Power and piety: Roman and Jewish perspectives

This paper explores different aspects of the association made in ancient sources between power and piety, contrasting Roman and Jewish perspectives, and bearing in mind that Romans and Jews each considered themselves to be exceptionally pious peoples. I examine not only how ancient sources saw Roman power as being based on piety and as potentially threatened by religious negligence, but also how Roman victory was associated in both Roman and Jewish sources with Jewish superstition, impiety, or sin. Conversely, I show how Israel’s faithfulness to the covenant and the commandments could be seen by Jews as a real threat to Roman power that would ultimately lead to Israel’s victory against the empire. Finally, some Jewish sources show that there was yet another way of articulating the relationship between Roman power and Jewish piety – the very existence of Rome was conceived as being dependent upon Jewish prayers and blessings, or the presence of Israel within the Roman Empire.