The Dispersion

Who were the Jews of the Dispersion?

The Dispersion is the term given to the Jews living outside of Israel. Very many of them chose to remain in the lands of the Captivity. In the Inter-Testament period Jews outside Israel came to be far more numerous than those in Israel. There grew to be strong colonies of Jews in every land and in all the chief cities of the civilized world: Babylon, Assyria, Syria, Phoenicia, Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, North Africa and Rome. The three main divisions of the Dispersion were Babylonian, Syrian and Egyptian. In the time of Christ the number of Jews in Egypt was estimated at a million. And there were strong populations in Damascus and Antioch. So, in the Providence of God, captivities turned out to be for the benefit of the nations among whom they were scattered. The Jews influenced the thought of the nations, and also were influenced by the thought of the nations.

Jewish Communities of the Dispersion

Capernaum Synagogue Ruins