Like the early Christians in Sicily, the evidence for Judaism comes from the south-east of the island, and it becomes visible alongside the state acceptance of Christianity in the fourth century. The funerary inscriptions suggest that Jews and Christians co-existed: they were often buried close together, and the language of the texts often overlaps, as for example in the phrase "in the lap of Abraham" in inscription 34. Catania is one of the richest sources of Jewish texts from Sicily, and the references to Jewish law and to elders (presbyteroi) suggest the presence of a synagogue.
All of the Jewish texts from Sicily are in Greek: the only exceptions are a gold sheet from Comiso in Hebrew and the inscription of Aurelius Samohil (inscription 32), which is the longest ancient Latin text from the Jewish diaspora in the west. The Hebrew is formulaic and suggests a respect for tradition rather than full knowledge of the language. The Latin shows formal errors (e.g. mi=mihi, oxsoris=uxori), and it is likely that Latin was chosen not because it was familiar but because it was the high status language of public documents, as is visible in the previous room. Aurelius is a common Roman name; Samuel a common Jewish one. The inscription aims to present Aurelius as a member of the local élite. It is notable that Aurelius appeals equally to Roman, Jewish and divine authority for protection (threats against those who desecrate a tomb are common in antiquity).
