Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity

"Offers a radically new account that advances the modern scholarly understanding of Babylonian Jewish history and society, and of Sasanian rule. Building upon recent developments in the study of the Sasanian Empire, the book offers a more direct model of Sasanian rule, within and against which Jews invariably positioned and defined themselves"--

List of contents

Introduction: Toward a new history of Jews and the Sasanian Empire; 1. Jewish society under Sasanian rule: from isolation to integration; 2. Competing for power: Jewish elites and Sasanian culture; 3. Beyond 'tolerance': the logics of Sasanian violence against Jews; 4. Forgetting persecution: memory and anti-martyrdom in the Babylonian Talmud; 5. Rabbis and fire temples: navigating a Zoroastrian empire; 6. Kings and religion in the Talmud and in the imagination of Sasanian communities; Conclusion: the Sasanian Empire from the perspective of the Jews.

About the author

Simcha Gross is Assistant Professor of Ancient Rabbinics in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Coauthor of The History of the 'Slave of Chris': From Jewish Child to Christian Martyr and co-editor of Jews and Syriac Christians, he was an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow for Assistant Professors at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton; and a recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship for experienced researchers.

Summary

Offers a radically new account that advances the modern scholarly understanding of Babylonian Jewish history and society, and of Sasanian rule. Building upon recent developments in the study of the Sasanian Empire, the book offers a more direct model of Sasanian rule, within and against which Jews invariably positioned and defined themselves.

Product details

• Authors: Simcha Gross, Simcha (University of Pennsylvania) Gross
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.11.2023
• EAN: 9781009280525
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0928052-5
• No. of pages: 360
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Judaism; RELIGION / Judaism / General, HISTORY / Ancient / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, HISTORY / Jewish, LITERARY CRITICISM / Jewish, LITERARY CRITICISM / Middle Eastern, Judaism, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Empires & historical states, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Relating to Jewish people and groups, Babylonia, Aramaic, Historical states, empires, territories and regions