Iudaeus

Iudaeus is a Latin ethnonym used in historical sources to designate a Jew, a person from Judaea, or, more broadly, members of the Jewish people. The term derives from the province of Judaea (Iudaea) in the Roman Empire, itself named for the biblical Tribe of Judah, and it entered Latin vocabulary as an ethnonym through contact with Hebrew and Greek terms. In Latin texts the singular form Iudaeus and the plural Iudaei are commonly attested, with usage varying by period and author.

In classical and late antique literature, Iudaeus serves to identify individuals who belong to the Jewish faith or who originate from the region of Judaea. It appears in a range of genres, including historical, legal, religious, and ethnographic writings. The Latin form often corresponds to the Greek Ioudaios and to modern reflexes such as Judean or Jewish in scholarly reconstructions. The term could carry neutral, descriptive, or occasionally polemical connotations depending on the context and author.

In Christian Latin writings, Iudaeus is frequently used in reference to Jewish groups or to disputes between Jews and Christians. In the Latin Bible (Vulgate) and related patristic works, the word helps render the biblical concept of Jews or Judaean inhabitants, reinforcing its role as a bridge between Hebrew, Greek, and Latin textual traditions. Today, Iudaeus is chiefly of linguistic and historical interest, illustrating how Latin speakers labeled one of the ancient Near Eastern communities.