Jewish Divination in the Greco–Roman Era

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the divinatory methods the Jews used to address their questions in the Greco–Roman era. Scholars have previously examined how authors of the Hebrew Bible are aware of numerous divinatory techniques. The texts of the Greco–Roman era, especially the Dead Sea Scrolls, preserve even more references illuminating the ancients' interest in divination. In this article, I first address how the texts of the Greco–Roman era present people inquiring about the divine will through inspiration, the lot oracle, astrology, physiognomy, and death oracle. I argue that it was not indifferent which method an individual chose for their inquiry but that each technique served purposes that the ancients knew. As people could typically not access all methods, both the technique and its accessibility were considered when individuals decided how to inquire about their questions.