Ioudaios

The first known occurrence of the singular Ioudaios is in the "Moschus Ioudaios inscription", dated c. 250 BC, from Oropos in Greece. The inscription describes a Ioudaios of Greek religion; such that in this context Shaye J. D. Cohen states the word must be translated as "Judean".[1]

Ioudaios (Ancient Greek: Ἰουδαῖος; pl. Ἰουδαῖοι Ioudaioi)[n 1][2] is an Ancient Greek ethnonym used in classical and biblical literature which commonly translates to "Jew" or "Judean".[3][4]

The choice of translation is the subject of frequent scholarly debate, given its central importance to passages in the Bible (both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament) as well as works of other writers such as Josephus and Philo. Translating it as Jews is seen to imply connotations as to the religious beliefs of the people, whereas translating it as Judeans confines the identity within the geopolitical boundaries of Judea.[5]

A related translation debate refers to the terms ἰουδαΐζειν (verb),[6] literally translated as "Judaizing" (compare Judaizers),[7] and Ἰουδαϊσμός (noun), controversially translated as Judaism or Judeanism.[8]

  1. ^ Cohen 1999, p. 96-98.
  2. ^ Ἰουδαῖος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  3. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
  4. ^ Harper, Douglas. "Jew". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  5. ^ James D. G. Dunn Jesus, Paul, and the Gospels 2011 Page 124 "6.6 and 9.17, where for the first time Ioudaios can properly be translated 'Jew' ; and in Greco-Roman writers, the first use of Ioudaios as a religious term appears at the end of the first century ce (90- 96, 127, 133-36). 12."
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference LSJverb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Young's Literal Translation of Gal 2:14
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference OEtDJudaism was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


Cite error: There are <ref group=n> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=n}} template (see the help page).