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To date, the transition from patrilineality to matrilineality in Rabbinic Judaism remains without a convincing explanation. However, an anthropological hypothesis makes it possible to consider this evolution as being finally coherent, when patrilineality proved to be too dominant to remain functional. This hypothesis can be reinforced by taking into account the political context of the Roman period, which led the rabbis to rethink the survival of communities without a Messianic project. The emphasis on internal cultural transmission thus took the place of any form of political and religious action against the Romans.