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A Study of Collective Trauma and Memory in Second Temple Judaism

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A Study of Collective Trauma and Memory in Second Temple Judaism Reshaping the Persistent Past: A Study of Collective Trauma and Memory in Second Temple Judaism by Timothy Langille A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto © Copyright by Timothy Langille 2014 Reshaping the Persistent Past: A Study of Collective Trauma and Memory in Second Temple Judaism Timothy Langille Doctor of Philosophy Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto 2014 Abstract This dissertation looks at ways in which memories of traumatic events are revisited and reshaped by mnemonic communities during the Second Temple period. I focus on the social dimensions of traumatic memory that shape collective identity. I consider ways in which the earlier sites of memories of the exodus, the destruction of the first temple, and the Babylonian exile are reactivated and reshaped by mnemonic communities in constructing exclusive collective identities through discourses of exile, separation, and restoration. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from post-Holocaust thought that I outline in Chapter 1, I argue that the language in Ezra-Nehemiah (Chapter 2), 2 Maccabees (Chapter 3), Daniel (Chapter 4), and Damascus Document and Pesher Habakkuk (Chapter 5) is consistent with processes of identity formation in which trauma is construed as a founding, generative, and integrative identity. In developing themes of collective trauma and memory, I focus on Marianne Hirsch’s work on postmemory and Dominick LaCapra’s theories on ii iii founding traumas and the conversion of absence and loss. I apply these theories to the aforementioned Second Temple texts by arguing that notions of purity and impurity are established through the memory and postmemory of catastrophic events, including the destruction of the first temple, Babylonian exile, and the persecution by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167-164 B.C.E. The producers of these texts mask structural trauma (i.e., the transhistorical absence represented as the loss of an original identity) in its representation of historical trauma and narrate the process of restoration as the recovery of an original identity and unity, which never existed as it is represented in the texts. Chapter 6 is an analysis of notions of purification, hybrids, and multidirectional memory. Engaging with the work of Bruno Latour, I discuss the production and proliferation of hybrids, which emerge from discourses and practices of separation and purification. I use Latour as a segue into Michael Rothberg’s work on multidirectional memory, which shows that those whom some communities attempt to mnemonically and discursively eliminate or purify often share a collective pasts and/or identities. iv Acknowledgments In the course of completing my doctoral studies, there are a number of individuals and organizations that I wish to acknowledge. First, I want to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for financial support during the first three years of my doctoral studies. I also want to acknowledge the generosity of the Canadian Friends to Hebrew University for funding a three-week research trip to Israel in May 2011. It is on this research trip that I had the opportunity to meet and discuss my dissertation project with several world-class scholars, all of whom provided valuable insight during the formative stages of this project. I especially want to thank Vared Vinitizky-Seroussi, Dan Michman, Daniel Schwartz, Maren Niehoff, Scott Ury, Michael Segal, Ruth Clements, Shai Secunda, Zeev Weiss, and Mordechai Aviam for their incredible generosity (with time and ideas) and hospitality during my time in Israel. The numerous funding opportunities and scholarships provided by the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto made the sometimes difficult road of doctoral studies that much easier. In particular, I am very grateful to the Centre for Jewish Studies and the Tikvah Fund for providing me with the opportunity to teach a course based on my dissertation research in Winter 2012. This course allowed me to think and work through important elements of this project with an impressive group of insightful and enthusiastic students from a number of different disciplines. Staff and faculty, namely Emily Springgay, Galina Vaisman, Sol Goldberg, and Jeffrey Kopstein, have been extremely supportive and integral to my development. I found a home, great colleagues, and many friends at the Centre for Jewish Studies. v The Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto also provided me with numerous opportunities and strong support networks. Being an incubator for theoretical rigour and interdisciplinary scholarship, it was a great environment to undertake my dissertation project. The staff, faculty, and students who contributed to my scholarly, professional, and personal development are too numerous to list. For the sake of brevity, I can name just a few here. I could not have successfully navigated the administrative and bureaucratic terrain of graduate school without the assistance of the outstanding administrative staff: Fereshteh Hashemi, Marilyn Colaco, and Irene Kao. Among the numerous faculty who have been so generous and great mentors to me, I want to acknowledge Joe Bryant, Simon Coleman, Jennifer Harris, Pamela Klassen, John Kloppenborg, and David Novak. The friendships I have established and cultivated with colleagues in the department over the past six years have been the most meaningful part of my doctoral studies. Unfortunately, there is no way to acknowledge everyone individually here. However, I would be remiss if I failed to mention Matt King, Jenn Cianca, Eva Mroczek, and Paul Nahme. Matt and Jenn have been great friends and colleagues from the time I arrived in Toronto. Eva is an exemplary colleague, a wonderful friend, an outstanding scholar of Second Temple Judaism, and an inspiration to me. I am deeply indebted to Paul for his friendship and generosity, and his support during the vicissitudes of my time in Toronto. I am a better person and a better scholar for knowing Paul. Shabbat dinners and NFL Sundays with him bookended many weekends in Toronto. My development as a scholar has been nurtured by tremendous academic mentors. As a student at the University of Alberta, Ehud Ben Zvi, Francis Landy, and Willi Braun planted the seeds for interest in the academic study of religion, instilled the love of learning, and set vi me on this path to doctoral studies. Ehud in particular has held me to the highest standards and influenced me greatly in my thinking about historiography and collective memory. On a more personal level, Ehud has been a father figure to me. Francis and his wife Bennett Matthews also have been like family to me. The University of Alberta provided me the strong foundation necessary to succeed in my doctoral studies. In the years after my leaving Alberta, Ehud, Francis, and Willi have remained available to me in numerous capacities. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with them and have them introduce me to biblical studies and the study of religion. The individuals with whom I studied at the University of Toronto provided incredible support and mentorship as the committee overseeing my project, and I am fortunate to have had the privilege of pursuing my project under their guidance. The addition of Doris Bergen to the committee transformed the direction of my general exams and the overall dissertation project. I learned and mastered an entirely new subfield and constructed a stronger and more sophisticated theoretical framework under her guidance. As an outstanding editor she has helped me become a better writer. Her generosity towards other scholars and their work is a quality I have tried to emulate. John Marshall has been an anchor and foundation from the time I arrived in Toronto. He has seen my work weave through various forms and incarnations and he has allowed me explore sometimes disparate paths. John often asks the best and most challenging questions. A single question or comment from him reframed issues, challenged thinking about data in new ways, and even inspired an entire chapter. His eruditeness and theoretical sophistication have helped me develop intellectually. Both John and Doris were instrumental in the practical matters: how to approach general exams, formulate a dissertation, and strategize during the writing process. vii Hindy Najman is the kind of supervisor who somehow manages to write a letter of recommendation on short notice during Hurricane Sandy. Without power and in a disaster zone, she accessed enough power and internet connection to forward a letter of reference that I had requested. The incident epitomizes Hindy, a supervisor who goes to great lengths and pulls all the stops to benefit and promote her students and their work. She has the uncanny ability to inspire individuals to ascend to new levels of endeavour and achievement. Her hard work has provided me with several funding and research opportunities. Hindy also planted the seeds that inspired me to pursue the topic of trauma, and I am grateful to her for allowing me to approach this topic in the manner that I have. Her support, guidance, patience, attentiveness, and scholarship were necessary conditions for my success. I also want to thank my external examiners, Steven Weitzman and Judith Newman, for their thoughtful and thorough comments. I am honoured to receive such comprehensive assessment from two distinguished scholars, Steven and Judith. Steven’s external appraisal was one of precision and clarity, and his suggestions for transitioning the dissertation into a book are very valuable and inspiring. Judith has responded to my work in very generous and helpful ways. Other scholars who have contributed to this project, encouraged me, given me feedback, or showed interest in my work along the way include: Colleen Shantz, Amir Harrak, Sarianna Metso, Eileen Schuller, Katie Stott, Liv Lied, Tom Thatcher, Carol Newsom, George Brooke, Barry Schwartz, Jonathan Kaplan, John Wright, Matthew Collins, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Erich Gruen, Ra’anan Boustan, John Kessler, and Erika Dyck.
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