Jews and Christians in the First and Second Centuries: How to Write Their History

Peter J. Tomson retired as Professor of New Testament, Jewish Studies, and Patristics at the Faculty of Protestant Theology in Brussels and is currently Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at KU Leuven, Belgium. His publications include Paul and the Jewish Law: Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles (1990), The New Testament and Rabbinic Literature (2010, with R. Bieringer, F. García Martínez, and D. Pollefeyt) and Second Corinthians in the Perspective of Late Second Temple Judaism (2014, with R. Bieringer, E. Nathan, and D. Pollefeyt).Joshua Schwartz is Professor of Historical Geography of Ancient Israel and directs the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Recent publications include 'When Rabbi Eliezer was Arrested for Heresy' (2012, with Peter J. Tomson), ‘Jews at the Dicing Table: Gambling in Ancient Jewish Society Revisited'(2013), 'Good Dog – Bad Dog: Jews and Their Dogs in Ancient Jewish Society' (2013) and 'The Book’s the Thing: Roll versus Codex and the Marketing of Judaism and Christianity' (2013).

• IntroductionI. Varieties of Judaism and Christianity in Late Second Temple TimesPaula Fredriksen, How Later Contexts Affect Pauline Content, or: Retrospect is the Mother of AnachronismEyal Regev, Flourishing before the Crisis: Mapping Judaean Society in the First Century CEBaudouin Decharneux, The Carabas Affair (in Flacc 36-39): An Incident Emblematic of Philo’s Political PhilosophyHuub van de Sandt, The Jewishness of Jude–James–Hebrews in Light of PurityII. The Period of the Revolts 66-135 CEJames B. Rives, Animal Sacrifice and Political Identity in Rome and JudaeaSteve Mason, Why Did Judaeans Go to War with Rome in 66-67 CE? Realist-Regional PerspectivesAdrian Goldsworthy, ‘Men Casually Armed against Fully Equipped Regulars’: The Roman Military Response to Jewish Resistance 63 BCE – 135 CEJoshua Schwartz, Yavne Revisited: Jewish ‘Survival’ in the Wake of the War of DestructionJ. Andrew Overman, The Destruction of the Temple and the Conformation of Judaism and ChristianityZeev Safrai,Socio-Economic and Cultural Developments in the Galilee from the Late First to the Early Third Century CE III. Post-Revolt Jewish and Christian IdentitiesJohn M.G. Barclay, ‘Jews’ and ‘Christians’ in the Eyes of Roman Authors c. 100 CEMarius Heemstra, The Fiscus Judaicus: Its Social and Legal Impact, and a Possible Relation with Josephus’ AntiquitiesPeter J. Tomson, The Didache, Matthew, and Barnabas as Sources for Early Second Century Jewish and Christian HistoryAdiel Schremer, Beyond Naming: Laws of Minim in Tannaic Literature and the Early Rabbinic Discourse of MinutAlbert I. Baumgarten, The Rule of the Martian in the Ancient Diaspora: Celsus and His JewIshay Rosen-Zvi, Yetser Ha-Ra and Daimones: A Shared Jewish and Christian Discourse

"It is impossible to do justice to the scope and depth of these essays. Most of the contributors have already published on the topics they address here, but their essays have a cumulative effect. Anyone under the illusion of understanding how Judaism and Christianity came to separate, or what indeed both of these were, exactly, is recommended to read it." – Philip R Davies, University of Sheffield, in: RBL 07/2016 "(...) overall this is a richly documented account that weaves into the cast of these two main groups several others—such as the Essenes, Romans, Sicarii, Zealots—to form a layered history of connected, sometimes shared, experiences (...) for those interested in the historiography of this period, this study is essential reading." – Brian J. Wright, Ridley College, in: Themelios 41/1 (2016)"(...) an abiding impression is of the unusually high calibre of virtually all indivitual contributions, and of the cumulative force of an argument corroborating for this period a continued close contact and interaction of 'ways not parted', between Jews and Christians inhabiting a shared cutlural, social and religious space of discourse. The editors and contributors deserve our gratitude." – Markus Bockmuehl, Keble College, Oxford, in: Journal of Jewish Studies 57/1 (2016)