30.  They make this discovery by reading Irenaeus, Against Heresies 2.22.5 (Greek portion from Eusebius, History of the Church 3.23.3):

Illi autem, ut figmentum suum de eo quod est scriptum vocare annum domini acceptum affirment, dicunt uno anno eum praedicasse, et duodecimo mense passum, contra semetipsos obliti sunt, solventes eius omne negotium, et magis necessariam, et magis honorabilem aetatem eius auferentes, illam inquam provectiorem, in qua et docens praeerat universis. quomodo enim habuit discipulos si non docebat? quomodo autem docebat magistri aetatem non habens? ad baptismum enim venit nondum qui triginta annorum; ita enim, qui eius annos significavit Lucas, posuit: Iesus autem erat quasi incipiens triginta annorum, cum veniret ad baptismum; et a baptismate uno tantum anno praedicavit; complens tricesimum annum passus est, adhuc iuvenis exsistens, et qui necdum provectiorem haberet aetatem. quia autem triginta annorum aetas prima indolis est iuvenis, et extenditur usque ad quadragesimum annum, omnis quilibet confitebitur; a quadragesimo autem et quinquagesimo anno declinat iam in aetatem seniorem, quam habens dominus noster docebat, sicut evangelium *et omnes seniores testantur, qui in Asia apud Iohannem discipulum domini convenerunt, id ipsum tradidisse eis Iohannem. permansit autem cum eis usque ad Traiani tempora.* quidam autem eorum non solum Ioannem, sed et alios apostolos viderunt, et haec eadem ab ipsis audierunt, et testantur de huiusmodi relatione.

...και παντες οι πρεσβυτεροι μαρτυρουσιν, οι κατα την Ασιαν Ιωαννη τω του κυριου μαθητη συμβεβληκοτες, παραδεδωκεναι τον Ιωαννην. παρεμεινεν γαρ αυτοις μεχρι των Τραιανου χρονων.

They, however, that they may establish their false opinion regarding that which is written, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, maintain that he preached for one year only, and then suffered in the twelfth month. They are forgetful to their own disadvantage, destroying his whole work and robbing him of that age which is both more necessary and more honorable than any other, that more advanced age, I mean, during which also as a teacher he excelled all others. For how could he have had disciples if he did not teach? And how could he have taught unless he had reached the age of a master? For when he came to be baptized he had not yet completed his thirtieth year, but was beginning to be about thirty years of age; for thus Luke, who has mentioned his years, has expressed it: Now Jesus was, as it were, beginning to be thirty years old when he came to receive baptism); and [they affirm that] he preached only one year reckoning from his baptism; on completing his thirtieth year he suffered, being in fact still a young man, and who had by no means attained to advanced age. But that the age of thirty years is the prime of life for a youth, and it extends up to the fortieth year, everyone will allow it to be confessed; but from the fortieth and fiftieth year it declines already into the senior age, which our Lord had while he was teaching, just as the gospel and all the elders, who had dwelled with John the disciple of the Lord in Asia, testify that John delivered. For he remained with them until the times of Trajan. But some of them saw, not only John, but also other apostles, and heard these same things from them, and testify concerning the previously related matter.

Reference to John remaining until the times of Trajan is also in Against Heresies 3.3.4:

Sed et quae est Ephesi ecclesia a Paulo quidem fundata, Iohanne autem permanente apud eos usque ad Traiani tempora, testis est verus apostolorum traditionis.

Αλλα και η εν Εφεσω εκκλησια υπο Παυλου μεν τεθεμελιωμενη, Ιωαννου δε παραμειναντος αυτοις μεχρι των Τραιανου χρονων, μαρτυς αληθης εστι της των αποστολων παραδοσεως.

But also the church in Ephesus, which was founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them all the way up until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles.

Trajan was emperor from 9-117 CE.  Irenaeus locates the “ministry” of Jesus in the time of the Kitos Revolt, rather than in the era before the Jewish War of 66-73, the dating that has been catechetically accepted.  

Irenaeus ‘ later dating of  Jesus’ ministry still manages to place the “historic” Jesus before Bar Cochba, in an attempt to avoid linking the two.

Contemporary idiocy

There seems to be a presumption among historians that the ancient world was significantly different from the contemporary world:  it seems to be assumed that in the ancient world, people were simpler, more noble, incapable of deceit.  

Following from this, scholars seem to enjoy believing that the Gospels are historical narratives because, of course, a simpler, more noble, guileless people couldn’t possibly write biographical narratives of a person who they knew did not exist.  

 Scholars also seem to enjoy the belief that these simple, more noble, guileless people couldn’t possibly coordinate textual insertions to construct a plausible historical context for this otherwise entirely undocumented hero.

It makes you wonder who the simple people are.

Josephus on Pilate with Jesus, Josephus on Pilate without Jesus

In Antiquities, Josephus recounts the actions of Pilate, and mentions Jesus.  

In The Jewish War, Josephus recounts the same actions of Pilate, with no mention of Jesus.

Josephus, Antiquities, Book 18 chapter 3

1. But now Pilate, the procurator of Judea, removed the army from Cesarea to Jerusalem, to take their winter quarters there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws. So he introduced Caesar's effigies, which were upon the ensigns, and brought them into the city; whereas our law forbids us the very making of images; on which account the former procurators were wont to make their entry into the city with such ensigns as had not those ornaments. Pilate was the first who brought those images to Jerusalem, and set them up there; which was done without the knowledge of the people, because it was done in the night time; but as soon as they knew it, they came in multitudes to Cesarea, and interceded with Pilate many days that he would remove the images; and when he would not grant their requests, because it would tend to the injury of Caesar, while yet they persevered in their request, on the sixth day he ordered his soldiers to have their weapons privately, while he came and sat upon his judgment-seat, which seat was so prepared in the open place of the city, that it concealed the army that lay ready to oppress them; and when the Jews petitioned him again, he gave a signal to the soldiers to encompass them routed, and threatened that their punishment should be no less than immediate death, unless they would leave off disturbing him, and go their ways home. But they threw themselves upon the ground, and laid their necks bare, and said they would take their death very willingly, rather than the wisdom of their laws should be transgressed; upon which Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable, and presently commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Cesarea. 

2. But Pilate undertook to bring a current of water to Jerusalem, and did it with the sacred money, and derived the origin of the stream from the distance of two hundred furlongs. However, the Jews were not pleased with what had been done about this water; and many ten thousands of the people got together, and made a clamor against him, and insisted that he should leave off that design. Some of them also used reproaches, and abused the man, as crowds of such people usually do. So he habited a great number of his soldiers in their habit, who carried daggers under their garments, and sent them to a place where they might surround them. So he bid the Jews himself go away; but they boldly casting reproaches upon him, he gave the soldiers that signal which had been beforehand agreed on; who laid upon them much greater blows than Pilate had commanded them, and equally punished those that were tumultuous, and those that were not; nor did they spare them in the least: and since the people were unarmed, and were caught by men prepared for what they were about, there were a great number of them slain by this means, and others of them ran away wounded. And thus an end was put to this sedition. 

3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day…

5. There was a man who was a Jew, but had been driven away from his own country by an accusation laid against him for transgressing their laws, and by the fear he was under of punishment for the same; but in all respects a wicked man. He, then living at Rome, professed to instruct men in the wisdom of the laws of Moses. He procured also three other men, entirely of the same character with himself, to be his partners. These men persuaded Fulvia, a woman of great dignity, and one that had embraced the Jewish religion, to send purple and gold to the temple at Jerusalem; and when they had gotten them, they employed them for their own uses, and spent the money themselves, on which account it was that they at first required it of her. Whereupon Tiberius, who had been informed of the thing by Saturninus, the husband of Fulvia, who desired inquiry might be made about it, ordered all the Jews to be banished out of Rome; at which time the consuls listed four thousand men out of them, and sent them to the island Sardinia; but punished a greater number of them, who were unwilling to become soldiers, on account of keeping the laws of their forefathers. Thus were these Jews banished out of the city by the wickedness of four men. 

Josephus on Pilate:  no Jesus. 

The Jewish War, Book 2, Ch. 9

2. Now Pilate, who was sent as procurator into Judea by Tiberius, sent by night those images of Caesar that are called ensigns into Jerusalem. This excited a very among great tumult among the Jews when it was day; for those that were near them were astonished at the sight of them, as indications that their laws were trodden under foot; for those laws do not permit any sort of image to be brought into the city. Nay, besides the indignation which the citizens had themselves at this procedure, a vast number of people came running out of the country. These came zealously to Pilate to Cesarea, and besought him to carry those ensigns out of Jerusalem, and to preserve them their ancient laws inviolable; but upon Pilate's denial of their request, they fell down prostrate upon the ground, and continued immovable in that posture for five days and as many nights. 

3. On the next day Pilate sat upon his tribunal, in the open market-place, and called to him the multitude, as desirous to give them an answer; and then gave a signal to the soldiers, that they should all by agreement at once encompass the Jews with their weapons; so the band of soldiers stood round about the Jews in three ranks. The Jews were under the utmost consternation at that unexpected sight. Pilate also said to them that they should be cut in pieces, unless they would admit of Caesar's images, and gave intimation to the soldiers to draw their naked swords. Hereupon the Jews, as it were at one signal, fell down in vast numbers together, and exposed their necks bare, and cried out that they were sooner ready to be slain, than that their law should be transgressed. Hereupon Pilate was greatly surprised at their prodigious superstition, and gave order that the ensigns should be presently carried out of Jerusalem.

4. After this he raised another disturbance, by expending that sacred treasure which is called Corban upon aqueducts, whereby he brought water from the distance of four hundred furlongs. At this the multitude had indignation; and when Pilate was come to Jerusalem, they came about his tribunal, and made a clamor at it. Now when he was apprized aforehand of this disturbance, he mixed his own soldiers in their armor with the multitude, and ordered them to conceal themselves under the habits of private men, and not indeed to use their swords, but with their staves to beat those that made the clamor. He then gave the signal from his tribunal [to do as he had bidden them]. Now the Jews were so sadly beaten, that many of them perished by the stripes they received, and many of them perished as trodden to death by themselves; by which means the multitude was astonished at the calamity of those that were slain, and held their peace.

Josephus as the source of information on Judean sects and Judean relations with Samaritans

Pharisees

 Matthew 23:1

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their tefillin broad and their tallit long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students."

Luke 14:1 - 14

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.... He said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors; for they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. Then you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

 

Antiquities 18.1.2-3 11-13 (War 2.8.14 162-166 and Ant. 13.171-173) 

The Jews since antiquity have had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves, that of the Essenes, of the Sadducees, and the third the philosophy of those called the Pharisees; of which sects, although I have already spoken in the second book of the Jewish War, yet will I touch a little upon them now.

Now the Pharisees simplify their way of life and give in to no sort of softness; and they follow the guidance of  what their doctrine has handed down and prescribes as good; and they earnestly strive to observe the commandments it dictates to them. They also show respect to the elders, nor are they so bold as to contradict them in any thing they have introduced.  Although they determine that all things are done by fate, they do not take away the freedom from men of acting as they think fit; since it has pleased God to make a combination of his council-chamber and of the people who wish to approach with their virtue and their vice. They also believe that souls have an immortal power in them, and that under the earth there will be rewards or punishments according to whether they showed virtue or vice in this life; the latter are to be detained in an everlasting prison, but the former are allowed an easy passage through and live again. Because of these doctrines they hold great influence among the populace, and all divine worship, prayers, and sacrifices are performed according to their direction. In doing so the cities bear witness to all their virtuous conduct, both in their way of life and in their words. 

Sadducees

 

Luke 20:27/Mark 12:18/Matthew 22:23/Acts 5:17, 23:8

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question.

Antiquities 18.2.4 16-17  (War2.8.14 162-166)

But the doctrine of the Sadducees is that souls die with the bodies. Nor do they perform any observance other than what the Law enjoins them. They think it virtuous to dispute with the teachers of the wisdom they pursue.  This doctrine is accepted but by a few, but those are of the highest standing. But they are able to accomplish almost nothing, for when they hold office they are unwillingly and by force obliged to submit to the teachings of the Pharisees, because the multitude would not otherwise tolerate them.

Essenes

 

    Matt. 10:5-14/Mark 6:11/Luke 9:5

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town." 

    Acts 2:45

 

All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

    War 2.7.4  119-127 (Ant.18.2.5 18-22)

 

The Essenes...are despisers of riches, and so very communal as to earn our admiration. There is no one to be found among them who has more than another; for they have a law that those who come to join them must let whatever they have be common to the whole order, so that among them all there is no appearance of either poverty or excessive wealth. Everyone's possessions are intermingled with every other's possessions; as if they were all brothers with a single patrimony... 

They have no one city, but in every city dwell many of them; and if any of the sect arrive from elsewhere, all is made available to them as if it were their own; and they go to those they have never seen before as if long acquaintances. Thus they carry nothing at all with them in their journeys, except weapons for defense against thieves. Accordingly, in every city there is one appointed specifically to take care of strangers and to provide them with garments and other necessities. 

In their clothing and deportment they resemble children in fear of their teachers. They change neither their garments nor their shoes until they are torn to pieces or worn out by time. They neither buy nor sell anything to one another, but each gives what he has to whomever needs it, and receives in exchange what he needs himself; and even if there is nothing given any return, they are allowed to take anything they want from whomever they please.

Samaritans

 Luke 9:51

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem . When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. 

Ant. 20.6.1 118 (War 2.12.3-4 232-235)

 

It was the custom of the Galileans, when they came to the Holy City at the festivals, to take their journeys through the country of the Samaritans. On their route lay a village called Ginea, which was situated on the border between Samaria and the Great Plain, and at this time certain persons fought with the Galileans, and killed a great many of them. When the leaders of the Galileans were informed of what had been done they came to Cumanus and desired him to avenge the murders; but he was bribed by the Samaritans to do nothing. The Galileans, indignant at this, urged the Jewish populace to resort to arms and to regain their liberty, saying that while slavery was a bitter thing but that, when it was joined with direct injuries it was completely intolerable....they entreated the assistance of Eleazar son of Dineus, a robber who had for many years made his home in the mountains, and with his assistance they set afire and plundered many villages of the Samaritans

Josephus as the source for "render unto Caesar"

Mark 12:13-17/Matt. 22:15-22/Lk 20:19-26)

Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it." And they brought one. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The emperor's." Jesus said to them, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were utterly amazed at him. 

War 2.8.1 118 (Antiquities 18.1.1 3)

Under his administration a certain Galilean named Judas prevailed upon his countrymen to revolt; and said they were cowards if they would endure to pay a tax to the Romans and submit to mortal men as their lords.  This man was a teacher of a peculiar sect of his own that was not at all like the others… For there are three philosophical sects among the Jews...

Josephus as the source for Luke's Jesus-as-child-genius narrative

Luke 2:42

And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival [of Passover]....After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 

Josephus' Life 1.2 8

 

I made mighty proficiency in the improvements of my learning, and appeared to have both a great memory and understanding. Moreover, when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was commended by all for the love I had to learning; on which account the high priests and principal men of the city came then frequently to me together, in order to know my opinion about the accurate understanding of points of the law.

Ancient souces disagree on which emperor expelled the Jews from Rome, and on why they were expelled

Ancient sources disagree with the grounds for the expulsion of the Jews from Rome and disagree on which Emperor expelled them:

Acts 18:1-2

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he fund a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. 

Suetonius refers to the expulsion of Jews by Claudius in Claudius, 25:

Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.

Josephus, Antiquities 18.3.5 81-84

Tiberius...ordered the whole Jewish community to leave Rome. The consuls drafted four thousand of these Jews for military service and sent them to the island of Sardinia; but they penalized a good many of them, who refused to serve for fear of breaking the Jewish law. Thus the Jews were banished from the city for the wickedness of four men.

Judeans as the Romans saw them: Claudius via Josephus

From Josephus’ The Antiquities of the Jews vol XIX

Chapter 5:2-3

Now about this time there was a sedition between the Jews and the Greeks, at the city of Alexandria; for when Caius was dead, the nation of the Jews, which had been very much mortified under the reign of Caius, and reduced to very great distress by the people of Alexandria, recovered itself, and immediately took up their arms to fight for themselves. So Claudius sent an order to the president of Egypt to quiet that tumult; he also sent an edict, at the requests of king Agrippa and king Herod, both to Alexandria and to Syria, whose contents were as follows: "Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, high priest, and tribune of the people, ordains thus: Since I am assured that the Jews of Alexandria, called Alexandrians, have been joint inhabitants in the earliest times with the Alexandrians, and have obtained from their kings equal privileges with them, as is evident by the public records that are in their possession, and the edicts themselves; and that after Alexandria had been subjected to our empire by Augustus, their rights and privileges have been preserved by those presidents who have at divers times been sent thither; and that no dispute had been raised about those rights and privileges, even when Aquila was governor of Alexandria; and that when the Jewish ethnarch was dead, Augustus did not prohibit the making such ethnarchs, as willing that all men should be so subject [to the Romans] as to continue in the observation of their own customs, and not be forced to transgress the ancient rules of their own country religion; but that, in the time of Caius, the Alexandrians became insolent towards the Jews that were among them, which Caius, out of his great madness and want of understanding, reduced the nation of the Jews very low, because they would not transgress the religious worship of their country, and call him a god: I will therefore that the nation of the Jews be not deprived of their rights and privileges, on account of the madness of Caius; but that those rights and privileges which they formerly enjoyed be preserved to them, and that they may continue in their own customs. And I charge both parties to take very great care that no troubles may arise after the promulgation of this edict." 

3. And such were the contents of this edict on behalf of the Jews that was sent to Alexandria. But the edict that was sent into the other parts of the habitable earth was this which follows: "Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, high priest, tribune of the people, chosen consul the second time, ordains thus: Upon the petition of king Agrippa and king Herod, who are persons very dear to me, that I would grant the same rights and privileges should be preserved to the Jews which are in all the Roman empire, which I have granted to those of Alexandria, I very willingly comply therewith; and this grant I make not only for the sake of the petitioners, but as judging those Jews for whom I have been petitioned worthy of such a favor, on account of their fidelity and friendship to the Romans. I think it also very just that no Grecian city should be deprived of such rights and privileges, since they were preserved to them under the great Augustus. It will therefore be fit to permit the Jews, who are in all the world under us, to keep their ancient customs without being hindered so to do. And I do charge them also to use this my kindness to them with moderation, and not to show a contempt of the superstitious observances of other nations, but to keep their own laws only. And I will that this decree of mine be engraven on tables by the magistrates of the cities, and colonies, and municipal places, both those within Italy and those without it, both kings and governors, by the means of the ambassadors, and to have them exposed to the public for full thirty days, in such a place whence it may plainly be read from the ground."

Chapter 6:1-4

And when Agrippa had entirely finished all the duties of the Divine worship, he removed Theophilus, the son of Ananus, from the high priesthood, and bestowed that honor of his on Simon the son of Boethus, whose name was also Cantheras whose daughter king Herod married, as I have related above. Simon, therefore, had the [high] priesthood with his brethren, and with his father, in like manner as the sons of Simon, the son of Onias, who were three, had it formerly under the government of the Macedonians, as we have related in a former book. 

2. And when Agrippa had entirely finished all the duties of the Divine worship, he removed Theophilus, the son of Ananus, from the high priesthood, and bestowed that honor of his on Simon the son of Boethus, whose name was also Cantheras whose daughter king Herod married, as I have related above. Simon, therefore, had the [high] priesthood with his brethren, and with his father, in like manner as the sons of Simon, the son of Onias, who were three, had it formerly under the government of the Macedonians, as we have related in a former book.

3. When the king had settled the high priesthood after this manner, he returned the kindness which the inhabitants of Jerusalem had showed him; for he released them from the tax upon houses, every one of which paid it before, thinking it a good thing to requite the tender affection of those that loved him. He also made Silas the general of his forces, as a man who had partaken with him in many of his troubles. But after a very little while the young men of Doris, preferring a rash attempt before piety, and being naturally bold and insolent, carried a statue of Caesar into a synagogue of the Jews, and erected it there. This procedure of theirs greatly provoked Agrippa; for it plainly tended to the dissolution of the laws of his country. So he came without delay to Publius Petronius, who was then president of Syria, and accused the people of Doris. Nor did he less resent what was done than did Agrippa; for he judged it a piece of impiety to transgress the laws that regulate the actions of men. So he wrote the following letter to the people of Doris in an angry strain: "Publius Petronius, the president under Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, to the magistrates of Doris, ordains as follows: Since some of you have had the boldness, or madness rather, after the edict of Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was published, for permitting the Jews to observe the laws of their country, not to obey the same, but have acted in entire opposition thereto, as forbidding the Jews to assemble together in the synagogue, by removing Caesar's statue, and setting it up therein, and thereby have offended not only the Jews, but the emperor himself, whose statue is more commodiously placed in his own temple than in a foreign one, where is the place of assembling together; while it is but a part of natural justice, that every one should have the power over the place belonging peculiarly to themselves, according to the determination of Caesar,—to say nothing of my own determination, which it would be ridiculous to mention after the emperor's edict, which gives the Jews leave to make use of their own customs, as also gives order that they enjoy equally the rights of citizens with the Greeks themselves,—I therefore ordain that Proculus Vitellius, the centurion, bring those men to me, who, contrary to Augustus's edict, have been so insolent as to do this thing, at which those very men, who appear to be of principal reputation among them, have an indignation also, and allege for themselves, 'that it was not done with their consent, but by the violence of the multitude, that they may give an account of what hath been done. I also exhort the principal magistrates among them, unless they have a mind to have this action esteemed to be done with their consent, to inform the centurion of those that were guilty of it, and take care that no handle be hence taken for raising a sedition or quarrel among them; which those seem to me to treat after who encourage such doings; while both I myself, and king Agrippa, for whom I have the highest honor, have nothing more under our care, than that the nation of the Jews may have no occasion given them of getting together, under the pretense of avenging themselves, and become tumultuous. And that it may be more publicly known what Augustus hath resolved about this whole matter, I have subjoined those edicts which he hath lately caused to be published at Alexandria, and which, although they may be well known to all, yet did king Agrippa, for whom I have the highest honor, read them at that time before my tribunal, and pleaded that the Jews ought not to be deprived of those rights which Augustus hath granted them. I therefore charge you, that you do not, for the time to come, seek for any occasion of sedition or disturbance, but that every one be allowed to follow their own religious customs." 

4. Thus did Petronius take care of this matter, that such a breach of the law might be corrected, and that no such thing might be attempted afterwards against the Jews.

Judeans as the Romans saw them: Suetonius

Suetonius, who, as we have noted, was Hadrian’s secretary, has surprisingly few things to say about Judeans.  The first brief mention we find is at Julius Caesar’s funeral (Julius. 84):

Thereupon the musicians and professional mourners, who had walked in the funeral train wearing the robes that he had himself worn at his four triumphs, tore these in pieces and flung them on the flames – to which veterans who had assisted at his triumphs added the arms that they had then borne. Many women in the audience sacrificed their jewelry together with their children’s breast-plaques and robes. Public grief was enhanced by crowds of foreigners lamenting in their own fashion, especially Jews, who came flocking to the forum several nights in succession.

The next is during Tiberius’ reign (Tiberius. 36):

He abolished foreign cults at Rome, particularly the Egyptian and Jewish, forcing all citizens who had embraced their superstitious faiths to burn their religious vestments and other accessories. Jews of military age were removed to unhealthy regions, on the pretext of drafting them into the army; the others of the same race or of similar beliefs were expelled from the city and threatened with slavery if they defied the order. Tiberius also banished all astrologers except such as asked for his forgiveness and undertook to make no more predictions.

And the final reference is during Claudius’ reign (Claudius 25):

It now became illegal for foreigners to adopt the names of Roman families, and any who usurped the rights of Roman citizens were executed in the Esquiline Field…Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from the city.

We have already noted the bizarreness that “Chrestus” and his followers seem to have appeared in Rome before any reference to their existence in that part of the world is documented in The Acts of the Apostles.   The only possible explanation for this is that this is an insertion from a later date.

Judeans as the Romans saw them: Tacitus

Sulpicius Severus (Christian historian ca 363-425 CE) quotes (and possibly redacts) Tacitus in a description of Titus’ destruction of the Temple in the Jewish War of 66-73CE:

From Sulpicius’ Chronica II, 30:3,6-7:

Meanwhile the Jews, hemmed in by the siege, since no opportunity for peace or surrender had been given, at last perished of hunger, and everywhere the roads began to be filled with corpses, so that the duty of burying them could not be performed…It is said that Titus summoned his council, and before taking action consulted it whether he should overthrow a sanctuary of such workmanship, since it seemed to many that a sacred building, one more remarkable than any other human work, should not be destroyed.  For if preserved it would testify to the moderation of the Romans, while if demolished, it would be a perpetual sign of cruelty.  On the other hand, others, and Titus himself, expressed their opinion that the Temple should be destroyed without delay, in order that the religion of the Jews and Christians should be more completely exterminated.  For those religions, though opposed to one another, derive from the same founders; the Christians stemmed from the Jews and the extirpation of the root would easily cause the offspring to perish.

Sulpicius Severus claims that Christianity and Judaism had “the same founders,” and immediately qualifies that statement by saying that Christianity “stemmed from the Jews.”  Christians, when the Temple was in use, were not participants in Temple service due to the lack of surgery required in order to be admitted into Temple worship. As such, destruction of the Temple would not automatically mean that the Christian religion would be destroyed.  It is evident that at the time Sulpicius quoted (and redacted) Tacitus, the Church had already established its version of the historical trajectory claiming the proto-Christian community as an off-shoot of the Judeans.We should remember that Tacitus' reference to "Christus" identifies Christians as deriving from him, rather than from Jews, in Annals 15:44: 

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

            It would appear that not only was Tacitus redacted, but that he was redacted more than once, by “historians” who were not careful to make sure their insertions were consistent with each other.

From Tacitus Annals, II 42:5:

About the same time, the death of two kings, Antiochus of Commagene and Philopator of Cicilia, disturbed the peace of their countries, where the majority of men desired a Roman governor and the minority a monarch.  The provinces, too, of Syria and Judea, exhausted by their burdens, were pressing for a diminution of the tribute.

From Annals, II 85:4:

Another debate dealt with the proscription of the Egyptian and Jewish rites, and a senatorial edict directed that four thousand descendants of enfranchised slaves, tainted with that superstition and suitable in point of age, were to be shipped to Sardinia and there employed in suppressing brigandage:  “If they succumbed to the pestilential climate, it was a cheap loss.”  The rest had orders to leave Italy, unless they had renounced their impious ceremonial by a given date.

From Annals XIII, 23:1

Ituraea and Judea, on the death of their sovereigns, Sohaemus and Agrippa, were attached to the province of Syria.

Philo in history: reading Legatio ad Gaium against Claudius' letter to the Alexandrians

As a scholarly source of information, Philo is suspect for similar reasons as we suspect Josephus.  Both are described by Christian scholars as “Hellenzied Jews,” which is meant to convey the impression that they were assimilated Jews:  Jews who self-identifed as Jews, but who had successfully integrated themselves into the dominant, non-Jewish society.

The problem with that understanding is that it is…wrong.  Josephus had himself adopted into the Flavian family, thereby disowning himself from his Judean patrimony.  Philo we know little of except from fragments that he provides (as with Legatio ad Gaium), and from Josephus, in Antiquities (which should already tell us that Philo is someone whose veracity might be doubtful).

From Josephus, we know that Philo’s brother Alexander held the position of alabarch.  This was apparently a high office that involved supervising the collection of revenues.  Alexander was so wealthy that King Agrippa I often borrowed money from him.  The implication of this is that Philo was a member of a family that was prominent in the Jewish community at Alexandria, and would account for Philo’s inclusion in the embassy to Caligula.  Philo's nephew Tiberius Julius Alexander, Alexander's son, became the Roman procurator in Judea in 46-48 CE, abandoning his religion and patrimony, and played an important role for the Romans in their suppression of the Jewish revolt of 66-70 CE. 

This gives us an idea of the status that the family achieved with respect to Rome, and why Jewish scholars are uninclined to assume Philo’s impartiality regarding his  history and “philosophy.”  It would seem, from his family associations, that his intent in his “philosophy” was less to proselytize Judaism than it was to reassure his Greco-Roman audience that a Judean who was siding with Romans could be trusted.

When reading Legatio ad Gaium, it is worthwhile to reference Philo’s account against Claudius’ letter to the Jews of Alexandria. Legatio is presumed to date around between 37-41 CE (Caligula’s reigh), and Claudius’ letter is dated around 41 CE.