Jewish Synagogues in the First Century

Protestant Theologian Andrew R. Krause analyses the works of Flavius Josephus

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© Verlag Brill

In Synagogues in the Works of Flavius Josephus, the protestant theologian Dr. Andrew R. Krause from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” analyses the place of the synagogue within the cultural and spatial rhetoric of Flavius Josephus. Engaging with both rhetorical critical methods and critical spatial theories, Krause argues that in his later writings Josephus portrays the Jewish institutions as an important aspect of the post-Temple, pan-diasporic Judaism that he creates. Specifically, Josephus consistently treats the synagogue as a supra-local rallying point for the Jews throughout the world, in which the Jewish customs and Law may be practiced and disseminated following the loss of the Temple and the Land. Conversely, in his earliest extant work, Bellum judaicum, Josephus portrays synagogues as local temples in order to condemn the Jewish insurgents who violated them. (Brill/ill)

Literature: Krause, Andrew R.: Synagogues in the Works of Flavius Josephus. Rhetoric, Spatiality, and First-Century Jewish Institutions (Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, vol. 97), Leiden: Brill 2017, ISBN 9789004341821, 120,00 Euro.

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: The Ideal Synagogue and Ancestral Customs in Antiquitates judaicae

CHAPTER 2: The Synagogue as Ideal Association and Historical People’s Assembly in Vita

CHAPTER 3: Synagogue as an Ideal Educational Institution in Contra Apionem

CHAPTER 4: Synagogue as (Contrived) Holy Place in Bellum Judaicum

Conclusion: Synagogues in Josephus and His World

Historical Implications and Contextualization

On Reading History and Culture in Josephus