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In Review

04 July 2009 16:06 BST

Rome and Jerusalem by Martin Goodman

Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations by Martin Goodman. Penguin, published January 31, £9.99.

In a nutshell...

An epic telling of the original clash of civilizations

What's it all about?

As the People's Front of Judea concluded after asking "What have the Romans ever done for us?", the city of Jerusalem blossomed under the Roman Empire, benefiting from strong trade links and centuries of peace and religious tolerance.

Such a happy coexistence was not to last however, with the fabled Temple of Jerusalem completely destroyed in 70AD by the future Emperor Titus and the Jewish people subjected to increased taxation and discrimination, culminating in the renaming of Judea to Palestina in a final push for political and religious hegemony.

Rome and Jerusalem therefore asks the question whether such a deterioration of relations between the two great cities was inevitable, or even deliberate, or whether it was an unintended consequence of political intrigues.

As such, the book not only addresses the issues of Roman imperialism and the place of religion within the state but also touches upon the origins of 2,000 years of Western anti-Semitism.

Who's it by?

Though he currently holds the prestigious title of Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford University and is a Fellow of the British Academy, Martin Goodman has gained admiration both among his peers and within the popular media for his ability to present rigorous scholarship in a compelling and accessible style. With this work, Professor Goodman engages with his principal area of expertise and interest, namely the relationship of the Jews to the wider Roman world, and his passion for and knowledge of the subject is evident throughout.

As an example

"Was there anything intrinsic in Jewish and Roman society that made it impossible for Jerusalem and Rome to coexist? Were the tensions which had so dramatic an effect in August 70 already apparent in 30 when Jesus preached in Jerusalem and died there on the order of a Roman governor? And, as early Christians began to carry their faith out from Jerusalem to the wider Roman empire, what was the effect of the conflict between Jews and Romans on the relations between Jews and Christians in a Roman world?"

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

Certainly there are sufficient stand-out characters gracing the pages of this book to fill up several movies or thinking-man's TV series, from the scheming yet ultimately bumbling Emperor Vespasian to the Judean leader Agrippa, as the well-meaning people's hero who died tragically and unexpectedly before his time.

However, the sheer scope of the book, spanning centuries and dozens of separate wars and political intrigues, makes the story better suited to a grand narrative documentary series and, with the popular media increasingly attracted to themes such as the 'clash of civilisations' and the folly of stumbling into an unpopular war in a distant land, such a series could feasibly be forthcoming.

So is it any good?

Goodman's great skill lies in his vivid portrayal of the vanities and ambitions of the leaders of both sides and, as such, his overriding argument that the calamitous deterioration of relations between the two cities was almost a tragic accident caused by a series of decisions taken by Emperors interested solely domestic politics and glory, becomes highly plausible.

However, Rome and Jerusalem is not simply another 'Great Man' account of historical shifts, but rather the author cites contemporary accounts from observers such as Josephus and Pliny the Elder to give an equally vivid account of day-to-day life among the ordinary citizens of the two cities. Thus, readers benefit from a fuller context to the clash of the two cities, from daily religious observations to the differing trade and cultural priorities of the pair.

Given that the narrative rests so firmly upon contemporary observations, perhaps the book's only shortcoming is its use of endnotes rather than foonotes for referencing sources, though this is a tiny flaw in what is alraedy being seen by many as the definitive account of the fate of Judaism in the Roman Empire.

9/10

David Hewitt