A Companion to Late Ancient Jews and Judaism: 3rd Century BCE–7th Century CE

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Edited by Naomi Koltun-Fromm and Gwynn Kessler
Wiley Blackwell, 2020, 560 pages

 

An important addition to the academic bookshelf, this Companion is an extensive introduction to its subject, with each chapter written by a leading scholar. Though the work is currently priced beyond the reach of the ordinary reader, a more affordable paperback version will be available soon. 

One highlight is Ross S. Kraemer’s discussion of where Jews lived in the Roman Empire, contesting current attempts to diminish their presence. Kraemer marshals a wealth of data demonstrating a significant Jewish representation throughout the Mediterranean. The map accompanying this essay is a welcome addition, indicating many settlements in which traces of Jews and synagogues were found. 

Natalie B. Dohrmann’s contribution is also of great interest, dealing with Jewish law not as a monolithic code of practice (as it is often misconstrued by those less familiar with the mosaic of Jewish ethnicities and sectors) but as a diverse collection of concepts, customs, and traditions. As Dohrmann states, “Observance of said norms, it must be stressed, did as much to divide Jewish groups from one another as it did to assert Jewish identity collectively in the face of a non-Jewish world” (p. 283).