THE SIXTH CENTURY - (M.) Kruse The Politics of Roman Memory. From the Fall of the Western Empire to the Age of Justinian. Pp. x + 292. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Cased, £52, US$65. ISBN: 978-0-8122-5162-3.

Abstract

dynamics on local level and attest the porosity of socio-religious boundaries. Anti-Jewish preaching nonetheless had the potential 'for all kinds of invidious consequences, naturalizing and normalizing anti-Jewish sentiment and undercutting civil social relations' (p. 185). Chapter 10 puts together all the themes examined and looks at the ways in which Jews responded to the increasing coercion from the Christianising Empire and post-Roman societies. First, some Jews yielded to the pressures by converting to Christianity. We nonetheless do not know how many Jews eventually converted. Second, some Jews emigrated, either to regions where they left no trace or to parts of the empire that were ruled by 'Arian' kings who seem to have exerted a moderate policy towards Jews. The extant laws of the Ostrogothic King Theoderic in Italy upheld Jewish rights from former Roman law. The third response was to raise active resistance, to use their own networks to influence rulers, for example, by petitions, or even to resort to violence. Some Jews who held messianic hopes entertained the possibility of divine intervention. Some adapted their practices and organisation: as part of such adaptation, K. asks whether the increase of women mentioned as synagogue officers in late antique inscriptions was also a consequence of the pressures coming from Christianisation. Finally, some Jews retrenched themselves by retreating from the long-shared cultural practices of communities and by embracing practices that elevated tighter social boundaries, maybe with intensified interest in rabbinic practices. However, this is uncertain, as there is no reliable evidence for rabbinic dominance until the early ninth century. In this speculation, as well as in other uncertainties throughout the book, K. remains prudently cautious, which is a great virtue in studying history.