Philo of Alexandria, The Legatio ad Gaium, trans. with commentaries by E. Mary Smallwood (Leiden, 1961)

1) Why was the Roman Emperor Gaius purportedly so enraged by the Jews?

2) Why did Philo describe the Jews, among others, as "slaves" of the Emperor?

3) What do you think motivated the Alexandrians to attack the Jewish population of the city?

4) Is their any significance to the fact that the plundered goods were subsequently distributed "in the middle of the market-place"?

5) Why might the Jews have been confined and encircled? Was there any pattern to the violence dictated by the physical layout of the city?

6) Why did Philo describe the violence as "making war" rather than as simply criminality or rioting?

Terms, Concepts, Names, and Dates

Gaius

proskynesis

riot

scapegoat

prefect