Steve Mason | University of Groningen (original) (raw)
Papers by Steve Mason
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Sep 30, 2020
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, Nov 6, 2019
Classical Review, Oct 1, 2004
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, Nov 25, 2015
Part I. Contexts: 1. A famous and unknown war 2. Historical evidence: understanding Josephus'... more Part I. Contexts: 1. A famous and unknown war 2. Historical evidence: understanding Josephus' Judean War 3. Parthian saviours, sieges, and morale: ancient warfare in human perspective Part II. Investigations: 4. Why did they do it? Circumstances, conditions, and 'causes' 5. Nero's war I: the 'blunder' of Cestius Gallus? 6. Nero's war II: Flavians in Galilee 7. Flavian war I: the education of Titus 8. Flavian war II: coins, councils, and the siege of Jerusalem 9. Machaerus and Masada: a tale of two fortresses.
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, 2007
Th e very title of this journal reflects a commonplace in scholarly discourse. We want to underst... more Th e very title of this journal reflects a commonplace in scholarly discourse. We want to understand "Judaism" in the Persian and Graeco-Roman periods: the lives and religion of ancient Jews. Some scholars in recent years have asked whether Ioudaioi and its counterparts in other ancient languages are better rendered "Jews" or "Judaeans" in English. Th is essay puts that question in a larger frame, by considering first Ioudaismos and then the larger problem of ancient religion. It argues that there was no category of "Judaism" in the Graeco-Roman world, no "religion" too, and that the Ioudaioi were understood until late antiquity as an ethnic group comparable to other ethnic groups, with their distinctive laws, traditions, customs, and God. Th ey were indeed Judaeans.
A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable... more A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable impact on Rome's physical appearance and imperial governance; on ancient Jews bereft of their mother-city and temple; and on early Christian fortunes. Historical scholarship and cinema alike tend to see the conflict as the culmination of long Jewish resistance to Roman oppression. In this volume, Steven Mason re-examines the war in all relevant contexts (such as the Parthian dimension, and Judaea's place in Roman Syria) and phases, from the Hasmoneans to the fall of Masada. Mason approaches each topic as a historical investigation, clarifying problems that need to be solved, understanding the available evidence, and considering scenarios that might explain the evidence. The simplest reconstructions make the conflict more humanly intelligible while casting doubt on received knowledge.
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd eBooks, Oct 30, 2015
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
BRILL eBooks, Jun 30, 2023
Classical Review, Oct 1, 2004
Specialists in Graeco-Jewish literature rejoiced when Professor Gruen turned his renowned skills ... more Specialists in Graeco-Jewish literature rejoiced when Professor Gruen turned his renowned skills in Graeco-Roman history and literature to the Jewish subset of these. This book is the fullest harvest (so far) from that shift of focus, and scholars from all related sub-disciplines will welcome it. Against the long-established tendency of experts on the Jewish Diaspora to assume and stress the precariousness of life among gentiles, at least for those who remained true to their heritage, G. constructs a picture of startling ordinariness. Jews constructed no theory of Diaspora because they needed none. Most of them lived in the cities of the eastern empire voluntarily and happily enough, neither facing constant danger nor needing (much less receiving) special Roman protection. The pervasive ethos of this study is one of healthy participation: conμdent and usually unmolested in their chosen places of residence, Jews got on with life, with greater or lesser degrees of individual success. The former half of the book treats the historical situation of those Diaspora communities for which substantial evidence remains: Rome, Alexandria, and Asia Minor. In each case, G. works crisply and elegantly through the evidence, dismissing reconstructions that depend on unfamiliarity with general conditions in the Roman empire, along with those that generalize unique situations (notably the reported expulsions of Jews from Rome, the acta supporting Jewish rights in Asia from the forties .., and the Alexandrian pogrom of .. 38). Only someone with G.’s knowledge of what was plausible in Roman politics and of Roman prosopography could have written these chapters. With a minimum of clutter, in stark contrast to the tradition of ponderous analysis, he demolishes, reconstructs, poses new questions, and dispenses light everywhere. This μrst part ends with a chapter on civic institutions in which Diaspora Jews participated, both their own (especially the synagogue) and those of the cities in which they lived. The latter half of the book turns to Jewish literary responses to the Diaspora experience. The μrst two chapters survey Jewish literature that circulated in the Diaspora, paying attention to a largely neglected feature: humour and wit. According to G., this jocular disposition, even in serious writing, reflects the comfort and conμdence of the Diaspora communities. A synthetic chapter on Jewish constructions of the Greeks—Jews neither hated nor uncritically admired the Greeks, but adopted and adapted Greek culture wherever they thought it would enhance their own—recalls G.’s work on the Roman encounter with Greek culture. The closing chapter deals with the problem of ‘Diaspora and Homeland’, again dismissing scholarly theories that would o¶er these as alternative poles in Diaspora thought, arguing rather that most Diaspora Jews appear to have maintained their love and respect for Jerusalem without opting to live there. Diaspora texts do not expound a doctrine of displacement from 508
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1995
Journal of Roman Studies, 1994
Journal of Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 2003
First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in... more First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-...
Religious Studies Review, 2003
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Feb 6, 2016
Historical Knowledge in Biblical Antiquity, 2007
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Sep 30, 2020
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, Nov 6, 2019
Classical Review, Oct 1, 2004
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, Nov 25, 2015
Part I. Contexts: 1. A famous and unknown war 2. Historical evidence: understanding Josephus'... more Part I. Contexts: 1. A famous and unknown war 2. Historical evidence: understanding Josephus' Judean War 3. Parthian saviours, sieges, and morale: ancient warfare in human perspective Part II. Investigations: 4. Why did they do it? Circumstances, conditions, and 'causes' 5. Nero's war I: the 'blunder' of Cestius Gallus? 6. Nero's war II: Flavians in Galilee 7. Flavian war I: the education of Titus 8. Flavian war II: coins, councils, and the siege of Jerusalem 9. Machaerus and Masada: a tale of two fortresses.
Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period, 2007
Th e very title of this journal reflects a commonplace in scholarly discourse. We want to underst... more Th e very title of this journal reflects a commonplace in scholarly discourse. We want to understand "Judaism" in the Persian and Graeco-Roman periods: the lives and religion of ancient Jews. Some scholars in recent years have asked whether Ioudaioi and its counterparts in other ancient languages are better rendered "Jews" or "Judaeans" in English. Th is essay puts that question in a larger frame, by considering first Ioudaismos and then the larger problem of ancient religion. It argues that there was no category of "Judaism" in the Graeco-Roman world, no "religion" too, and that the Ioudaioi were understood until late antiquity as an ethnic group comparable to other ethnic groups, with their distinctive laws, traditions, customs, and God. Th ey were indeed Judaeans.
A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable... more A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable impact on Rome's physical appearance and imperial governance; on ancient Jews bereft of their mother-city and temple; and on early Christian fortunes. Historical scholarship and cinema alike tend to see the conflict as the culmination of long Jewish resistance to Roman oppression. In this volume, Steven Mason re-examines the war in all relevant contexts (such as the Parthian dimension, and Judaea's place in Roman Syria) and phases, from the Hasmoneans to the fall of Masada. Mason approaches each topic as a historical investigation, clarifying problems that need to be solved, understanding the available evidence, and considering scenarios that might explain the evidence. The simplest reconstructions make the conflict more humanly intelligible while casting doubt on received knowledge.
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd eBooks, Oct 30, 2015
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
BRILL eBooks, Jun 30, 2023
Classical Review, Oct 1, 2004
Specialists in Graeco-Jewish literature rejoiced when Professor Gruen turned his renowned skills ... more Specialists in Graeco-Jewish literature rejoiced when Professor Gruen turned his renowned skills in Graeco-Roman history and literature to the Jewish subset of these. This book is the fullest harvest (so far) from that shift of focus, and scholars from all related sub-disciplines will welcome it. Against the long-established tendency of experts on the Jewish Diaspora to assume and stress the precariousness of life among gentiles, at least for those who remained true to their heritage, G. constructs a picture of startling ordinariness. Jews constructed no theory of Diaspora because they needed none. Most of them lived in the cities of the eastern empire voluntarily and happily enough, neither facing constant danger nor needing (much less receiving) special Roman protection. The pervasive ethos of this study is one of healthy participation: conμdent and usually unmolested in their chosen places of residence, Jews got on with life, with greater or lesser degrees of individual success. The former half of the book treats the historical situation of those Diaspora communities for which substantial evidence remains: Rome, Alexandria, and Asia Minor. In each case, G. works crisply and elegantly through the evidence, dismissing reconstructions that depend on unfamiliarity with general conditions in the Roman empire, along with those that generalize unique situations (notably the reported expulsions of Jews from Rome, the acta supporting Jewish rights in Asia from the forties .., and the Alexandrian pogrom of .. 38). Only someone with G.’s knowledge of what was plausible in Roman politics and of Roman prosopography could have written these chapters. With a minimum of clutter, in stark contrast to the tradition of ponderous analysis, he demolishes, reconstructs, poses new questions, and dispenses light everywhere. This μrst part ends with a chapter on civic institutions in which Diaspora Jews participated, both their own (especially the synagogue) and those of the cities in which they lived. The latter half of the book turns to Jewish literary responses to the Diaspora experience. The μrst two chapters survey Jewish literature that circulated in the Diaspora, paying attention to a largely neglected feature: humour and wit. According to G., this jocular disposition, even in serious writing, reflects the comfort and conμdence of the Diaspora communities. A synthetic chapter on Jewish constructions of the Greeks—Jews neither hated nor uncritically admired the Greeks, but adopted and adapted Greek culture wherever they thought it would enhance their own—recalls G.’s work on the Roman encounter with Greek culture. The closing chapter deals with the problem of ‘Diaspora and Homeland’, again dismissing scholarly theories that would o¶er these as alternative poles in Diaspora thought, arguing rather that most Diaspora Jews appear to have maintained their love and respect for Jerusalem without opting to live there. Diaspora texts do not expound a doctrine of displacement from 508
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1995
Journal of Roman Studies, 1994
Journal of Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 2003
First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in... more First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-...
Religious Studies Review, 2003
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Feb 6, 2016
Historical Knowledge in Biblical Antiquity, 2007
Fides in Flavian Literature, 2019
This is the final typescript (AAM) of a chapter recently published in Antony Augoustakis, Emma Bu... more This is the final typescript (AAM) of a chapter recently published in Antony Augoustakis, Emma Buckley, and Claire Stocks, eds., Fides in Flavian Literature, “Phoenix Supplementary Series.” Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 45–67
The Qumran Chronicle , 2018
Harmonic Atheist (online interviews), 2020
This is a two-part conversation hosted by Tim Mills in his Harmonic Atheist series. This very gen... more This is a two-part conversation hosted by Tim Mills in his Harmonic Atheist series. This very generous host invited me to talk with him about (a) my life, (b) the relationship between rejecting Christian claims on historical grounds and atheism, and (c) questions related to Christian origins (in relation to 'Christ mythicism').
This was a plenary lecture at the end of a week-long workshop for alumni of the Pontifical Biblic... more This was a plenary lecture at the end of a week-long workshop for alumni of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, 21–25 January 2019. The theme was Like-Acts, and I was invited to talk about this text in relation to ancient historiography. My main proposal is that, although the author incorporates some typical historiographical features (prologue, speeches, concern for accurately depicted environment), his choice to remain anonymous, avoid historia-language, and (especially) to replace inquiry with revelation and prophecy as the source of truth puts him in somewhat the same outsider posture as Josephus.
sehepunkte (much shorter form), 2020
The online review www.sehepunkte.de invited a review of Being Jewish in Galilee 100-200 CE. An A... more The online review www.sehepunkte.de invited a review of Being Jewish in Galilee 100-200 CE. An Archaeological Study (Turnhout: Brepols Publishers NV 2019). While trying to be concise, I still wrote twice as much as their compact format requires. So, I radically abbreviated the version they will publish and, following the advice of the editor, make available here the longer version (still quite short for such a rich and complex book).
Flavius Josephus, Oxford Bibliographies in Jewish Studies, 2022
When scholars speak of the history of Judaea in the early Roman period, they invariably depend on... more When scholars speak of the history of Judaea in the early Roman period, they invariably depend on the work of Flavius Josephus. He is our main source for the later Hasmoneans, Roman administration of the region, the notorious King Herod, and figures of importance for the study of the New Testament such as Pontius Pilate or the high priest Caiaphas. Born in the year of the Emperor Caligula’s accession to the throne, Josephus (b. 37–d. c. 100 CE) lived through the extraordinarily important decades before Jerusalem fell to Roman armies (70 CE). As a thirty-year-old member of Jerusalem’s priestly elite, he was commanding Galilee’s defenses against the Roman onslaught in early 67 CE, when he was besieged and forced to capitulate. After spending the rest of the war in Roman custody and assisting the enemy with military intelligence, he was granted his freedom and maintenance in the city of Rome. There he began to write the history of his people—first, of the recent war and its causes (seven volumes on The Judaean War), and later, of Judaean history, law, and culture (twenty volumes on Judaean Antiquities plus an essay in two volumes known as Against Apion). To the longest work (Antiquities) he appended an autobiography, which, in the ancient fashion, focused on his personal status, character, and military-political achievements during the crisis with Rome.