Jewish Communities in Asia Minor (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)

Scholarly assessment of Jewish communities in the Hellenistic and GraecoRoman Diaspora has generally been dominated by our knowledge of the large and influential communities in Rome and Alexandria. This is the first study to draw together evidence for significant Jewish communities in another part of the Diaspora, namely Asia Minor. By collating archaeological, epigraphic, classical, New Testament and patristic sources, the book provides an invaluable and coherent description of the life of Jewish communities in Asia Minor, and so gives a more complete picture than has been available hitherto of Jewish life at the time.

SOCIETY FOR NEW T E S T A M E N T S T U D I E S MONOGRAPH

SERIES

General Editor: G. N. Stanton

69 JEWISH C O M M U N I T I E S IN A S I A MINOR

Jewish Communities in Asia Minor

P A U L R. T R E B I L C O Professor of New Testament Studies Knox Theological Hall University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

The right of the University of Cambridge to print and sell all manner of books was granted by Henry VIII in 1534. The University has printed and published continuously since 1584.

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE NEW YORK PORT C H E S T E R MELBOURNE SYDNEY

Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia © Cambridge University Press 1991 First published 1991 Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge

British Library cataloguing in publication data Trebilco, Paul R. (Paul Raymond) 1958Jewish communities in Asia Minor - (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series: 69) 1. Turkey. Jewish communities ancient period I. Title II. Series. 939.2004924 Library of Congress cataloguing in publication data Trebilco, Paul R. Jewish communities in Asia Minor/by Paul R. Trebilco. p. cm. - (Monograph series/Society for New Testament Studies: 69) Rev. and abbreviated version of thesis (doctoral) - University of Durham, 1987. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0 521 40120 8 1. Jews - Turkey - History. 2. Jews - Turkey - Antiquities. 3. Jews History - 168 B.C. - 1 3 5 A.D. 4. Turkey - History - To 1453. I. Title. II. Series. III. Series: Monograph series (Society for New Testament Studies): 69. DS 135.T8T67 1991 956.T01 - dc20 90-2296 CIP ISBN 0 521 40120 8 hardback

WG

CONTENTS

Preface List of abbreviations Introduction

page xi xiii 1

1 Jewish communities of Asia Minor in literary sources 1 Antiochus III and the transportation of Jews to Phrygia and Lydia 2 The decree of Pergamum 3 Roman support for the privileges of the Jewish communities in Asia Minor 4 Facets of Jewish identity in Asia Minor as revealed by these documents 5 Evidence from classical authors 6 Evidence from the New Testament 7 Evidence from patristic sources 8 The Jews in Asia Minor during the Jewish revolts 9 Conclusions

32 33

2 The Jewish communities at Sardis and Priene 1 Introduction 2 The literary evidence for Jews in Sardis 3 The synagogue of Sardis 4 Jewish inscriptions from Sardis 5 Related issues 6 The Jewish community at Priene 7 A synagogue at Miletus? 8 Conclusions

37 37 38 40 43 32 55 56 57

3 The Jewish community at Acmonia 1 Introduction

58 58

v/7

5 5 7 8 12 19 20 27

Contents

viii

2 3 4 5

58 60 69

The Julia Severa inscription T h e curses written in Deuteronomy' The 'children's children' curse Other inscriptions which refer to the Septuagint 6 Other inscriptions 7 Conclusions

74 78 83

4 The Jewish community at Apamea 1 The first Jewish settlers in Apamea 2 Cicero and the Jews of Apamea 3 The Noah coins of Apamea 4 Sibylline Oracles I/II 5 The inscriptions from Apamea 6 The Council of Laodicea 7 Conclusions

85 86 86 86 95 99 101 103

5 The prominence of women in Asia Minor 1 Women leaders in Jewish communities in Asia Minor 2 The prominence of women in Asia Minor 3 Conclusions

104

6 Theos Hypsistos and Sabazios - syncretism in Judaism in Asia Minor? 1 The pagan use of "Yvinoxoc; 2 The Jewish use of "Yvi/ioioq 3 Yahweh and the pagan usage of "Y\|/IOTO