“If a Case Is Too Baffling for You to Decide . . .” (Deut 17:8–13)
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Josephus As Political Philosopher: His Concept of Kingship
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2017 Josephus As Political Philosopher: His Concept Of Kingship Jacob Douglas Feeley University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, and the Jewish Studies Commons Recommended Citation Feeley, Jacob Douglas, "Josephus As Political Philosopher: His Concept Of Kingship" (2017). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2276. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2276 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2276 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Josephus As Political Philosopher: His Concept Of Kingship Abstract Scholars who have discussed Josephus’ political philosophy have largely focused on his concepts of aristokratia or theokratia. In general, they have ignored his concept of kingship. Those that have commented on it tend to dismiss Josephus as anti-monarchical and ascribe this to the biblical anti- monarchical tradition. To date, Josephus’ concept of kingship has not been treated as a significant component of his political philosophy. Through a close reading of Josephus’ longest text, the Jewish Antiquities, a historical work that provides extensive accounts of kings and kingship, I show that Josephus had a fully developed theory of monarchical government that drew on biblical and Greco- Roman models of kingship. Josephus held that ideal kingship was the responsible use of the personal power of one individual to advance the interests of the governed and maintain his and his subjects’ loyalty to Yahweh. The king relied primarily on a standard array of classical virtues to preserve social order in the kingdom, protect it from external threats, maintain his subjects’ quality of life, and provide them with a model for proper moral conduct. -
Fathers of the World. Essay in Rabbinic and Patristic Literatures
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Herausgegeben von Martin Hengel und Otfried Hofius 80 Fathers of the World Essays in Rabbinic and Patristric Literatures by Burton L. Visotzky J. C. B. Möhr (Paul Siebeck) Tübingen Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Visotzky, Burton L.: Fathers of the world: essays in rabbinic and patristic literatures / by Burton L. Visotzky. - Tübingen: Mohr, 1995 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament; 80) ISBN 3-16-146338-2 NE: GT © 1995 by J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), P.O. Box 2040, D-72010 Tübingen. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by ScreenArt in Wannweil using Times typeface, printed by Guide- Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper from Papierfabrik Buhl in Ettlingen and bound by Heinr. Koch in Tübingen. Printed in Germany. ISSN 0512-1604 Acknowledgements It is my pleasure to acknowledge the many scholars and institutions that have assisted me in writing this book. The essays in this volume were written during the last decade. For all those years and more I have had the privilege of being on the faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. It is truly the residence of a host of disciples of the sages who love the Torah. Daily I give thanks to God that I am among those who dwell at the Seminary. One could not ask for better teachers, colleagues or students. -
Megillat Taanit- the Scroll of Fasting
Chapter Eight Megillat Taanit- The Scroll of Fasting VeredNoam Introduction 339 Text, Translation, Structure 341 Historical Events Mentioned 345 Date and Origin 348 The Scholion and its Two Versions 350 The Scroll's Status in Rabbinic Literature 356 Editions 361 Selected Bibliography 362 Introduction Talmudic scholars have on occasion wondered at the lack of historiography and historical awareness in the literature of the sages. Many have concluded that our rabbis were indifferent to the events of their day as well as to the rest of the post-biblical Jewish history. These scholars have argued that the rabbis had viewed their own purpose as limited solely to their work in the fields of halakha and exegesis.' In this light, it is surprising to discover that a document of a semi-historical character is the first to have been produced by our early sages, and that they regarded this document with respect and granted it special status. This Document is Megillat Taanit. MegTaan originated among the sages of the Second Temple era and is the earliest known Pharisaic document to have survived. The Scroll is essentially a list of about thirty-five dates drawn up in Aramaic and arranged in calendar order. Its goal, as stated in its opening sentence, is to keep the Jews from fast ing on 'days on which miracles had been performed for Israel'.2 On days com memorating especially important events, in the opinion of the compiler of the Scroll, it was forbidden not only to fast, but even to eulogize the deceased. The dates listed are, in the main, those of joyous events of various kinds that befell the Jewish people during the Second Temple era. -
Lions and Roses: an Interpretive History of Israeli-Iranian Relations" (2007)
Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 11-13-2007 Lions and Roses: An Interpretive History of Israeli- Iranian Relations Marsha B. Cohen Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI08081510 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Cohen, Marsha B., "Lions and Roses: An Interpretive History of Israeli-Iranian Relations" (2007). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida LIONS AND ROSES: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY OF ISRAELI-IRANIAN RELATIONS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS by Marsha B. Cohen 2007 To: Interim Dean Mark Szuchman College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Marsha B. Cohen, and entitled Lions and Roses: An Interpretive History of Israeli-Iranian Relations, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ -
Possible Misreading in 1 Maccabees 7:34 in Light of Its Biblical Model
JBL 138, no. 4 (2019): 777–789 https://doi.org/10.15699/jbl.1384.2019.5 Possible Misreading in 1 Maccabees 7:34 in Light of Its Biblical Model matan orian [email protected] Center for the Study of Conversion and Inter-Religious Encounters, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 8410501, Israel First Maccabees 7:34 employs four verbs to describe the offensive speech by Nicanor, the Seleucid general, addressed to the Jewish elders and priests. The third verb indicates that Nicanor defiled his audience. While this has led scholars to associate 1 Maccabees with the Jewish concept of gentile impurity, several factors suggest that, at this point, an error found its way into the Greek translation from the original Hebrew. The present argument comprises three steps. First, I use the biblical Sennacherib story, featured in the background of the Nicanor episode in 1 Maccabees, as a means of reconstructing the relevant original Hebrew verb employed by 1 Maccabees. Second, I suggest a possible misreading of one letter on the part of the Greek translator. Finally, I propose that a similar, earlier verse in 1 Maccabees, 1:24b, may have been conducive to the translator’s commission of this mistake, thus offering an insight into his way of thinking. I. A Verb Clearly out of Context First Maccabees 7:34 employs four verbs to describe the insulting nature of the speech by Nicanor, the Seleucid general, directed at the Jewish elders and the priests of the Jerusalem temple who emerged from the temple to greet him: “he mocked them, derided them, defiled them, and spoke arrogantly” (ἐμυκτήρισεν αὐτοὺς καὶ κατεγέλασεν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐμίανεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐλάλησεν ὑπερηφάνως).1 The third verb, “defile,” plainly differs from the other verbs in this verse: it does not relate to the nature of the speech but rather to a cultic or ritual consequence of some physical act committed by Nicanor. -
(Jack) LEVISON
JOHN R. (Jack) LEVISON POSITION AND CONTACT INFORMATION W. J. A. Power Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew Perkins School of Theology Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75208 Home: 5875 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX Phone: (o) 214-768-2013; (h) 206-533-0723; (c) 206-458-0977 (primary number) Email: [email protected] EDUCATION 1985 Ph.D. Duke University (thesis, “Adam in Major Authors of Early Judaism”) 1980 M.A. Cambridge University 1978 B.A. Wheaton College ACADEMIC GRANTS AND AWARDS 2008 (-2013) TransCoop Grant, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (with Professor Jörg Frey, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München): “The Historical Roots of the Holy Spirit” 2008 (-2013) Shohet Scholars Grant, International Catacomb Society (with Professor Jörg Frey, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München): “The Historical Roots of the Holy Spirit” 2010 Director, Lilly Fellows Program Summer Seminar, “Christianity and Gender” (with Priscilla Pope-Levison, Seattle Pacific University) 2008 Louisville Institute Summer Stipend: “For Snake-handlers and Sacramentalists: An Essential Introduction to the Holy Spirit” 2005-06 Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München: research on Filled with the Spirit (Eerdmans, 2010) 1 | P a g e 2000-01 National Humanities Center Residential Fellow: A Commentary on the Greek Life of Adam and Eve 1993-94 Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen: research on The Spirit in First Century Judaism (Brill, 1997) 1992 NEH Summer Seminar for College Teachers: The Greek Encounter with Judaism in the Hellenistic Era (Louis Feldman, Yeshiva University, director) 1985-86 Rotary Foundation Graduate Fellowship and Honorary Visiting Lecturer, St. Mary’s College, University of St. -
Studies in Rabbinic Hebrew
Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures Heijmans Studies in Rabbinic Hebrew Studies in Rabbinic Hebrew Shai Heijmans (ed.) EDITED BY SHAI HEIJMANS This volume presents a collec� on of ar� cles centring on the language of the Mishnah and the Talmud — the most important Jewish texts (a� er the Bible), which were compiled in Pales� ne and Babylonia in the la� er centuries of Late An� quity. Despite the fact that Rabbinic Hebrew has been the subject of growing academic interest across the past Studies in Rabbinic Hebrew century, very li� le scholarship has been wri� en on it in English. Studies in Rabbinic Hebrew addresses this lacuna, with eight lucid but technically rigorous ar� cles wri� en in English by a range of experienced scholars, focusing on various aspects of Rabbinic Hebrew: its phonology, morphology, syntax, pragma� cs and lexicon. This volume is essen� al reading for students and scholars of Rabbinic studies alike, and appears in a new series, Studies in Semi� c Languages and Cultures, in collabora� on with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. As with all Open Book publica� ons, this en� re book is available to read for free on the publisher’s website. Printed and digital edi� ons, together with supplementary digital material, can also be found here: www.openbookpublishers.com Cover image: A fragment from the Cairo Genizah, containing Mishnah Shabbat 9:7-11:2 with Babylonian vocalisati on (Cambridge University Library, T-S E1.47). Courtesy of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library. Cover design: Luca Baff a book 2 ebooke and OA edi� ons also available OPEN ACCESS OBP https://www.openbookpublishers.com © 2020 Shai Heijmans. -
Orality and the Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud
Oral Tradition, 14/1 (1999): 52-99 Orality and the Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud Yaakov Elman Classic Rabbinic literature of the third and fourth centuries, both in its Palestinian and Babylonian exemplars, presents us with the elements of a theology of oral transmission that reflected, justified, and shaped the oral transmission of Rabbinic learning.1 Despite the plethora of data indicating the privileged position of oral transmission, there has been a disinclination to acknowledge this possibility, if only because of the massive amount of material that had to be memorized—2711 folio pages—and the existence of alternative paradigms in Greco-Roman culture. In the following remarks, I shall attempt to marshal the data that point to the overwhelming likelihood that this legal material (about two-thirds of the total) was orally transmitted, and that the analytical and dialectical redactional layer, perhaps 55% of the Babylonian Talmud (hereafter: the Bavli), was also orally composed. This long period of oral transmission and composition took place against a background of what I shall term “pervasive orality” in Babylonia, as contrasted with the greater prevalence of written transmission in the Greco- Roman cultural sphere. Study of the Bavli is potentially fruitful for understanding the effects of orality in light of three advances that have been made within the field of recent Talmudic study, each of which may affect our understanding of the interplay of oral and written texts in Rabbinic Babylonia. One relates to the history of Middle Hebrew, one to the question of oral transmission in Amoraic times (fourth-fifth centuries), and one to the dating of the anonymous, framing, or interpretive comments on the remaining attributed material, including large amounts of interpolated dialectic. -
Women and Chanukah
Women and Chanukah The Talmud (Shabbat 23a) teaches that ‘women are obligated in regard to the [mitzvah of the] Chanukah light for they, too, were part of that miracle.’ The story of Judith is often given as one of the ways that women are understood to have been part of the miracle, along with Hannah and her seven sons, and not forgetting the daughter of Mattisyahu (ben Yochanan the High Priest). Mattisyahu’s daughter was engaged to be married and at her wedding feast, before the Syrian-Greek official arrives to exercise his droit de seigneur, she tears off her own dress so that she will first be seen naked by Jewish men rather than by the oppressors. Her courageous actions finally shame her father and brothers into action, preventing the official from defiling her and beginning the famous rebellion the next time an idolatrous sacrifice was offered in their village… (see Megillat Taanit - 17 Elul & Midrash Maaseh Chanukah) In North African Jewish communities, Rosh Hodesh Tevet, which falls on the (sometim es sixth and) seventh night of Chanukah, was celebrated as Chag haBanot, the Festival of the Daughters. There is a tradition of Rosh Hodesh being marked as a women’s holiday, and for R.H. Tevet this grew to include celebration of Judith and other female heroes associated with Chanukah. Chag haBanot traditions included: - women going to the synagogue to touch the Torah and pray for the health of their daughters - parents giving gifts to and blessing their daughters - bridegrooms giving gifts to their brides - girls who had been fighting -
Jews, by Choice Conversion and the Formation of Jewish Identity by Jeffrey Spitzer
Jews, by Choice Conversion and the formation of Jewish identity by Jeffrey Spitzer A curriculum for the Hartman Tichon Fellows Curriculumguide130416v7.56 Jews By Choice curriculumguide151020v7.57, Jeffrey A. Spitzer Jews, by Choice: A Teacher's Guide Table of Contents A Rationale for Jews, by Choice: Conversion and the formation of Jewish identity .........1 Student learning goals ..........................................................................................................3 Syllabus ..............................................................................................................................10 1. Course Introduction .....................................................................................................14 2. On the Boundaries of Israel: the Biblical ger...............................................................27 3. The Origins of Conversion: Proselytes in the Hellenistic period ................................42 4. “For the Sake of Heaven”: the convert’s motives in Talmudic literature ....................63 5. The Rabbinic Conversion Ceremony ...........................................................................82 6. The Rituals of Conversion: Circumcision and Immersion (optional) ........................112 7. Conversion, Rebirth, and Kinship ..............................................................................137 8. Conversion and Covenant ..........................................................................................166 9. Midrash and Ambivalence about Conversion -
002 Contents
CONTENTS ARTICLES J. R. Royse, The Text of Philo’s Legum Allegoriae ......................................... 1 T. H. Tobin, The Beginning of Philo’s Legum Allegoriae ............................ 29 A. van den Hoek, Philo and Origen: a Descriptive Catalogue of their Relationship.......................................................................................... 44 S. Etienne, Réflexion sur l’apostasie de Tibérius Julius Alexander........... 122 REVIEW ARTICLE D. T. Runia, Alexandria and Cambridge: James Kugel’s Traditions of the Bible ...................................................................................... 143 BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION D. T. Runia, A. C. Geljon, H. M. Keizer, J. P. Martín, R. Radice, J. Riaud, K.-G. Sandelin, D. Satran, D. Zeller, Philo of Alexandria: an Annotated Bibliography 1997............................ 148 Supplement: Provisional Bibliography 1998–2000...................................... 181 BOOK REVIEW SECTION John M. G. Barclay, Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora: From Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE– 117 CE). Reviewed by Ellen Birnbaum ................................................................... 192 Magne Saebø, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Middle Ages (Until 1300), Part 1: Antiquity. Reviewed by Gregory E. Sterling ........................................................... 197 Christian Noack, Gottesbewußtsein: Exegetische Studien zur Soteriologie und Mystik bei Philo von Alexandria. Reviewed by Dieter Zeller....................................................................... -
Hanukah in the Rabbinic Texts Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben
Hanukah in the Rabbinic Texts Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben 1. Shabbat 21b:10-22a:2 The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. 2. II Maccabees 10:18 (124 BCE in Greek, probably in Alexandria) …The sanctuary was purified on the 25th day of Kislev…this joyful celebration went on for eight days, it was like Sukkot, for they recalled how only a short time ago they had kept the festival while living like animals in the mountains and so they carried lulavim and etrogim, and they chanted hymns to God who had triumphantly led them to the purification of the Temple. A measure was passed by the public assembly that they entire Jewish people should observe these days ever year. 3. Pesikta Rabbati (Post 200 CE, written in Hebrew in Israel) Why are the lights kindled during Hanukah? At the time the sons of Hashmon triumphed over the kingdom of Greece, they entered the Temple and found there eight spears of iron which they grooved out, poured in oil and kindled wicks. 4. Megillat Taanit, Kislev 7-8 (1st century CE in Israel) On the twenty fifth of the month is Hannukka, eight days on which one does not eulogize because when the Greeks entered the Temple they defiled all the oil there. When the hand of the Hasmoneans was made strong and they defeat the Greeks, they checked (in the Temple) and only found one jar of oil sealed with the mark of the High Priest which remained undefiled.