Messianic Jerusalem and the Myth of the Imperial City in Late Antiquity

The paper explores the influence of the late antique scenarios of imperial city space on the myth of messianic Jerusalem in Jewish eschatology. The paper argues that late antique Jewish works, such as Sefer Zerubavel, Otot ha-Mashiah, and piyyutim, describe restored Jerusalem by using literary formulas otherwise associated with the foundation legends of Constantinople and other late Roman imperial cities. Both scenarios postulate a close bond between the ruler and his/her city. Both scenarios understand urban space as a combination of physical space and performative actions including processions, coronation rites, etc. Just like late antique Rome, Constantinople, Ravenna, or Aachen, the messianic Jerusalem was a city built according to the Constantinian and post-Constantinian aesthetic and ideological program.