From bobcowan100@hotmail.com Wed Aug 1 04:53:52 2001 Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.11.2+UW01.01/8.11.2+UW01.04) with ESMTP id f71Brp0104118 for ; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 04:53:51 -0700 Received: from hotmail.com (f224.pav1.hotmail.com [64.4.31.224]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.11.2+UW01.01/8.11.2+UW01.04) with ESMTP id f71BrpF18022 for ; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 04:53:51 -0700 Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 04:53:47 -0700 Received: from 163.1.103.122 by pv1fd.pav1.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Wed, 01 Aug 2001 11:53:47 GMT X-Originating-IP: [163.1.103.122] From: "Bob Cowan" To: classics@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Jews in Classical Greek Sources Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 11:53:47 +0000 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Aug 2001 11:53:47.0946 (UTC) FILETIME=[9FA2B0A0:01C11A80] Status: O X-Status: I don't know about cast-iron references to Ioudaioi in pre-Hellenistic Greece, but there's always the association with the Solymoi who battle Bellerophon in the Iliad. This association - probably based on an etymological link between Solymoi and Hierosolyma/Jerusalem - was likely made in Hellenistic times, but really takes off under the Flavians after the sack of Jerusalem. Sources include Josephus Jewish Antiquities 7.3.2.67 and Tacitus Histories 5 (though this is only one of six possible origins the latter offers). Josephus Against Apion 1.22.173 also preserves part of a catalogue of Xerxes' forces in another pre-H Greek poem, Choerilus of Samos' epic on the Persian Wars, mentioning the Solymoi whom Josephus again identifies as the Jews. It's the classic strategy of associating one's people with a recognisable/glorious ancestry (though interestingly Hellenising as opposed to scripture-based), just as somewhere in one of the Maccabees (I forget where) there is a claim of common descent for Jews and Spartans, but that's another story... All best Bob Cowan Keble College, Oxford >From: Socrates >Reply-To: classics@u.washington.edu >To: classics@u.washington.edu >Subject: Jews in Classical Greek Sources >Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 12:11:23 -0700 (PDT) > >A friend of mine asked me about any references to Jews in any of the >Classical Greek authors. I was unable to think of any references offhand. >I know there are plenty of instances in Roman documents, and even in >Hellenistic sources, but what about in Classical Greek texts or even >earlier? Of specific interest is any mention of Jews by the chroniclers of >Alexander's campaigns. Actually, my friend insisted that although mention >of Gaza is made during Alexander's advance through the Levant region, he >found no mention of Jerusalem or Jews which left him puzzled. If anyone >has any references to point out, we thank them in advance. > >Sincerely, > >Sotiris Sotiropoulos > >== >It's all Greek Philosophy to me! > > >_____________________________________________________________ >Know Thyself! >Who are you@greekphilosophy.com? >Click on the link for your own email address at: >http://www.greekphilosophy.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp .