Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora: From Alexander to Trajan (323 Bce-117 Ce) (Hellenistic Culture and Society)

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Informative And Very Readable
Review: Although the title of this book is more like a subtitle and thus is not catchy or memorable, 'Jews of the Mediterranean Diaspora etc.', deserves to be widely read and studied by anyone interested in the development of Judaism and early Christianity. John Barclay is consistently even-handed and fairminded in his considerations of literary and archaeological evidence from the Greco-Roman period, describing a vivid picture of the diversity and unity of Jewish communities in Alexandria, Rome, Cyrene, Anatolia and Syria, as well as the shifting fortunes of these communities under the various regimes. A great deal of the pseudepigraphic literature is examined in detail. The chapter on Paul as a Jew in a Hellenistic society, though short, is more enlightening than several books. Barclay's assessments of, and disagreements with, other scholars work are such that scholarly writing could acquire a good reputation if others would emulate them. The style is as accessible as it is informative. Now I wish Mr. Barclay or someone like him would write similar books on the Pre-Exilic, Exilic, and Persian periods. I can dream, can't I?