Contents LIST OF MAPS xlvii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xlviii PREFACE li ACKNOWLEDGMENTS lxiii GENERAL INTRODUCTION Art, Play, and the Comparative Study of Religion 1 JACK MILES JUDAISM 53 Introduction: Israel among the Nations 55 DAVID BIALE First Temple Literature, 2500 B.C.E-586 B.C.E. 69 CHRONOLOGY 74 BEFORE THE BIBLE 78 ENUMA ELISH 78 Tablet V [The Creation of the World] 78 Tablet VI [The Creation of Mankind] 79 THE LEGEND OF SARGON 81 I CONTENTS THE BIBLE 82 TORAH 82 Genesis 82 1 [God's Work of Creation] 84 2 [Adam and Eve in Eden] 85 12:1-3 [God's Promise to Abram] 86 17 [The Rite of Circumcision Instituted] 86 22:1-19 [The Birth of Isaac; the Expulsion of Hagar] 88 38 [Judah's Household Troubles] 89 Exodus 90 1 [The Oppression of Israel's Descendants] 91 2 [The Birth of Moses; Moses Flees Egypt] 92 3 [Moses Is Charged by God to Deliver Israel out of Bondage] 93 13:1-10 [The Exodus from Egypt] 95 15:1-21 [A Song of the Sea] 95 19 [God Speaks to Moses on Mount Sinai] 97 20 [The Ten Commandments] 98 Leviticus 99 9 [Aaron Offers Sacrifices to God] 100 23 [Holiday Laws] 101 Deuteronomy 103 6 [Exhortation to Keep the Commandments] 105 12:1—12 [Moses Proclaims a Code of Special Laws] 106 2 Kings 107 23:1-25 [Josiah Restores True Worship] 107 PSALMS 109 1 ["Happy is the man"] 110 2 ["Why do nations assemble"] 110 19 ["The heavens declare the glory of God"] 111 139 ["O Lord, You have examined me and know me"] 112 PROPHETS 113 Hosea 114 2 [The Unfaithfulness of Hosea's Wife; the Idolatry of the Nation] 114 Amos 117 5:21-27 [A Warning to the Israelites] 117 9:11-15 [The Restoration of Israel] 118 Isaiah 119 1:1-28 [On the Wickedness and Redemption of Israel] 119 2:1-5 [A Prophecy of Peace] 122 6:1-8 [Isaiah's Calling] 122 40:1-26 [Peace; the Greatness of God] 123 Jeremiah 125 1:4-10 [Jeremiah's Calling] 126 31:31-34 [A New Covenant] 126 CONTENTS I vii Ezekiel 127 1 [The Vision of Ezekiel] 127 37:1-14 [Ezekiel in the Valley of Bones] 129 Second Temple Literature, 538 B.C.E-70 C.E. 131 CHRONOLOGY 135 THE BIBLE 137 CANONICAL WRITINGS 137 The Song of Songs 137 2:1-14 ["I am a rose of Sharon"] 138 8:6—7 ["Let me be a seal upon your heart"] 139 Job 139 1 [About Job; Satan's Wager with God] 140 3 [Job Curses His Birth] 141 38:1-18 [The Lord As Creator] 143 Ecclesiastes 144 1 [The Vanity of Life] 144 3 [Everything Has Its Time] 145 Daniel 147 7 [The Vision of the Four Beasts] 147 12:1-4 [Prophecy of the End of Time] 149 AFTER THE BIBLE 150 EXTRACANONICAL WRITINGS 150 Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) 150 1:1-20 ["All wisdom is from the Lord"] 150 39:1-11 [Wisdom and the Law of Moses] 151 2 Maccabees 152 6 [Desecration of the Temple; Martyrdom of Eleazar] 153 7 [The Martyrdom of the Mother and Her Seven Sons] 155 10:1-8 [Restoration of the Temple] 157 1 Enoch 158 1 [Enoch's Vision] 158 10 [The Apocalypse] 159 12 [The Origin of Evil] 160 14 [Chastising the Watchers; Enoch Ascends to Heaven] 161 15 [God Instructs Enoch; the Origin of Evil, Continued] 162 16 [Some Consequences of Judgment Day] 163 Jubilees 163 1 [Moses, God, the Law, and Israel] 164 2:17-24 [The Sabbath] 167 6:32-38 [The Calendar] 167 50 [The Sabbath, Continued] 168 viii I CONTENTS DEAD SEA SCROLLS 169 Charter of Association 171 Column 1 [Goals of the Yahad's Rule] 171 Column 2 [The Priests, the Levites, and the Community] 172 Column 3 [The Prince of Light versus the Angel of Darkness] 173 Column 4 [The Spirits of Light and Darkness, Continued] 174 The Damascus Document 176 Column Al [Israel's Abandonment of God] 176 Column A2 [Consequences of Being Righteous or Wicked] 177 Habakkuk Commentary 178 Column 1:16-17 [Exhortation] 178 Column 2 [God's "Traitors"; the Kittim] 178 Column 3 [The Kittim, Continued] 179 Column 4 [The Kittim, Continued] 179 Column 5 [The Chosen Will Pass Judgment on the Gentiles] 180 Column 6 [The Kittim and Plunder] 180 Column 7 [On God's Prophecy] 181 Column 8 [God's Judgment on the Wicked Priest] 181 Column 9 [The Wicked Priest, Continued] 182 Column 10 [God's Judgment on the Spreader of Lies] 182 Column 11:1-17 [The Wicked Priest, Continued] 183 The War Scroll, Column 1:1-15 [Sons of Light versus Sons of Darkness] 184 JEWISH LITERATURE IN ANCIENT GREEK 185 Letter of Aristeas (to Philocrates) (second century B.C.E.) 186 Philo of Alexandria (20 B.C.E.-50 c.E.) 191 Soul and Body of the Divine Laws 192 "Know Thyself" 192 A Jewish Inscription from Roman Egypt (mid-second century B.c.E.-early second century c.E.) 194 Flavius Josephus (37-ca. 100 c.E.) 195 The Jewish War 196 Chapter 7. Judaea under Roman Rule 196 CONTENTS I Ix World of the Rabbis, First-Seventh Century C.E. 203 CHRONOLOGY 207 THE ORAL TORAH 209 Pirkei Avot (first—second century C.E.) 212 1 [The Chain of Oral Transmission from Sinai] 212 4 [Sayings of the Rabbis] 214 Babylonian Talmud: Menachot 214 29b [Moses Returns As a Yeshiva Boy] 214 ToseftaSotah 215 13:3-4 [The Decline of Prophecy] 215 Babylonian Talmud: Bava Batra 216 12a—b [Sage versus Prophet] 216 Babylonian Talmud: Sabbath 216 31a [Torah on One Foot] 216 Babylonian Talmud: Eruvin 217 13b [Contradictions for the Sake of Heaven] 217 Tosefta Eduyot 218 1:4 [Learning from the Losing Side in Debate] 218 Babylonian Talmud: Bava Metzia 218 59b [The Oven of 'Akhnai] 218 Song of Songs Rabbah 220 1.1.11 [The Hidden Glory of a Love Song] 220 Avot de-Rabbi Nathan 221 4 [Licensing the First Rabbinic Academy] 221 1.4 ["Mercy and not sacrifice"] 222 Babylonian Talmud: Sabbath 223 88a [A Midrash on Revelation] 223 LAW AND LEGEND 224 THE LAWS OF SABBATH OBSERVANCE AND WORK 224 Babylonian Talmud: Sabbath 226 49b [What Counts As Work?] 226 73a [The Primary Labours] 227 73b ["Why state the number?"] 227 74a [The Labours, Continued; the Sabbath and Food] 229 74b [The Sabbath and Food, Continued] 230 Genesis Rabbah: Sabbath 230 11.8 [Israel Married to the Sabbath] 231 LEGENDS ON THE CREATION OF THE WORLD 231 Genesis Rabbah 233 1.1 [The Act of Creation] 233 1.9 [God the Artist] 233 I CONTENTS 1.10 [Creation and the Hebrew Letter Beth] 234 2.5 [Creation and Deeds of Good and Evil] 234 3.4 [God's Robe of Light] 235 6.3 [Sun and Moon] 235 LEGENDS ON THE BINDING OF ISAAC 236 Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 238 31 [The Death and Resurrection of Isaac] 238 Genesis Rabbah 238 55.2 [The Lord Tries the Righteous] 238 55.7 ["Take ... thy son"] 239 56.4 [Samael versus Abraham] 239 56.8 [Isaac Afraid] 240 56.9 [Redemption and the Binding of Isaac] 240 THE RABBIS AMONG PAGANS AND JEWS 242 THE RABBIS AND GREEK CULTURE 242 Mishnah: Avodah Zarah 243 3.4 [Aphrodite in the Bathhouse] 243 3.1 [Forbidden Images] 243 Jerusalem Talmud: Avodah Zarah 244 3 [Images Forbidden] 244 42d [Images Permitted] 244 WOMEN CHALLENGE THE RABBIS 244 Babylonian Talmud: Berachot 246 51b [Lady Yaltha's Shattering Dissent] 246 Babylonian Talmud: Eruvin 246 53b-54a [Lady Beruriah's Defiant Irony] 246 Jerusalem Talmud: Sotah 247 4:4 ["And didn't you enjoy it?"] 247 3:16 [Why Not Give Her a Proper Answer?] 247 SYNAGOGUE AND LITURGY 247 The Synagogue 247 Babylonian Talmud: Berachot 249 7b-8a [Rabbis Don't Pray in Synagogues] 249 Tosefta Megillah 250 2:18N [Proper Synagogue Comportment] 250 Inscription from Smyrna (second century B.C.E.) 250 [Epitaph for a Woman Who Led a Synagogue] 250 Daily Liturgy 250 Aleinu ["It is our duty to praise"] 252 Mourners' Kaddish ["Glorified and sanctified be God's great name"] 254 Passover 256 Haggadah shel Pesach [Script for Home Passover] 257 The Introduction 257 The Four Questions 257 CONTENTS I xi The Reply 258 [History of the Jews] 258 The Midrash on Deuteronomy 26:5—8: Introduction 258 The Midrash 259 Redemption 261 DREAMS OF REDEMPTION 262 Midrash: Lamentations Rabbah 263 Proem 24R [Shaming God into Mercy] 263 Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin 266 Chapter XI [When Will the Messiah Come?] 267 Sefer Zerubbabel 273 [A Vision of Two Future Messiahs] 274 VISIONS OF HEAVEN 278 Tosefta Hagiga 281 2:3-4 ["Four entered the pardes"] 281 Babylonian Talmud 282 [The Story of Aher] 282 Visions of Ezekiel 284 The Myth of Sar Torah 287 [The Prince of Torah] 287 Sefer Yetsirah [The Book of Formation] 291 Chapter I [Numerology and Gematria] 291 The Jewish Middle Ages. 637-1789 295 CHRONOLOGY 300 MEDIEVAL CURRICULUM 305 JOSEPH BEN JUDAH IBN AQNIN (ca. 1150-ca. 1220) 306 Tibb al-Nufus 306 A Course of Study 306 PHILOSOPHY 309 SAADYA GAON (881-942) 309 The Book of Beliefs and Opinions 311 Reason and Faith 311 Four Arguments for Creation 313 The Transcendence of the Creator; Arguments for the Creatio ex Nihilo 316 The Two Classes of Law: Laws of Reason and Laws of Revelation 318 The Resurrection of the Dead in the Present World 322 xii I CONTENTS SALOMON BEN JEROHAM (fl.