Fiscus Judaicus

Christian Alexander

I am seeking for a source that discusses the historical impact of the humiliating of Jews through the Fiscus Judaicus and the triumph in Rome following the suppression of the insurrection. I have read Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica. Any source suggestions are appreciated.

MJ. Smith

Did you try a chatbot? did you do a search on "Fiscus Judaicus" - I get hits in 93 resources. did you try academia.edu? And please try to present your questions neutrally rather than giving us a prologue of your opinion or an opinion you have recently read.

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“Ficus Judaicus”
5. The Jewish communities possessed the right to levy taxes upon their members (this is the meaning of the word αὐτοτελής as applied to the Jewry in Alexandria) to defray the common expenses, especially in connection with the maintenance of the synagogue. Details as to the character of these taxes are wanting; but they seem to a large extent to have served the purpose of supplementing the voluntary contributions, as is attested by numerous inscriptions. The principal levy, dictated by the demands of the community, was that of the didrachma, an annual poll-tax of a Tyrian half-shekel (=2 Greek drachmas), payable by each adult male-member, and destined to sustain the treasury of the Temple in Jerusalem. The amounts collected from the several communities were then combined, and, through special confidential envoys, were sent, either in the original coins or in a converted form, to Jerusalem (Philo, “Legatio ad Caium,” § 23). This practise, which in time involved a considerable export of gold to Palestine, met with a vigorous opposition on the part of the Greek cities; while the Roman government also at first assumed a hostile attitude toward it. Under the republic the Senate, alarmed at the annual amount of gold sent by the Italian communities, several times prohibited all exportation of this metal, and the propretor Flaccus confiscated the sums collected in Asia Minor for the Temple (Cicero, “Pro Flacco,” xxviii.). Later, edicts of Cæsar, confirmed by Augustus, again authorized the practise, both as to Rome and the provinces; and when the cities of Asia Minor and of Cyrene attempted to oppose it, Agrippa intervened in favor of the Jews, while a series of edicts broke the resistance of the Greek cities (14 B.C.; “Ant.” xiv. 6, §§ 2–7; Philo, l.c. § 40).
After the fall of the Temple (70), the Roman government, instead of simply abolishing a tax which had no further object, decided to impose it for the benefit of the treasury of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome (“B. J” vii. 6, § 6; Dio Cassius, lxvi. 7). This was the origin of the “fiscus Judaicus,” a tax doubly irksome to the Jews; and the collection of which by the procurators ad hoc (“procuratores ad capitularia Judæorum”), according to the registers containing the names of those circumcised, was accompanied by the most odious vexations, notably under Domitian (Suetonius, “Domitian,” 12). Nerva abolished the abuses and delations (there are still extant bronzes bearing the legend FISCI IVDAICI CALVMNIA SVBLATA), but not the tax itself, which was still collected in the time of Origen (“Epistola ad Afric.” 14). There is reason to believe that it was gradually replaced by indefinite exactions, often levied without notice—a system of assessment which was finally abolished by Julian (Julian. Ep. 25; the text is obscure and doubtful). On this occasion, Julian destroyed the fiscal registers in which the names of the Jews were inscribed.

Isidore Singer, ed., The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes (New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906), 566.

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Diverse Jewish Strategies after the Bar Kokhba Revolt

Clear summary

After the Bar Kokhba revolt, various Jewish groups faced challenges in defining their identities and relationships with the Roman Empire. The introduction of the Fiscus Judaicus, a tax for Jews, led to debates and decisions about self-identification. The issue of paying this tax was not exclusive to Jews by birth, as even proselytes faced prosecution for tax evasion. The early Christian writings, shaped through centuries of Christian transmission, reflect the evolving dynamics between Jews and Christians. The aftermath of the Bar Kokhba disaster prompted a need for individuals to distance themselves from Jewish revolutionaries and Jewishness, as seen in the writings of Justin and the apologists. The distinction between Judaism and Christianity, exemplified by Marcion, marked a significant shift in theological and political outlooks. Despite attempts to create a clear division, subsequent writers and apologists sought to reconcile the new entity of Christianity with its Jewish origins.

This is an AI-generated summary

T&T Clark Handbook of the Early Church, p 53 (1 time)