The Religion of Idumea and Its Relationship to Early Judaism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3499569 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yigal Levin (0000-0002-5873-6518, Bar-Ilan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 487 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel11100487 |
| OpenAlex | W3088188005 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 56 |
For several hundred years, from the late Iron Age to the end of the 2nd century BCE, the southern neighbor of Judea was "Idumea", populated by descendants of Edomites, together with Qedarite and other Arabs and a mix of additional ethnicities. This paper examines the known data on the identity, especially religious identity, of these Idumeans, using a wide range of written sources and archaeological data. Within the Bible, "Edom" is presented as Israel's twin and its harshest enemy, but there are hints that the Edomites worshipped the God of Israel. While the origins of the "Edomite deity" Qaus remain obscure, as does the process of their migration into southern Judah, the many inscriptions from the Persian period show that Qaus became the most widely worshipped deity in the area, even if other gods, including Yahweh, were also recognized. The Hellenistic period brought heightened Greek and Phoenician influence, but also the stabilization of "Idumea" as an administrative/ethnic unit. Some of the practices of this period, such as male circumcision, show an affinity to the Judaism of the time. This paper also discusses the outcome of the Hasmonean conquest of Idumea and the incorporation of its inhabitants into the Jewish nation
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · CONQUEST · Ethnic group · Islam · Judaism · Monotheism · Persian · Phoenician · Sociology · Theology · Ancient Near East History · Anthropology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · History · Philosophy
Maresha Excavations Final Report III
Aramaic Inscriptions of the Fifth Century B. C. E. from a North-Arab Shrine in Egypt
Figuring Out the Figurines of the Ancient Near East
Nabonidus, as-Silaʿ, and the Beginning of the End of Edom
The Khirbet el-Kôm Bilingual Ostracon
Ostraca from Elath
Aramaic Scribal Exercises of the Hellenistic Period from Maresha
The Scripts of Two Ostraca from Elath
The Spirit of Clay
The Tell el-Maskhuta Bowls and the 'Kingdom' of Qedar in the Persian Period
The Aramaic Ostraca from Tel Beer-Sheba (Seasons 1971–1976)
An Edomite Ostracon from Horvat 'Uza
The Location of Biblical Makkedah
Textual and Historical Notes on the Eliashib Archive from Arad
Khirbet en-Nahas, Edom and Biblical History
Herod’s Childhood and the Idumaean Provenance of his Family
The Idumaeans” in Josephus' The Jewish War
Stepped Pools, Stone Vessels, and other Identity Markers of “Complex Common Judaism”
Edomites and Idumaeans
Town Planning of Hellenistic Marisa
Navigating the Epigraphic Storm
Fractional Coins of Judea and Samaria in the Fourth Century BCE
The Antiquities Market, Sensationalized Textual Data, and Modern Forgeries
Distribution of Personal Names in the Land of Israel and Transjordan during the Iron II Period
The Hellenistic origins of Jewish ritual immersion
Iron Age Cultic Sites in Transjordan
The Religion of the Ammonites
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |