Küçük Asya'da Geç Antik Çağ Toplumsal Hayatında Yahudiler

Ali Özkan

JEWS IN THE SOCIAL LIFE OF LATE ANTIQUITY IN ASIA MINOR The notion of exile is one of the most decisive elements of Jewish cultural identity. With the Assyrian Empire's capture of Judah, a significant portion of the Jewish population was expelled from Babylon, which became an important element of the cultural identity to be built in the historical process for Judaism. It was precisely during this period that the Torah was canonized and transcribed. In this respect, exile marks the beginning of the Jewish religion and its historical identity. Because the religious doctrine and historical memory become more stable with exile; thus, the protection of the boundaries of creed has become an inevitable necessity. The second, though historically more important, exile in terms of Judaism, came from the rebellion of Jews after the Romans conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD, and their total exile from Jerusalem. The Jews who returned from exile from Babylon with the rescript of the Persian Emperor Kyros, built the temple in Jerusalem, but this time in 70 AD they were distributed to different parts of the Roman Empire. Under the influence of Rome, Jerusalem began to live at a time when traces of Judaism were erased. Romans became a symbol of the non-Jewish world and fall within the heart of Jerusalem. Although the “Roman Empire" reflects negative connotations in Jewish cultural memory, the presence of Jews who have lived in Roman cities for hundreds of years indicates that the relations are much more complex. With the help of archaeological and epigraphic findings obtained from Roman cities of Asia Minor, we have determined as the study area, the place of Jews in social life will be questioned. Particularly in the Late Antiquity, when social life has changed considerably under the influence of Christianity, which is a new religion, the importance of Judaism in various stages of social life, especially Christian faith, is better understood. Our study, which will be examined by comparing the Jews and gentiles in the Roman cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, aims to contribute to remember and understand the Jews who have been inhabited in the Roman cities for hundreds of years and their cultural identities.