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Literary Construction in the Babylonian Talmud

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LITERARY CONSTRUCTION IN THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD: A CASE-STUDY FROM PEREK HELEK by MARGARET SARAH JACOBI A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham June 2014 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT Perek Helek, the last chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin in the Babylonian Talmud (BT), is unusual in consisting almost entirely of aggadah (non-legal material). The present study is a source and literary analysis of six units (sugyot) from the chapter, which are almost continuous over ten pages of Talmud. The sugyot relate to specific groups and individuals who, according to the Mishnah, are denied a place in the World to Come. They cover subjects in the books of Genesis, Numbers and Samuel. Comparisons with the Tosefta, Palestinian Talmud and midrashim suggest that the BT is less concerned with the World to Come than Palestinian sources are. Rather, it focuses on the wrong-doing of the groups and individuals and issues of justice and authority. The BT also includes vivid stories which appear to be Babylonian in origin and are often self-mocking. My findings also suggest that the sugyot based on passages in a given biblical book (Genesis or Numbers) have more elements in common than sugyot based on the same mishnah but derived from a different biblical book. In conclusion I discuss the possible implications of my findings for the more general question of how the chapter was edited. In memory of my teacher Rabbi John Rayner (1924-2005) and my mother Rose Jacobi (1926-2014) who both in their different ways exemplified the saying הקב"ה ליבא בעי (bSan. 106b) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many friends have supported me during the time I worked on this PhD and cheered me up over cups of coffee. Special thanks go to Dr. Ann Conway Jones, my study partner, who accompanied me along the path, Rabbi Rachel Benjamin for her careful proof-reading and Rabbi Dr. Norman Solomon and Rabbi Sheila Shulman for helpful conversations. I am grateful to my supervisors Dr. Joanna Weinberg and Prof. Jonathan Webber, who supported and encouraged me and whose insightful comments clarified my thoughts and my writing. Any errors are my own. My thanks also to my advisors, Dr. Charlotte Hempel and Dr. Deryn Guest, for their invaluable guidance. Finally, and most importantly, my thanks go to my husband David, who has encouraged me and kept me going, and to my children Yoni and Tali who grew up alongside this thesis and taught me so much more than my studies ever could. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Purpose of the Study 2 Methodology 6 Review of the Literature 10 Overview of Perek Helek 30 Outline of Structure of Perek Helek, Sanhedrin Chapter 11 33 The Manuscripts of bSanhedrin 34 Chapter 2. The Generation of the Flood 36 Introduction 36 The Text of bSan. 107b-109a 38 Mishnah, Tosefa and Palestinian Talmud 49 The Babylonian Talmud - Sources and Textual Analysis 54 Literary Analysis 77 Themes 88 Conclusions 96 Chapter 3. The Men of Sodom 98 Introduction 98 The Text of bSan. 109a-b 100 Mishnah, Tosefa and Palestinian Talmud 108 The Babylonian Talmud - Sources and Textual Analysis 110 Literary Analysis 123 Layers of the Text 134 Conclusions 136 Chapter 4. The Generation of the Dispersion 144 Introduction 144 The Text of bSan. 109a 146 Mishnah and Tosefa 148 Babylonian Talmud - Sources and Textual Analysis 149 Conclusions 154 Chapter 5. Korach and the Generation of the Wilderness 155 Introduction 155 The Text of bSan. 109b-110b 157 Mishnah, Tosefa and Palestinian Talmud 167 The Babylonian Talmud - Sources and Textual Analysis 170 Literary Analysis 179 Themes 186 Summary and Conclusions 192 Chapter 6. Balaam 194 Introduction 194 The Text of bSan. 105a-106b 195 Mishnah, Tosefa and Palestinian Talmud 207 The Babylonian Talmud - Sources and Textual Analysis 211 Literary Analysis 223 Comparison with other Sugyot 228 Themes 229 Conclusions 235 Chapter 7. Doeg and Ahitophel 238 Introduction 238 The Text of bSan. 106b-107b 239 Mishnah and Palestinian Talmud 248 The Babylonian Talmud - Sources 251 Textual Analysis 253 Conclusions 262 Chapter 8. Conclusions 267 The Sugyot within the Context of the Chapter 267 Similarities and Differences Amongst Sugyot 271 Differences Between the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds 275 Bibliography 283 Appendices 1: Parallel Texts on the Generation of the Flood 302 2: Parallel Texts on the Men of Sodom 310 3: Parallel Texts on the Generation of the Dispersion 314 4: Parallel Texts on Korach and the Generation of the Wilderness 317 5: Parallel Texts on Balaam 324 6. Parallel Texts on Doeg and Ahitophel 328 ABBREVIATIONS ARN Avot deRabbi Natan (Text A or B, as designated) b. son of BT Babylonian Talmud (tractates preceded by 'b' e.g. bSan.) ExR Exodus Rabbah GenR Genesis Rabbah LamR Lamentations Rabbah LevR Leviticus Rabbah MRI Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael MRS Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon NumR Numbers Rabbah PRK Pesikta deRav Kahana PT Palestinian Talmud (tractates preceded by 'p') R. Rabbi San. Sanhedrin SifreiDeut Sifrei on Deuteronomy SongR Song of Songs Rabbah T Tosefta (tractates preceded by 't') Tan Tanhuma TanB Buber edition of the Tanhuma - 1 - CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Perek Helek ('those who have a share' [in the world to come]), the last chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin in the Babylonian Talmud, has unique features which allow insights into the theo- logical and literary work of the compilers of the BT. It is of theological importance, being one of the principal expositions in rabbinic literature of eschatological issues, and contributes to our understanding of the history of these ideas. It forms the starting point for subsequent discussions, notably by Maimonides in his commentary on this chapter of the Mishnah, which includes his thirteen principles of faith. It is unusual in the Babylonian Talmud in that it con- sists almost entirely of aggadah (stories, sayings etc.) as opposed to halachah (legal discus- sions), the exception being the final section relating to the 'Seduced city' (111b-113b). Al- though aggadah is widespread in the Talmud, it is rare for it to be so extended, constituting as it does almost an entire chapter. For example, the long midrash section in bMeg. (10b-17a), is still far shorter. The present study focuses on a section of Perek Helek which has received little scholarly at- tention. It makes an original contribution to Talmudic studies in offering a literary and source-critical analysis of a series of continuous sugyot1 within this chapter. In this introduction, I will first set out the purpose of my study, its relationship to previous work and an outline of my method. This will be followed by a review of the literature. The review focuses on three areas of recent research which relate to the present study: the Stam- 1. The commonly used term sugya, pl. sugyot (lit. chain) is more usually applied to a chain of argument. However, it may also be applied to a passage on a continuous theme, often relating to a single phrase of the Mishnah, as I do in this thesis. - 2 - maim and the editing of the Babylonian Talmud; developments in literary theory (as defined below) and Talmudic study and the historical context of the Babylonian Talmud. At the end of the chapter there is an overview of Perek Helek and of the manuscripts of bSanhedrin. Purpose of the Study The present study is an analysis of six sugyot about the groups and individuals who have no place in the world to come, which form an almost continuous section of ten pages of Perek Helek. Its purpose is to examine possible sources, the redaction and structure of the text and the use of literary techniques to determine: 1. What prior sources the editor of the BT could have drawn on and what material is there- fore likely to be original to the BT. 2. How the BT edits together material from other sources and original material to create a lit- erary unit. 3. To what extent different sugyot show evidence of separate editing and if and how they are edited together to create a coherent whole. 4. Whether there are differences in content and emphasis which reflect a distinct Babylonian viewpoint, when compared to the Palestinian sources, . It is not possible within the confines of this thesis to analyse the whole chapter of forty-six pages (90a-113b). Instead the thesis will focus on the gemara relating to the groups (the Gen- eration of the Flood, the Generation of the Dispersal, the Men of Sodom, the Generation of the Wilderness and the Congregation of Korach, 107b-110b) and three of the four commoners (Balaam, Doeg and Ahitophel 105a-107b) who are listed in the Mishnah as having no share in - 3 - the world to come.2 The short sugya about Gehazi, which has been analysed in detail by Rubenstein, will also be omitted.3 Except for this sugya, my analysis covers a continuous section of ten pages. In focusing on this smaller section, I recognise that the conclusions I am able to draw will be limited by the sample size.
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