ANTIJUDAISTICKÉ PRVKY V DÍLECH ŘÍMSKÝCH BÁSNÍKŮ

The study deals with anti-Semitism in the work of three Roman poets: Horace, Martial and Juvenal. The aim of the study was to examine whether their works are anti-Semitic. If so, is there any connection to the Roman Empire’s relations with the Jews? Initially, under the rulers Caesar and Augustus, the relationship with the Jews was positive, and yet Horace attacks the Jews in his satires. Martial and Juvenal wrote after the First Jewish War, when Judeo-Roman relations cooled significantly. Martial denigrates the Jews by claiming that they have strong sexual impulses, and Juvenal blamed them for desecrating Rome. All three poets blamed the Jews for corrupting the Romans with their religious customs. That is anti-Judaism. Anti-Judaism does not depend on relationships with Jews. When the Jews were loyal, relations with Rome were good, if not, the Jews were punished. Judaism was tolerated in the Roman Empire except for Hadrian after the Second Jewish War. Anti-Judaism was a private matter for intellectuals.