The Homeland and the Legitimation of the Diaspora: Egyptian Jewish Origin Stories in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

Abstract

How diasporans tell the story of their origin in the homeland and how they came to their new home abroad is just as important as the historical context(s) in which the diaspora community was created. This study draws attention to one common strategy employed by Egyptian Jews in the Hellenistic and Roman periods (in the Letter of Aristeas, the writings of Philo of Alexandria, and 3 Maccabees) when remembering and (re)creating accounts of their origins in the diaspora in ways that legitimized life abroad: the use of diaspora-homeland connections and comparisons.