Known as a distinctly Christian city today, Rome has a long history of religious tolerance. One of the most persecuted communities in world history, the Jews, found a home in Rome as early as the second century B.C.
One of the most detailed descriptions of these communities was written by the Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria. He visited Rome in 40 A.D. at the request of the infamous Roman emperor Caligula. Philo wrote voluminously about the life of the Jews in Rome.
Of particular concern to him was whether the rights that had been granted to them decades earlier by the first Roman Emperor, Augustus, were being protected. Augustus had been gracious and magnanimous toward the early Jewish communities of Rome. Jews were enabled to either own or rent a home in Rome They did enjoy special rights and privileges.
For starters, Jews were permitted to study Jewish laws and traditions instead of Roman ones. They could also receive Roman citizenship as long as they paid their taxes. The early Jews also received an allotment of grain each month, just like other Roman citizens.
Though not known for his mansuetude, Philo was surprised to find that the rights of the Jewish communities were being protected by Emperor Caligula. In fact, Jewish communities had flourished in Rome since they were granted these special rights by Augustus in 20 AD.
