The Emperors and the Jews (Mosaica Press, 2019), by
Ari Lieberman
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein
This book is actually comprised
of three different parts which are seamlessly woven together to present one
picture: Firstly, it profiles important Greek and Roman rulers from the perspective
of secular historians. Secondly, it draws from rabbinic literature to offer
biographical sketches of the important Jewish figures who interfaced with those
Greco-Roman rulers. Finally, it offers traditional Jewish insights and explanations
to the stories of those Greco-Roman leaders, and their significance from a
Jewish perspective.
Lieberman opens his book with an
elaborate description of the Greek king Alexander the Great of Macedonia. After
painting a vivid picture of Alexander’s upbringing and tutelage, Lieberman
follows the stories of Alexander’s military conquests all the way until his
death. Lieberman then segues into Talmudic stories in which Alexander makes
appearances, including his interactions with the Jewish sages of his day, such
as Shimon HaTzaddik, The Elders of the South, and Geviha ben Pesisa.
As is well-known, after
Alexander’s death, the Greek empire split into four kingdoms, which Lieberman
shows is a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies concerning the Third Kingdom.
Continuing in the historical narrative, Lieberman focuses on the first two
Ptolemaic kings in Egypt. After presenting the historical facts about the
Ptolemys, the focus shifts to Rabbinic accounts of the translation of the Torah
into Greek which was said to be commissioned by Ptolemy. Lieberman draws from
many Jewish sources to analyze this episode, considering whether this
development ought to be viewed in a positively or negatively, and whether there
is Biblical precedent for translating the Torah.
The next section of Lieberman’s
anthology deals with the Flavian emperors of Rome—Vespasian and his son Titus.
Lieberman provides us with the historical background behind Vespasian’s rise to
power and why the Romans waged war against the Jews. He then introduces us to
the Jewish leader at time, the holy Tanna Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who
foresaw Vespasian’s ascend to the throne. At that fateful meeting, the holy
Tanna negotiated with Vespasian to ensure the continuation of the Jewish People
even after Jerusalem was to be sacked by the Romans and the Holy Temple be
burnt to the ground. Lieberman also discusses the Talmud’s account of the
Temple’s destruction and how Titus was duly punished for his role.
The last section of Lieberman’s
book is dedicated to the Roman emperor Antoninus and his relationship with
Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi. Although the exact identity of Antoninus mentioned in the
Talmud is unclear, Lieberman narrows it down to Marcus Aurelius or Antoninus
Pius and gives us the biography of both of those figures. He then provides a
bio of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi—the famous redactor of the Mishnah, known in the
Talmud as simply “Rebbi”. Afterwards, Lieberman offers an elaborate analysis of
the enigmatic, yet enchanting bond between these two unlikely companions. Many
of the sources which Lieberman cites connect this relationship to that of Jacob
and Esau, with Rebbi representing Jacob and Antoninus representing Esau.
At the end of the book, Lieberman
wrote two helpful appendices: The first provides a running list of the changes
that the Sages introduced when translating the Torah from Hebrew into Greek.
This appendix is related to his discussion on the Ptolemys and their role in
that undertaking. Lieberman draws from a plethora of sources to explain the
need for each change, and the implications of those changes. The second
appendix deals with the concept of the Four Kingdoms which are destined to
dominate the Jewish People, and documents various allusions to these Four
Kingdoms in the most unlikely passages.
Lieberman’s work boasts of two
different types of notes: Footnotes are marked by Arabic numerals, and
generally refer the reader to sources and/or links to websites with much of the
relevant primary and secondary sources. Endnotes are marked by Roman numerals
which provide the reader with all full Hebrew sources cited in their original.
In addition to drawing from
historians who wrote about ancient Greece and Rome, Lieberman’s impressive
library includes the Talmud, Midrashim, Rashi, R. Bachaya, Maharsha, Maharal,
the Aggadic works of the Ben Ish Chai, and much more. He also
make use of traditional Jewish works of history, such as Shalshelet
HaKabbalah, Tzemach David, Seder HaDorot, and Dorot HaRishonim.
As alluded to above, Lieberman
does not suffice with just reporting the facts, he also provides the reader
with more practical lessons and insights. His work is chockful of advice and
guidance for potential shtadlanim and askanim gleaned from
lessons learned in the past.
All in all, Ari Lieberman’s book
is very easy to read and does not get bogged down in tedious details. His
liberal use of adjectives make his descriptions come alive, and his masterful
use of bullet points both summarize his major arguments and make fresh succinct
observations without dwelling on them. Despite engaging with secular
historians, Lieberman’s work remains true to Chazal and the spirit of tradition
as befits an apparent Torah Scholar like himself. As the venerable Rabbi Dr. Yitzchak
Breitowitz observes, “Rabbi Ari Lieberman has written a truly fascinating book
on a largely unstudied topic” and in the words of Rabbi Berel Wein, “it belongs
in the home of every Jew interested in our tradition and history”.
