Abstract

Max Weber introduced the term "pariah" into the scientific study of Judaism and defined it as the voluntary religious and moral segregation of a people from their host culture. However, problems arise with his explanation. First, Weber defines "guest people" as a group lacking an autonomous political organization but fails to explain why this occurred. Second, he suggests an "ethic of resentment" between those in a "pariah" status and others, but fails to provide evidence that such an attitude existed for the early Jews. Third, he obscures the description of when and where Jews became "pariahs." It seems that Weber misinterpreted the religious segregation dictated by the Talmud with actual legal separation effected by the particular society in which Jews resided. The juridical pact between God and the Jewish nation led to self-regulation rather than the self-abasement characteristic of pariah nations