로마인과 유대인 : 자기 인식과 타인 인식에 따른 정체성 문제에 대한 소고 = Romans and Jews : A Study on Identity Issues Based on Self-Perception and Other-Perception

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Do my real self and my appearance in the eyes of others correspond to each other, or are they misunderstood or distorted? How does awareness of others affect self-perception, and how do the two relate to identity? Based on this question, this paper intends to consider the relationship between Romans and Jews and the issue of identity closely related to it in terms of ‘self-perception’ and 'other-perception'.
By acknowledging the survivors of the Trojan War as their ancestors, the Romans embraced the Greek tradition, yet ingeniously reinterpreted it to suit their own needs. In the process of their rise to power in the ancient world, they acknowledged the Greek environmental determinism and the inheritance of acquired temperaments to some extent, but chose a pragmatic path not to view non-Romans as inherently inferior. The Jews, who were subordinated to them politically, economically, culturally and socially, were naturally in a 'stipulated' position according to the 'determining power of the dominant culture' they had as rulers. Despite the promise of religious freedom from Rome from the beginning of the imperial period, the reason most of the Jews' views on the Romans were negative was because of the imbalance of power between the two. The Romans' 'self-perception' and the Jews' 'other-perception’ of them correspond to some degree in content and direction. The influence of the latter on the former may not have been significant, but it must have something to do with the way the Romans viewed the Jews.
The Jewish ‘self-perception’ is summarized in the words ‘exclusivity’ and ‘specificity’. The Old Testament and Early Jewish Documents testify to this, and specifically, it appeared in the form of the chosen thought and the prohibition of mixed marriage. However, sometimes they crossed the boundaries of exclusivity through kinship with non-Jews, and in order to establish a link with the Greeks who had 'determining power of the ruling culture', they raised their common ancestor Abraham to share their traditions with them. Incorporating into the culture, they also expanded the scope of their identity further. However, in many cases, the Romans defined Jews somewhat one-sidedly and negatively according to their prejudices and stereotypes. Although the Jews' 'self-perception' and the Romans' 'other-perception' of them correspond to some extent, the disproportionate power relationship between the two caused the latter to have a significant impact on the former. And this, in turn, played a big role in the way the Jews viewed the Romans.
‘Self-perception’ and ‘other-perception’ play a decisive role in the problem of identity. This is because confidence in one's own identity depends on how seriously one views, treats, accepts, and exploits other people and cultures. The starting point for this is to seriously recognize both my 'otherness' and the 'otherness' of others.