Zollschan - Rome and Judaea: international law relations, 174-100 BCE

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Rome and Judaea

Linda Zollschan, by her thorough analysis of the process by which Romans formed international relations as well as her detailed linguistic analysis of the letter at 1 Macc 8:2332, has provided a new and fascinating understanding of the relations between Rome and the Hasmoneans from the first embassy to Rome in 162 bce to the arrival of Pompey in Syria in 63 b ce . She concludes that there was no formal treaty between Rome and the Judeans, but a relationship of amicitia (friendship). Her findings are invaluable and essential to any further study of this period.

Professor Robert Doran, Amherst College, USA

Rome and Judaea explores the nature of Judaeas first diplomatic mission to Rome during the Maccabaean revolt: did it result in a sanctioned treaty or was it founded instead on amity? This book breaks new ground in this debate by bringing to light the RomanJewish friendship tablet, a newly discovered piece of evidence that challenges the theory Rome ratified an official treaty with Judaea. Incorporating interdisciplinary research and this new textual evidence, the book argues that RomanJewish relations during the Maccabean revolt were motivated by the Roman concept of diplomatic friendship, or amicitia.

Linda Zollschan is an independent research professional based in Israel. She obtained her PhD from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel.

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Rome and Judaea

International Law Relations, 162100 BCE

Linda Zollschan

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First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2017 Linda Zollschan

The right of Linda Zollschan to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Zollschan, Linda, 1949 author.

Title: Rome and Judaea : international law relations, 174100 b ce / Linda Zollschan.

Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, [2016] | 2016 |

Series: Routledge studies in ancient history | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016013480| ISBN 9781138932913 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315678900 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: RomeForeign relationsPalestine. | PalestineForeign relationsRome. | RomeForeign relations51030 B.C. | Bible. MaccabeesCriticism, interpretation, etc.

Classification: LCC DG215.P35 Z65 2016 | DDC 327.3303709/014dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016013480

ISBN: 978-1-138-93291-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-67890-0 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK

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For

George K. Zollschan zl

19302010

academic, friend, husband

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The most crucial event in the history of Judaea, given its wide-reaching repercussions, was the voluntary approach to Rome for help during the Maccabaean revolt. Judas Maccabaeus could not have foreseen the ultimate tragic consequences of his decision, that Judaea would lose its independence and its temple in Jerusalem. Whether Judaea would have inevitably come under Roman rule without the step of petitioning to become Roman allies is a question in itself. Judas took the risk thinking Rome was a long way from his country, but, in the end, after he had made the request for aid, none came. Judas and his army were left to face the Seleucid army alone and Judas fell in battle.

The reasons why the Romans entered into diplomatic relations with the Jews and why no consequences flowed as a result of the decision taken by the senate, are best explained through an understanding of the actual type of ties formed as a result of that first embassy. The way in which the Romans treated their allies, at least in the second century b ce , varied according to whether the alliance had been formed via a treaty or friendly relations with the Roman people. Allies made by Rome through a treaty were bound permanently through mutual oath taking, whereas friends of Rome had less secure links and were continually under pressure to prove their loyalty, where failure could lead to war.

The vague wording in the First Book of Maccabees chapter 8 to describe the ties formed between Rome and the Jewish people is friendship and alliance. This phrase has generated considerable comment and arguably the longest-running controversy in the study of the history of Judaea. Views divide essentially into two camps: either the Jews entered into a treaty or they received an avowal of friendship. While the entry point to the history of relations between Rome and Judaea is Judas embassy, it is of vital importance for our understanding of the subsequent history to settle this question. The approach of this study, one that has not been considered to date, is to define the characteristics of both options in the light of the work on Roman International Law (Vlkerrecht) and to evaluate the diplomatic instrument that best conforms to the historical and legal circumstances.

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The aim of this book is not to chart the causes and course of the Maccabaean revolt; rather, it explores the nature of the diplomatic relations with Rome that developed out of it. The second half of chapter 8 in the First Book of Maccabees has been the subject of much discussion and controversy, on which there still exists little consensus. The bare facts are that Judas sent two envoys, Jason and Eupolemus, to go to Rome and seek friendship and alliance there. They travelled to the city and succeeded in obtaining an audience with the senate, which agreed to their request and gave them a letter setting out the terms of the agreement.