Editing Second Temple (section)

=== Pilgrimages ===
Jews from distant parts of the Roman Empire would arrive by boat at the port of [[Jaffa]],{{Citation needed|reason=Caesarea is a more likely port|date=December 2020}} where they would join a caravan for the three-day journey to the Holy City and secure lodgings in one of the many hotels or hostelries. Thereafter, they would exchange some of their money from the standard Greek and Roman currency to [[Shekel|Jewish]] and [[Tyrian shekel|Tyrian money]], the latter two considered acceptable for religious use.<ref name="Sanders">Sanders, E. P. ''The Historical Figure of Jesus''. Penguin, 1993.</ref><ref name="JInt">[[Bart D. Ehrman|Ehrman, Bart D.]] [[Jesus, Interrupted]], HarperCollins, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-06-117393-6}}</ref> Mishnah [[Bikkurim (tractate)|''Bikkurim'']] 3:3–4 provides a detailed account of how pilgrims were welcomed to Jerusalem during the festival of Shavuot:{{Sfn|Safrai|Stern|p=895|Flusser|van Unnik|1988}}<blockquote>Those who lived near [Jerusalem] would bring fresh figs and grapes, while those who lived far away would bring dried figs and raisins. An ox would go in front of them, his horns bedecked with gold and with an olive-crown on its head. The flute would play before them [...] When they drew close to Jerusalem they would send messengers in advance, and they would adorn their ''bikkurim''. The governors and chiefs and treasurers would go out to greet them, and according to the rank of the entrants they would go forth. All the skilled artisans of Jerusalem would stand up before them and greet them saying, "Our brothers, men of such and such a place, we welcome you in peace." [...] When they reached the Temple Mount even [[Herod Agrippa|King Agrippas]] would take the basket and place it on his shoulder [...] When he got to the Temple Court, the Levites would sing the song: "I will extol You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not let my enemies rejoice over me" (Psalms 30:2).<ref>Mishnah, Bikkurim 3:3–4; translation by [[Joshua Kulp]]</ref></blockquote>This passage reflects the public and ceremonial nature of the pilgrimage, as well as the communal ethos fostered by shared ritual, music, and mutual recognition.{{sfn|Abadi|Szypuła|Marciak|2024|p=173}} The idea that pilgrimage helped promote social cohesion is also expressed by Josephus, who writes:{{sfn|Abadi|Szypuła|Marciak|2024|p=173}}<blockquote>Let them come together three times a year from the ends of the land that the Hebrews conquer, into the city in which they establish the Temple, in order that they may give thanks to God for the benefits that they have received and that they may appeal for benefits for the nature and coming together and taking a common meal, may they be dear to each other. For it is well that they not be ignorant of one another, being compatriots and sharing in the same practices. This will occur for them through such intermingling, instilling a memory of them through sight and association, for if they remain unmixed with one another they will be thought completely strangers to each other.<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'', IV, 203–204</ref></blockquote>The Jerusalem Temple held central importance not only for Jews in Judaea, but also for Jewish communities in the [[Jewish diaspora|Diaspora]].{{Sfn|Goodman|2006|pp=47–48}} [[Philo]], a Jewish philosopher from [[Alexandria]], writes:<blockquote>Countless multitudes from countless cities come, some over land, others by sea, from east and west and north and south at every feast. They take the temple for their port as a general haven and safe refuge from the bustle and great turmoil of life, and there they seek to find calm weather, and, released from the cares whose yoke has been heavy upon them from their earliest years, to enjoy a brief breathing space in scenes of genial cheerfulness.<ref>[[Philo|Philo of Alexandria]], ''The Special Laws'' I, 70</ref></blockquote>The importance of the Temple for the Diaspora is further illustrated by the delegation led by Philo and other Alexandrian Jews to Emperor [[Caligula]], during which they appealed against the proposed installation of the emperor’s statue in the Temple.{{Sfn|Goodman|2006|p=48}}