Aphrodite and the Rabbis: How the Jews Adapted Roman Culture to Create Judaism as We Know It

This "highly accessible" history "tells a story of the deep influence of Roman culture on the Judaism of Talmudic times" after the destruction of Jerusalem (Commentary).

Surprising but true:

- The Passover Seder is a Greco-Roman symposium banquet

- The Talmud rabbis presented themselves as Stoic philosophers

- Synagogue buildings were Roman basilicas

- Hellenistic rhetoric professors educated sons of well-to-do Jews

- Zeus-Helios is depicted in synagogue mosaics across ancient Israel

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