Ancient Jewish-Christian dialogues: Athanasius and Zacchaeus, Simon and Theophilus, Timothy and Aquila : introductions, texts, and translations

This work provides the texts and translations of three ancient Jewish-Christian dialogues: The Dialogue of Athanasius and Zacchaeus (Greek, 4th c.); The Dialogue of Simon and Theophilus (Latin, 5th c.); and The Dialogue of Timothy and Aquila (Greek, 6th c.). This is the first published translation of each of these texts. An introduction discusses the context of these dialogues in the "Contra Judaeos" literature of the early church and also explores the question of whether or not they represent any actual discussion between Jews and Christians and also what purposes these dialogues served. Careful attention has been made to the dialogues' use of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, in furthering the discussion about the Messiah. To this end a Comprehensive Scriptural Index encourages greater comparative study of these dialogues. It is the translator's purpose to expose these works, which have been the concern of a small circle of focused scholars, to a wider scholarly audience and to encourage greater study of them and their role in the history of Jewish Christian relations.