"A New Perspective on the Kinship between Jews and Spartans: The Issue of Ancestral Territory" - CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Book Sections Year : 2024

"A New Perspective on the Kinship between Jews and Spartans: The Issue of Ancestral Territory"

Abstract

The kinship between Jews and Spartans mentioned in 1 and 2 Maccabees has provoked scholarly curiosity and debate for at least two centuries. While most studies have focused on the question of the Judeo-Spartan correspondence's historicity, in this paper I reflect on the reasons that led some Jews to embrace the idea of such a close connection with Sparta, and suggest that there may be yet another aspect of this issue that deserves scrutiny. I first delve into the implications of the references to kinship with the Spartans in 1 and 2 Maccabees, drawing a distinction between the question of the authenticity of the letters and that of the historical reality of the Judeo-Spartan relationship. I then consider a few reasons that made it possible for Jews, even among conservative Judean circles, to perceive themselves as close to the Spartans, to the point of acknowledging them as kin. Finally, I suggest an additional explanation for the Judean Spartophilia, which has not received attention so far and pertains to the Spartans' and the Jews' respective relationships to their ancestral territory.

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History Religions
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Dates and versions

hal-04844438 , version 1 (17-12-2024)

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Katell Berthelot. "A New Perspective on the Kinship between Jews and Spartans: The Issue of Ancestral Territory". Robert Brody; Noah Hacham; Jan Willem van Henten; Meron Piotrkowski. A Vision of the Days: Studies in Early Jewish History and Historiography, BRILL, pp.359-375, 2024, 978-90-04-68554-3. ⟨10.1163/9789004685567_021⟩. ⟨hal-04844438⟩
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