Yale University Library Research Guides: Hellenistic Judaism: Home

Welcome

Hellenistic Judaism refers to sources of ancient Judaism written in ancient Greek (Hellenistic through Roman Imperial periods). The term "Hellenistic" (Ἑλληνιστής) once denoted persons (especially Jews) who knew the Greek language (ἑλληνίζω) but lacked Greek ancestry.

This guide helps students:

Locate primary sources.
Find relevant scholarship.
Hone skills in post-Classical Greek.

General Research Tools

Introductions to Hellenistic Judaism

Studies in Hellenistic Judaism by Louis H. Feldman deal primarily with the relations between Jews and non-Jews during the period from Alexander the Great to the end of the Roman Empire.
Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora by John M. G. Barclay comprehensive survey of the history of the Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora in the Hellenistic and early Roman period, esp. Aristeas Artapanus, Aristobulus and Philo.
Diaspora : Jews amidst Greeks and Romans by Erich S. Gruen What was life like for Jews settled throughout the Mediterranean world of Classical antiquity - and what place did Jewish communities have in the diverse civilization dominated by Greeks and Romans? Online available.
The Jews of Ancient Rome by Harry J. Leon windows into the social life of the Jews of ancient Rome,