“[Judeophobia] casts new light on , and suggests a new understanding of, an area that has been a controversial field ever since Theodor Mommsen, in...his Römische Geshichte in 1884, made the 'rather casual statement' that 'hatred of the Jews and Jew-baiting are as old as the Diaspora itself'...[It is a] learned and absorbing book.”―Bernard Knox, New Republic
“A well-informed and intelligently argued book. It is also admirably readable.”―Jasper Griffin, New York Review of Books
“An elegant, persuasive, and comprehensive book...It is no exaggeration to say that Judeophobia changes the way we think about Judaism in the Greco-Roman world.”―Alan Mendelson, History [UK]
“In Judeophobia Peter Schäfer makes a major contribution to the social history of Judaism in antiquity...The book is written in a clear style appropriate for non-specialists. Non-English language terms are transliterated and, in most cases, translated the first time they are used. Schäfer's thesis is that the origins of anti-Semitism can be traced to three successive centers of conflict: Egypt, Syria-Palestine, and Rome. Schäfer's attempt to disentangle the unique aspects of the growth of anti-Semitism in each of these three centers is one of the most important contributions of the book...This book deserves to be read by anyone interested in the origins of anti-Semitism. Its main arguments will undoubtedly become a source for discussion and debate in future research. Schäfer deserves our thanks, both for his courage in pursuing a difficult topic with such frankness and for the numerous insights that he has contributed to research on this topic.”―Allen Kerkeslager, Journal for the Study of Judaism
“Schäfer has given us a masterly account of the early history of antisemitism.”―Robert Goldenberg, Shofar
“Schäfer demonstrates his mastery of the sources...[and] isolate[s] with great clarity key elements in the history of antisemitism.”―Nicholas De Lange, Patterns of Prejudice
