A study on Judean cultural identity in Egypt during the fifth century BCE

The fifth century BCE can be characterized as a century during which the globalization of the ancient world continued to expand. The rise of the Achaemenid Empire caused individuals to settle in new areas within the empire and establish new communities. One of such communities is the Judean community on Elephantine Island. In this dissertation, I will study the effects of the settlement of the Judean community into the culturally diverse social context on Elephantine Island on the development of their cultural identity. I will do so, by approaching the question from the perspective of the legal tradition attested in the Aramaic papyri which have been discovered on Elephantine Island during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on the contents of Judean matrimonial property arrangements, I will demonstrate that Judeans not only adapted themselves to the legal practices of their contractual partners, but also continued to use  elements of a distinct Judean legal tradition in the context of matrimonial law. Not only will this contribute to a more profound understanding of Judean cultural identity during the fifth century BCE, but it will also demonstrate that (matrimonial) law was an integral part of Judean cultural identity on Elephantine Island, in addition to religion.

Dissertation: http://hdl.handle.net/11370/a8b89762-caf6-4dbf-b3f5-26982cabc3aa