Hilary Term 2025
Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7
Thursdays, 14:00 (unless otherwise stated**)
In Person: Catherine Lewis Lecture Theatre, Clarendon Institute, Walton Street, Oxford OX1 2HG, and Online via Zoom: See link below
Convened by Meron Piotrkowski and Ya’el Nu’emah-Kremer
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of Jews during Late Antiquity, highlighting their multifaceted roles within the broader Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. Through a close examination of literary and non-literary sources—such as papyri, inscriptions, and Rabbinic texts—we will investigate key themes in the life of Jews and Jewish communities between the Roman and Sassanian worlds, and under the rule of other religious, legal, and social frameworks.
The four sessions of Hilary Term will focus on the following topics:
Week 1, 30 January
Jewish Women and Communal Roles
Week 3, 6 February
The Emperor and the Jews: Between Fact and Fiction
**Week 5, 20 February
Late Roman Law Codices and the Jews** (This session will take place from 1pm to 2pm)
Week 7, 6 March
Violence Against Jews and Jewish Violence (led by Dr Osnat E. Rance)
In order to attend this reading group via Zoom, please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_YUrrwhyRC-d08jakSxuXw. For more information and to register, please contact Ya’el Nu’emah-Kremer through yael.kremer@ames.ox.ac.uk.