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Good post. Would it be fair to say there were competing sects/denominations within Second Temple Judaism, but still recognize that Judaism was one religion? S. Sandmel has noted that there were “Judaisms” in the first century, but no one “Judaism,” and early Christianity was “a Judaism”. S. Sandmel, Judaism and Christian Beginnings (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978) 4. but this approach can run the risk of becoming overly atomizing. J. Dunn speaks of “a common and unifying core for second Temple Judaism” J. Dunn, The Parting of the Ways (London: SCM Press, 1991) 18. The majority of Jews did not belong to any sect, but held to the basics. They were also recognized by the sects as their pool of potential converts. Everyone knew the difference between a Jew and a Gentile, even as different sects like to view themselves as the "true Israel."

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The extent to which one can refer to a “Jewish community” at this time is also debatable. As with the question of Judaisms, the danger is of concentrating only on those factors which divided the community, to the point where the community as such essentially disappears. While acknowledging their divisions, (indeed, he attributes the fall of Jerusalem to them, as does the Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 9b) Josephus is also clear as to who is a Jew and who is not. The Jewish populations of various towns are given (for example, The Jewish War II, XVIII, 1), Jews are distinguished from gentile Judaisers (The Jewish War II, XVIII, 2), and Jews are said to be bound together by “ties of blood” as “countrymen” (The Jewish War II, XVIII, 3. See also Romans 11:1). It would seem that in Josephus’ day, the Jewish community was neither monolithic, nor non-existent. See also S. Cohen’s point that “most Jews were not members of any sect. They observed the Sabbath and the holidays, heard the scriptural lessons in Synagogue on Sabbath ... and adhered to the ‘ethical norms’ of folk piety”. S. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1987) 172. A clear sense of community if reflected in such a comment. Note also that while not all ethnic Israel was included in any one Judaism’s “true Israel” (Romans 9: 6, Sanhedrin 10:1), they were still generally acknowledged to be ‘ethnic’ Israel (Acts 18:6, Rosh Ha Shana 17a, Gittin 57a). A. Saldarini, while acknowledging its division into sub-communities, is still able to write of the larger Jewish community” A. Saldarini, Matthew’s Christian-Jewish Community (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1994) 5.

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I think we may well have to consider whether we should also refer to "Christianity" or "Christianities" in the 21st century.

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Thanks for this short blog on this subject. Can you share with us your personal reason (s) to use Judaism instead of Judaisms in reference to the Jewish religion of the Second Temple era? Thanks

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