Abstract
This article argues that the well-known debate about the obligatory nature of the evening prayer, attributed to tannaitic authorities in both the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds, is in fact a Babylonian invention. The article documents the significant evidence that the evening prayer was assumed to be obligatory in tannaitic and early amoraic texts and then argues that the literary context of the debate in both Talmuds strongly suggests Babylonian origins for the debate. Dating the debate is more complex, but it seems relatively unlikely that this represents a pre-amoraic Babylonian tradition. Finally, the article considers the motivation for such a development in amoraic Babylonia and suggests that antiquarian interest in the temple may be the likeliest avenue to pursue.
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