Jews in Hellenistic and Ptolemaic Egypt

Under the Ptolemies, Hellenistic Egypt was home to one of the most significant Jewish communities of Antiquity, concentrated in particular in Alexandria. It was in this milieu that the Septuagint was produced, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that enabled the dissemination of Jewish texts throughout the Greek-speaking world. Philo of Alexandria, in the first century, elaborated a major body of work combining biblical exegesis with Greek philosophy, seeking to articulate the Jewish tradition and Platonic thought. This Hellenized diaspora participated in urban and economic life while maintaining its religious institutions. It also experienced tensions and violence, such as the clashes in Alexandria in the first century, illustrating the difficulties of coexistence among Greek, Roman, and Jewish identities.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗