Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity

"Offers a radically new account that advances the modern scholarly understanding of Babylonian Jewish history and society, and of Sasanian rule. Building upon recent developments in the study of the Sasanian Empire, the book offers a more direct model of Sasanian rule, within and against which Jews invariably positioned and defined themselves"--

Introduction: Toward a new history of Jews and the Sasanian Empire; 1. Jewish society under Sasanian rule: from isolation to integration; 2. Competing for power: Jewish elites and Sasanian culture; 3. Beyond 'tolerance': the logics of Sasanian violence against Jews; 4. Forgetting persecution: memory and anti-martyrdom in the Babylonian Talmud; 5. Rabbis and fire temples: navigating a Zoroastrian empire; 6. Kings and religion in the Talmud and in the imagination of Sasanian communities; Conclusion: the Sasanian Empire from the perspective of the Jews.