Jews of Late Antiquity and the Roman world

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 and the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135, the Jews of the Roman Empire had to rebuild their religious life in the absence of centralized sacrificial worship. The synagogue, study, and prayer took on an increased role, and new institutions emerged, such as the patriarchate (nassi) recognized by Rome, as well as the rabbinic academies of Galilee. It was during this period that the Mishna and the Jerusalem Talmud were elaborated, laying the foundations of rabbinic Judaism. The communities of the Roman diaspora, present from Italy to Asia Minor, maintained ties with Palestine while inserting themselves into the Greco-Roman world. The progressive Christianization of the Empire then profoundly altered the status of Jews in Late Antiquity.

Sources & resources

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