Rutilius Namatianus°

RUTILIUS NAMATIANUS°, holder of a civic post in Rome in 416 C.E. In a poem commemorating his return to his native Gaul, he describes how, at Faleria (Falesia) on the Tyrrhenian coast (near present-day Piombino), his party met the Jewish keeper of a fishpond. The inhospitality of the Jew prompted Rutilius to condemn the Jews as a disgusting and overly influential race whose presence in Rome was to be regretted. He speaks contemptuously of their dietary laws, circumcision and Sabbath, and voices the familiar Roman anti-Jewish sentiments.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.