ma thesis: jewish identity

jewish identity is a central topic in the professional jewish community, today. for example, research determines that connected jewish identity promotes sustainable affiliation, community participation, continuous jewish learning, and engaged jewish philanthropy.

however, identity was also extremely important during late antiquity. oppressed communities were denied full participation in imperial society. for example, subordinate groups were required to pay additional land, poll, or population taxes. in contrast, privileged communities were often exempt from special taxes and allowed the autonomy to administer local government.

this summer, i am working to complete my thesis in judaic studies: "what is jewish? jewish identity during the late second temple period". i will evaluate scholarship on judaism during late antiquity, and i will specifically focus on the development of guidelines and practice for conversion.

in the beginnings of jewishness (1999), shaye cohen evaluates the complex identity of jewish communities in late antiquity. he asks, "what is it that makes us us and them them?" in short, cohen concludes that "jewish identity in antiquity was elusive and uncertain."

"who" can be so difficult for scholars because boundaries were so fluid. daniel boyarin (2004) explains that religious authorities constructed increasingly strict private boundaries to limit open, dynamic public boundaries. the historical practice of judaism holds important insights into "what" individual jewish communities considered jewish. for example, can non jewish individuals become jewish?

historical study can also have important implications for our practice. for example, we often assume that orthodox tradition is the direct descendent of historical religion. yet, tradition changes dramatically over time. this does not invalidate any specific observance. neither orthodox judaism or reform judaism are undermined by historical diversity. however, research demonstrates that contemporary cultures have enormous influence on the social development of religion. for example, modern society has profoundly changed the interpretation and practice of judaism. today, there are 3 major streams of judaism: reform, conservative, and orthodox. but, modern judaism can be divided more precisely into humanist, reconstructionist, reform, conservative, traditional, modern orthodox, and orthodox judaisms.

this is not only true in the modern world. internal and external developments also led to substantial diversity during the late second temple period. scholars have identified more than 30 independent jewish groups during late antiquity! gabriele boccaccini (1999) explains that historical judaism is not a singular or "particular ideological system." in contrast, study identifies "many judaisms. . . active and in competition."