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Who were the Jews of Rome and how does Judaism view the Roman Empire?
We explore the history from their arrival in Rome in the second century BCE as merchants, diplomats and enslaved captives to the growth of eleven communities, and examine the balance between Roman tolerance and restriction: permitted to worship but subject to expulsions
Unknown and unusual is how many non-Jews were attracted to Judaism and became “G-d Fearers”.
Tragically when the empire turned to Christianity in the fourth-century, Jewish legal rights were abruptly removed and attempts at conversion began.
Against this background, the podcast considers Rome’s own political collapse in the fifth century, which reduced a city of hundreds of thousands to a pale shadow.
And we end with Bodo, the ninth-century church deacon who converted from Christianity to Judaism. Illustrating that change remained possible, even after conversion to Judaism had become politically and socially outlawed.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction: Rome and Jewish history
03:25 – Rome and Jerusalem: Two eternal cities
09:00 – The origins and rise of the Roman Empire
14:00 – The first Jewish communities in Rome
16:20 – Julius Caesar and Roman expansion
18:10 – Jewish slaves, merchants, and growing communities
20:10 – Roman emperors and Jewish religious freedom
25:40 – Conversion to Judaism in ancient Rome
31:10 – Destruction of the Second Temple and its aftermath
35:10 – Roman persecution and rabbinic delegations
41:40 – Jewish citizenship and integration into Roman society
44:25 – Constantine and the rise of Christian Rome
46:55 – Anti-Jewish legislation and religious restrictions
50:20 – The collapse of Rome and its Jewish heritage
