ABSTRACT
The land of Israel, and particularly Jerusalem, were of special importance to Judaism in Graeco-Roman antiquity, not least because it was only in the temple at Jerusalem that acceptable sacrifices could be offered. Nevertheless, for many centuries before Late Antiquity, historical circumstances had resulted in the transplanting of Jewish communities all over the Mediterranean world – the so-called Diaspora; hence the broad geographical spread of the material included in this chapter, the focus of which is Jews in their relations with pagans and Christians.
