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5 - Rabbis and Fire Temples

Navigating a Zoroastrian Empire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2024

Simcha Gross
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
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Summary

The sparse material remains of Jews from the Sasanian Empire include around twenty personal seals, which were used to validate legal, business, and personal documents.1 These objects typically bore the owner’s name and an accompanying image. The identity of the owner is ascertainable from both the names and type of script; Jewish owners likely used square or Hebrew script, Christians used Syriac, and Middle Persian was used by all groups, including Jews and Christians.2 The images on Jewish and Christian seals are often easily recognizable communal symbols. For example, some Jewish seals depict ritual objects, such as the shofar, palm fronds, and citron (Figure 5).3 These were common features of Jewish visual culture, present on coins minted by the Judean rebel Bar Kokhba in the first half of Figure 6. the second century and in late antique synagogue mosaics.4 Not surprisingly, many Christian seals feature crosses.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Rabbis and Fire Temples
  • Simcha Gross, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009280549.006
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  • Rabbis and Fire Temples
  • Simcha Gross, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009280549.006
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Rabbis and Fire Temples
  • Simcha Gross, University of Pennsylvania
  • Book: Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 04 April 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009280549.006
Available formats
×