Ioudaioi (Ἰουδαῖοι) (as per the Ancient Greek nominative plural case; also Ἰουδαῖῶν (Ioudaiōn, genitive), Ἰουδαῖοῖς (Ioudaiois, dative) and Ἰουδαῖούς (Ioudaious, accusative) in other forms) is an ancient Greek term used frequently in classical and biblical literature to refer to a group of people that is most often translated in English as either as "the Jews" or "the Judeans".[1]
In its various contexts, the word has also been translated as "Judahites", "people of the region of Judah/Judea" and "leaders of Judea".
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 other writers such as Josephus and Philo. Translation as "Jews" is seen to infer connotations as to the religious beliefs of the people, whereas translation as "Judeans" infers an identity primarily defined by the territory of Judea.
The distinction is relevant in English but is not relevant, for example, in modern Hebrew or modern standard Arabic where the same word is still used for both Jews and Judeans.
A related translation debate refers to the terms ἰουδαίζω (verb) and Ἰουδαισμός (noun), commonly translated as “Judaism”.
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The word Ioudaioi is used primarily in three areas of literature in antiquity: the later books of the Hebrew Bible (e.g. the Books of the Maccabees), the New Testament (particularly the Gospel of John and Acts of the Apostles) and classical writers from the region such as Josephus and Philo.
There is a wide range of scholarly views as to the correct translations with respect to each of these areas, with some scholars suggesting that either the words Jews or Judeans should be used in all cases, and other scholars suggesting that the correct translation needs to be interpreted on a case by case basis.
One complication in the translation question is that the meaning of the word evolved over the centuries. For example, Morton Smith, writing in the 1999 Cambridge History of Judaism,[2] states that from c.100 BCE under the Hasmoneans the meaning of the word Ioudaioi expanded further:
- For clarity, we may recall that the three main earlier meanings were:
- (1) one of the descendants of the patriarch Judah, i.e. (if in the male line) a member of the tribe of Judah;
- (2) a native of Judaea, a "Judaean";
- (3) a "Jew", i.e. a member of Yahweh's chosen people, entitled to participate in those religious ceremonies to which only such members were admitted.
- Now appears the new, fourth meaning:
- (4) a member of the Judaeo-Samaritan-Idumaean-Ituraean-Galilean alliance
The English word Jew derives from the Old French forms "Giu" and "Juieu", which had elided (dropped) the letter "d" from the Middle Latin form "Iudaeus", which, like the Greek Ioudaioi, meant both Jews and Judeans / "of Judea".
However, most other European languages retained the letter "d" in the word for Jew, and in a number of languages, including modern Hebrew and modern standard Arabic, the same word is still used for both Jews and Judeans / "of Judea".
| English | Modern Hebrew | Modern Standard Arabic | Latin | Ancient Greek |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jew | wikt:יהודי Yehudi | wikt:يهودي Yehudi | wikt:Iudaeus | wikt:Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios |
| "of Judea" or "Judean" | wikt:יהודי Yehudi | wikt:يهودي Yehudi | wikt:Iudaeus | wikt:Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios |
| Judea | wikt:יהודה Yehudah | wikt:يهودية Yehudea | wikt:Iudaea | wikt:Ἰουδαία or Ioudaiā |
The Ancient Greek term Ioudaismos, usually translated as "Judaism" or "Judeanism", first appears in 2 Maccabees in the 2nd century BCE. In the context of the age and period it held the meaning of seeking or forming part of a cultural entity and can be compared with hellenismos, meaning acceptance of Hellenic cultural norms (the conflict between iudaismos and hellenismos lay behind the Maccabeean revolt and hence the invention of the term iudaismos).[3] Shaye J. D. Cohen wrote:
General References
Ioudaioi in the Gospel of John