The Parable of the Seated Augustus: At the Intersection of Imperial History, Rabbinic Midrash, and Roman Art

Historians of the period from the rise of the Severan dynasty to the accession of Diocletian frequently lament their lack of sources, especially once the histories of Cassius Dio and Herodian ran out with Gordian III. Yet the substantial body of literature left behind by the Rabbis of the period—literate, relatively well-off, intellectual, curious, urban, taxpaying, and civically involved Roman citizens—is hardly ever consulted in connection with Roman history, although it includes hundreds of texts about “kings” based on the figure of the emperor. “The Parable of the Seated Augustus” focuses on one such text that provides entry into the interconnected late antique world as it shows provincial religious intellectuals doing their work of biblical exegesis at their most ingenious, to an extent notable even to specialists, while simultaneously reflecting on events and personalities surrounding the reunification of the empire in the late third century through Roman art, and demonstrating a little-known familiarity with this aspect of imperial high culture.