STUDY QUESTIONS

Lee I. Levine, "The Jewish Community in Caesarea in Late Antiquity" in Robert Lindley Vann, ed., "Caesarea Papers," Journal of Roman Archaeology, Supplementary Series, no. 5 (1992)

1) In what way may Jews from Babylon (or other foreign cities) have been at a "disadvantage" in Caesarea?

2) What were some of the polemical questions with which the Caesarean Christians strove to challenge the Caesarean Jews? According to the records, how did some of the Caesarean rabbis repond?

3) Would such interactions and debates have been possible in a "non-urban" environment?

4) How might the unique demographic mix and infrastructure of Caesarea have contributed to the tenor of relations between Christians and Jews? How would you describe these relations?

5) To what extent might the confrontations and encounters (not always easy) between Jews and non-Jews in urban centers such as Caesarea have contributed to the further development of Jewish cultural identity?

Terms, Concepts, Names, and Dates

Augustus Caesar

King Herod

Pliny

hellenization

Samaritan

gentile

minim

agoranomoi