Antiochus III’s Decrees for Jerusalem: Between Imperial Stress and Local Agency. Special issue of Journal of Ancient Judaism

This special issue explores the two edicts issued by the Seleucid king Antiochus III for Jerusalem that are preserved in Josephus’s Antiquities book 12 (§§ 138–46), and reassesses their significance for understanding Jewish history in the time of Seleucid hegemony. Across its five articles, the volume aims to map the main topics arising from the edicts that require attention, with a particular focus on the benefit, importance, and ongoing challenges of a comparative approach to this distinctive dossier of evidence. Such an approach, we argue, is essential for contextualizing Josephus’s dossier within Seleucid administrative practices toward local communities, which in turn advances our understanding of the place of Jerusalem, the Jews, and Judaism in the broader Hellenistic world.

The special issue originated at a conference held at Harvard University on April 20–21, 2023, which was sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies and Ancient Studies at Harvard. Particular thanks are due to Osnat Aharoni, Maura Gould, and Rachel Rockenmacher, who helped organize the event, and to Sylvie Honigman, who participated in the conference and contributed to the discussion. Finally, we are grateful to the editors of the Journal of Ancient Judaism, Angela Kim Harkins and Jonathan Klawans, for their dedication in bringing this issue to fruition.