Philosophie politique et antijudaïsme chez Cicéron

Abstract

In the Pro Flacco, Cicero defends the former governor of Asia, accused of corruption during his public office. Flaccus had in particular confiscated the gold intended for the Temple of Jerusalem by the Jewish diaspora. The orator discredits the testimony of the Jews, whom he accuses of barbarism and superstition. These xenophobic invectives are traditional in polemic public speeches and are aimed at many foreign peoples. However, the historical context of the speech shows that these invectives cannot only boil down to judicial rhetoric. They are aimed at ethnic and religious particularism, and echo Cicero's political philosophy, which was concerned with the unity of the Empire, and therefore not very favourable to the understanding and integration of Jewish monotheism.