Il mondo ebraico fra Paolino e Agostino

This contribution examines the main sources linking the figure of Paulinus of Nola to the Jews and the Jewish world of his times. Paulinus certainly had contacts with Jews: at least one or two monks of his entorurage, Proforus and Restitutus, were of Jewish origins and they were in the group that followed him to Campania at the end of the 4th century. Pauline also had some knowledge of Hebrew, and sometimes used it in his biblical exegesis. As for the archaeological remains, in Cimitile just one lamp with the symbol of the menorah has been found so far: however, there is some epigraphic evidence from the same area, that helps to better understand some aspects of the Jewish presence in the Nolan area. The most important, is the Greek epitaph of Rabbi Abba Mari, from Brusciano. In the last part of the article it is discussed on the role of Paulinus as a possible inspirer of Augustine’s “doctrine of testimony”, according to which the Jews, as living witnesses of the Scriptures, should not be persecuted or forced to conversion.