ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between rabbinic notions of idolatry and the imperial cult. Starting with Mishnah Avodah Zarah 3:1, believed to have been edited in the early third century c.e., the prohibitions concerning imperial insignia are investigated in the context of Roman iconography. A discussion of the Christianization of the imperial cult in late antiquity provides a framework for the analysis of Talmud Yerushalmi Abodah Zarah 3:1, 42b, where rabbis address the ongoing burning of incense for imperial icons and draw on patristic narratives in order to subsume Christian imperial rule into a worldview focused on divine justice.
