do the gentiles but not the Jews deserve temporal power? The answers to these questions will be treated in the next chapter. Here our theme is the response of the Jews to the political questions raised by subjection to foreign rule: How should the Jews relate to the imperial state? Should they support it, oppose it, or adopt a neutral stance? Should their support or opposition be active or passive? The answer was provided by Jeremiah. This prophet had warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem that their