The Jews in the Roman Empire ― Legal Problems, from Herod to Justinian

Among the 15 topics Rabello (Hebrew U. of Jerusalem) discusses are the capacity in which Herod judged his wife and sons; prohibitions on Gentiles entering the Temple; early stages of Jewish settlement in Roman Spain; the legal basis for Emperor Hadrian's decree banning Jewish circumcision; the attitude of the Emperor Diocletian, infamous for persecuting Christians, towards the Jews, opportunities offered by the Roman Empire to Jews for observing the Sabbath and festivals, various problems caused by the observance of the Purim Festival, problems relating to marriage and divorce, the Roman attitude towards conversion to Judaism, Jewish jurisdiction in the Roman Empire, and the legal status of the Samaritans as revealed in special legislation in Justinian's Corpus Iuris Civilis . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)