Can emotions serve as expressions and modes of resistance?

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In this lecture, we will discuss texts written by Greek-speaking Jewish communities of late antiquity, which were produced under the growing or established power of Rome. Using various Greek terms, many of these texts recommend what we refer to today as "compassion" —an emotional response to the pain affecting others. Compassion is reinterpreted into a command of the Mosaic law and a quality of many Israelite ancestors. It is often extended from one group to another. In a commonly found pattern, texts begin by stating that it is “natural” to feel compassion for people belonging to a given group (e.g., family); texts then proceed to recommend that that feeling be extended to a larger group (e.g., ethnic group). Some texts go further and urge to extend compassion to all human beings.

Can emotions serve as expressions and modes of resistance?

‍

In this lecture, we will discuss texts written by Greek-speaking Jewish communities of late antiquity, which were produced under the growing or established power of Rome. Using various Greek terms, many of these texts recommend what we refer to today as "compassion" —an emotional response to the pain affecting others. Compassion is reinterpreted into a command of the Mosaic law and a quality of many Israelite ancestors. It is often extended from one group to another. In a commonly found pattern, texts begin by stating that it is “natural” to feel compassion for people belonging to a given group (e.g., family); texts then proceed to recommend that that feeling be extended to a larger group (e.g., ethnic group). Some texts go further and urge to extend compassion to all human beings.