Identity in Persian Egypt: The Fate of the Yehudite Community of Elephantine

Bob Becking

Published by Penn State University Press 2020

Identity in Persian Egypt

The Fate of the Yehudite Community of Elephantine

Bob Becking

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781646020744

Overview
Contents

About this book

In this book, Bob Becking provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the origins, lives, and eventual fate of the Yehudites, or Judeans, at Elephantine, framed within the greater history of the rise and fall of the Persian Empire.

The Yehudites were among those mercenaries recruited by the Persians to defend the southwestern border of the empire in the fifth century BCE. Becking argues that this group, whom some label as the first “Jews,” lived on the island of Elephantine in relative peace with other ethnic groups under the aegis of the pax persica. Drawing on Aramaic and Demotic texts discovered during excavations on the island and at Syene on the adjacent shore of the Nile, Becking finds evidence of intermarriage, trade cooperation, and even a limited acceptance of one another’s gods between the various ethnic groups at Elephantine. His analysis of the Elephantine Yehudites’ unorthodox form of Yahwism provides valuable insight into the group’s religious beliefs and practices.

An important contribution to the study of Yehudite life in the diaspora, this accessibly written and sweeping history enhances our understanding of the varieties of early Jewish life and how these contributed to the construction of Judaism.

Author / Editor information

Becking Bob :

Bob Becking is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht University.

Reviews

“A good and stimulating read. It represents an innovative approach to research on Elephantine. The most important strength—construing the “fate” of the Yehudite community in light of the rise and fall of pax persica—makes the book a contribution to the Yehudite community’s history and a microhistorical contribution to Achaemenid studies. Both students and experts will gain from reading the book.”
—Gard Granerød, Review of Biblical Literature

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
List of Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Chapter 1. How Persian Power Entered Egypt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2. Yehudites at Elephantine: Provenance, Identity, and Religion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	18
Chapter 3. Multiethnic Elephantine: Some Remarks on Different Minor Ethnicities in a Persian Border Garrison Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
Chapter 4. Pax Persica: Cooperation, Cohabitation, and Acceptance Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	78
Chapter 5. Control Through Education, Law, and Military Power Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
Chapter 6. Disruptions of the Interethnic Solidarity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
Chapter 7. “Khnum Is Against Us Since Hananiah Has Been in Egypt”: On Two Historical Movements in the Fifth Century BCE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Chapter 8. Beyond the Final Curtain: The Aftermath of Elephantine Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
Index of Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
Index of Ancient Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 224
Keywords: Elephantine; Yehudites; pax persica; ethnic cooperation; Achiqar; Behistun; intermarriage; Papyrus Amherst 63; Aramaic

eBook

Published: August 4, 2020
ISBN: 9781646020744