Marcus Aurelius and the Lost Jewish Quarter

Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History · Oct 2, 2026 · 8m · transcript

We often picture Marcus Aurelius as the solitary philosopher-emperor, writing in his tent at Carnuntum while barbarians besieged the Danube. But before he was a general on the frontier, he was a young man navigating the complex social fabric of Rome itself. This episode explores the Jewish community in second-century Rome, a group that lived under both imperial protection and periodic suspicion. We examine how Emperor Hadrian’s policies shaped their status and how Marcus, raised in an environment of intellectual tolerance, interacted with this vibrant diaspora. The narrative centers on the…