Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1. Thicker than Water? A Social-Scientific Approach to Ancient Judean Ethnicity

1. The Early Dominant Paradigm of Ethnicity

2. The Use and Abuse of Ethnicity in Second Temple Studies

3. Beyond the Durkheimian Approach

4. Conclusions

Chapter 2. The History of Dustbins: Reconstructing Ethnicity from the Papyri

1. Models of Greek-Egyptian Interaction

2. Models of Greek-Egyptian Conflict

3. Judean Ethnic Markers in the Papyri

4. Conclusions

Chapter 3. Reflections on the Nile: Greek Ethnographers and the Egyptians’ Boundary

1. Herodotus

2. Hellenistic Ethnographers

3. Hellenistic Ethnographies of Judeans

Chapter 4. From the Mouths of Beasts: Ethnic Identity in Apocalyptic Literature from Egypt

1. Egyptian Apocalyptic Literature

2. The Third Sibylline Oracle

Chapter 5. For the Sake of Mice and Weasels: Ethnic Boundaries and the “Cultural Stuff” in the Letter of Aristeas

1. Introduction

2. Dating

3. The Digressions

4. The Main Narrative of Aristeas

5. The Pseudonym

6. Historical Context

7. Conclusion

Conclusion

Bibliography

Subject Index