Le contexte historique éclairant le texte halakhique ou les positions des Sages vis-à-vis de la culture gréco-romaine du IIe au IVe siècle

The article traces the attitude to the Graeco-Roman culture of the Sages in Eretz Israel in the days of the Mishnah and Talmud. After the destruction of the Temple, and even more so after the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the Hebrew sources point to the existence of Greek and Roman culture, that had significant damaging influence upon Jewish society. The Sages tried to counter it through many sermons, but - surprisingly enough - not by absolute prohibition. The way they treated Greek and Roman culture, one that side by side with prohibitions increasingly tended toward lenience and permissiveness once it became clear that prohibition did not provide defense against cultural influence. Study of the Sages' attitude toward Graeco-Roman culture highlights one example of the how the campaign waged by them against various pagan influences upon Judaism underwent change and transformation. The article demonstrates that Halakhic permissiveness does not attest that the situation was culturally and religiously excellent.E