What Did the Ancient Greeks Know About the Jews?

The ancient world was a vibrant tapestry of cultures, ideas, and peoples, with the Greeks and Jews standing out as two remarkable civilizations. While the Greeks were penning epic poems and debating philosophy under olive trees, the Jews were cultivating a unique monotheistic faith and a rich cultural heritage in Judea and beyond. But what did the Greeks know about the Jews—their history, religion, and way of life? Through the writings of Greek historians, philosophers, and geographers, we get a fascinating glimpse into how these two worlds intersected, marked by curiosity, admiration, and occasional misunderstanding. To bring these ancient encounters to life, let's weave in some captivating anecdotes that reveal the human side of this cultural exchange.

A Meeting of Worlds: The Hellenistic Bridge

The story begins in the 4th century BCE, when Alexander the Great’s conquests reshaped the ancient world. His empire stretched from Greece to Egypt and beyond, bringing Greek culture—known as Hellenism—to regions like Judea, the heartland of the Jewish people. Cities like Alexandria became cultural melting pots where Greeks and Jews traded goods, ideas, and stories. This Hellenistic period (roughly 323–31 BCE) set the stage for Greek writers to encounter the Jews, whom they often called “Judeans” or “Syrians” in their texts.

These encounters weren’t always direct. Many Greeks relied on secondhand accounts, travel reports, or interactions with Jewish communities in places like Alexandria. Yet, their writings reveal a growing fascination with this people who stood out for their unique beliefs and customs.

Early Impressions: Curiosity from the Road

One of the earliest Greek writers to document the Jews was Hecataeus of Abdera, around 300 BCE. He described the Jews as an ancient people with a rich history, led by a wise lawgiver named Moses. Hecataeus was particularly struck by the Jewish story of the Exodus from Egypt—a tale of liberation that resonated as both epic and historical. He also noted their monotheism, the worship of one God without statues or images, which was a stark contrast to the Greeks’ pantheon of gods like Zeus and Athena. To Hecataeus, the Jews seemed disciplined, almost like a philosophical tribe with a deep-rooted tradition.

Imagine the drama during Alexander's siege of Tyre in 332 BCE: Among the Jewish horsemen fighting for the Persians was an archer named Mosollamus. As the battle raged and his comrades fled in panic, Mosollamus stood firm at his post, firing arrows with unerring accuracy even as exhaustion set in. Alexander, impressed by this display of loyalty and bravery, spared his life and rewarded him richly. Hecataeus retold this tale to highlight the Jews' unwavering commitment to duty, turning a battlefield moment into a symbol of their character.

Earlier, in the 5th century BCE, the historian Herodotus may have referred to the Jews as the “Syrians of Palestine.” While wandering the Levant, Herodotus curiously inquired about local customs and learned from Phoenicians and Syrians themselves that they practiced circumcision—a rite borrowed from the Egyptians. He compared them to distant Colchians and Ethiopians, marveling at this shared "barbarian" habit in a world of uncircumcised Greeks. These early writings show a mix of curiosity and gaps in understanding, as Greeks tried to make sense of a people so different from themselves.

Philosophers’ Perspectives: Marathon Debates and Eastern Links

Greek philosophers brought a more intellectual lens to the Jews. Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle, called the Jews a “philosophical race,” a high compliment in a culture that prized reason. Picture this: Theophrastus observed Jews gathering every seventh day—not for wild festivals, but to sing hymns, pray, and engage in profound discussions about the divine and ethics. To him, these Sabbath assemblies were like open-air philosophy seminars, where an entire nation pondered life's big questions.

Aristotle himself may have encountered a Jewish scholar in Asia Minor around 340 BCE, according to a story passed down by his student Clearchus. This Jew from Coele-Syria was no ordinary man—he was "strangely marvelous," descended (so he claimed) from Indian philosophers called Calani. The two engaged in a grueling three-day debate on the nature of the soul and the universe, with the Jewish sage fasting the entire time, surviving on nothing but water. Aristotle was awestruck by his endurance and wisdom, reportedly exclaiming that this man embodied the perfect blend of Eastern asceticism and Greek logic.

Moses and Aaron leading the Israelites in the Exodus

Another writer, Megasthenes, who traveled to India, drew parallels between the Jews and Indian Brahmins, suggesting their monotheistic beliefs echoed Eastern wisdom. For these philosophers, the Jews weren’t just a religious group; they were thinkers whose ideas invited comparison to the Greek pursuit of truth.

Later Views: Admiration and Misunderstandings

By the 1st century BCE, Greek writers like Strabo, a geographer, offered more detailed accounts. Strabo described Judea and its history under Moses, praising the Jews’ rejection of idols and their focus on one God as rational and simple—almost a Greek ideal of clarity. He viewed Moses as a wise leader, not unlike the legendary lawgivers of Greece.

Strabo's vivid retelling? Moses, a disillusioned Egyptian priest fed up with idol worship and animal sacrifices, gathered a band of lepers and outcasts from Lower Egypt. Leading them across the desert to Judea, he founded a new society based on monotheism: temples without images, laws etched in stone, and a direct line to one supreme God. It was a revolutionary origin story that painted Moses as a bold reformer.

Not all Greek perspectives were glowing, however. Some writers, like Apollonius Molon, found Jewish customs puzzling or even antisocial. Practices like avoiding pork or observing the Sabbath seemed strange to Greeks, who were accustomed to polytheistic festivals and communal feasting. These misunderstandings often arose from viewing Jewish traditions through a Greek lens, where cultural norms differed sharply. Still, the Jews’ commitment to their laws and ethical code earned respect from many, even if their customs were sometimes misjudged.

The Lasting Impact: A Cultural Crossroads

The Greek encounter with the Jews wasn’t just a historical curiosity—it had a profound impact on Western thought. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible created in Alexandria around the 3rd century BCE, brought Jewish scriptures to the Greek-speaking world. Legend has it that Ptolemy II Philadelphus, eager to stock his grand library, invited 72 Jewish scholars (six from each tribe) to the island of Pharos. Isolated in separate cells, they translated the Torah independently over 72 days—and miraculously, their versions matched word for word! This divine synchronicity, detailed in the Letter of Aristeas, turned the project into a symbol of Jewish wisdom's universality.

This translation fascinated Greek-speaking Jews like Philo of Alexandria, who blended Jewish theology with Greek philosophy. It also influenced early Christians, who used the Septuagint to spread their message across the Hellenistic world.

These early Greek writings, preserved in fragments and later works like those of the Jewish historian Josephus, show a mix of admiration, curiosity, and occasional bias. They reveal how the Greeks saw the Jews: as an ancient people with a wise leader in Moses, a unique monotheistic faith, and a disciplined way of life. The Greeks’ accounts laid the groundwork for a cross-pollination of ideas that shaped philosophy, religion, and culture for centuries to come.

Why Does Any of This Matter Today?

The Greek view of the Jews reminds us how ancient cultures learned from one another, even when they didn’t fully understand each other. Their writings—and these lively anecdotes—capture a moment when two great civilizations met at a crossroads, sparking ideas that still resonate today. From marathon debates to miraculous translations, this exchange helped shape the intellectual foundations of the Western world.

It's amazing how the Jewish, Greek and later Roman civilizations fused in what later became Western Christendom. Some foolishly want to deny the impact of the Jewish civilization on the West and insist on not using terms such as Judeo-Christian values. But there simply can't be such a thing as Christian values, faith or anything Christian for that matter, if it wasn't for the deep, long lasting Jewish civilization and its legacy.

Sources

• Hecataeus of Abdera, fragments on Jewish history and Moses.

• Herodotus, Histories, references to “Syrians of Palestine.”

• Theophrastus, on the Jews as a “philosophical race.”

• Clearchus, on Aristotle’s encounter with a Jewish scholar.

• Strabo, Geography, on Judea and Moses.

• Josephus, Against Apion, for Jewish responses to Greek views.

The blog "What Did the Ancient Greeks Know About the Jews?" explores the interactions and perceptions between two ancient civilizations: the Greeks and the Jews. Through the writings of Greek historians, philosophers, and geographers, such as Hecataeus of Abdera, Herodotus, and Strabo, the blog delves into the Greek understanding of Jewish history, religion, and customs. These writings reveal a mix of admiration, curiosity, and occasional misunderstanding as Greeks encountered Jews during the Hellenistic period, particularly in culturally rich cities like Alexandria. Philosophers like Theophrastus and possibly Aristotle viewed Jews as a philosophical race, while the Septuagint— a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible— facilitated the blending of Jewish and Greek thought, influencing early Christians. The blog underscores the lasting impact of these early interactions, highlighting the fusion of Jewish, Greek, and later Roman civilizations in shaping Western Christendom, and emphasizing the enduring significance of Jewish contributions to Western culture and values.

The blog "What Did the Ancient Greeks Know About the Jews?" examines the interactions between the Greeks and Jews. It highlights Greek historians, philosophers, and geographers like Hecataeus, Herodotus, and Strabo, who documented Greek perceptions of Jewish history and customs with a mix of admiration and misunderstanding during the Hellenistic period, especially in cities like Alexandria. Figures such as Theophrastus and Aristotle saw Jews as a philosophical people, and the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, helped merge Jewish and Greek ideas, influencing early Christianity. The blog emphasizes the enduring impact of these interactions, as the fusion of Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures shaped Western civilization and underscored the significant contributions of Jewish culture to Western values.

The blog "What Did the Ancient Greeks Know About the Jews?" explores Greek-Jewish interactions, highlighting figures like Herodotus and Aristotle, who viewed Jews with a mix of admiration and misunderstanding. It discusses the influence of the Greek-translated Septuagint on early Christianity and underscores how these cultural exchanges shaped Western civilization by merging Jewish, Greek, and Roman influences.

Keywords

Ancient Greeks, Jews, Greek historians, philosophers, geographers, Hellenism, Judea, Alexandria, cultural exchange, Hecataeus of Abdera, Moses, Exodus, monotheism, Herodotus, Syrians of Palestine, circumcision, Jewish customs, Theophrastus, Aristotle, Clearchus, Jewish scholar, Megasthenes, Strabo, Apollonius Molon, Septuagint, Philo of Alexandria, Josephus, Jewish history, Western thought, cultural crossroads, Judeo-Christian values, Jewish civilization, Western Christendom.

What Did the Ancient Greeks Know About the Jews?© 2025 byGeorge Bakalovis licensed underCC BY-NC-ND 4.0