Early Rabbinic Literature Research Articles

Objects, affordances, and material histories in Roman Palestine: a case study on Northern Collar-Neck Lamps and their uses in early Jewish Sources

Abstract This article seeks to contribute to the growing scholarship on object-focused Roman histories by expanding the conversation to previously overlooked archaeological finds from Roman Palestine. This case study focuses on “Northern Collar-Neck Lamps,” which have been found throughout Roman Galilee and date to the first two centuries CE. I argue that their distinctive high collar, perhaps designed to reduce spillage, also served as an affordance that invited additional modes of interaction, namely placing a supplemental reservoir for oil – such as a pierced eggshell – over the filling hole. Once set up, this would allow for a slow drip of oil to prolong illumination time without human intervention. This usage is suggested from chronologically and geographically proximate sources, namely early rabbinic literature: Hebrew and Aramaic writings from the first centuries that reference physical details and uses of hundreds of objects and could prove helpful for future material histories of the Roman era.

Covenant and Community in Early Rabbinic Literature

AbstractThis article concerns the role of covenant in early rabbinic literature in relation to biblical and especially Second Temple-era predecessors. The first part establishes that the Qumran sectarians and earlier circles were drawn to the concept of covenant because it represented, especially through the mechanism of covenant renewal, a powerful tool for defining and supporting group identity. The second part shows that for the rabbis, the importance of covenant lay chiefly, instead, in its capacity to conceptualize the notion of Israel as a collective body defined by corporate responsibility. The third part suggests that this novel deployment of covenant arose in part to counter the individuating force of halakah as law, another innovation of the rabbis.

The Hidden Bones Apocalypse: The Marker, Its Message, and their Hiddenness

There is an unusual phrase that occurs only fourteen times in the Hebrew Bible. Those fourteen occurrences mark the accounts of ten highly consequential days. The essential messages of those ten accounts, when taken together, create and convey a unified and coherent communication. The presence of the phrase, its uniqueness to those days, and the message it creates, are hidden in translations. Readers of the biblical text in English, Greek, Latin, and German versions have no reason to associate the ten marked days. The phrase and its message are effectively hidden even from those who use the Hebrew text; having been obscured by the tradition of interpretation extending through rabbinic literature and commentary. The message created by reference to those ten marked days is representative of early Jewish apocalypse literature. This paper identifies and analyses the marker phrase, identifies the days that it marks, interprets the message created, demonstrates the hiddenness of that message, and argues its character as an apocalypse. Keywords: Hebrew Bible, Apocalypse, Bible Translation, Early Rabbinic Literature, Rabbinic Commentary

The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature by Moshe Halbertal

The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature by Moshe Halbertal

The Scapegoat Ritual: Between Biblical and Tannaitic Law

Abstract In Leviticus 16, Aaron is commanded to bring a bull to atone for himself and his household (v. 3) along with two goats to atone for the children of Israel (v. 5). He sprinkles the blood of the bull and one of the goats in different places in the Temple and sends the second goat, the scapegoat, to “ʾAzazel to the desert.” The biblical scapegoat ritual is discussed extensively in the research community, mainly due to its similarity to ancient pagan rituals. Here, I present the interpretation of the early rabbis, which states that atonement is attained not by sending the goat away but through the confession performed on it. I also discuss the novelty introduced in the early rabbinic literature, concerning the disposition of the goat: thrown off the cliff and not just sent to the desert.

Editors’ Introduction

Editors’ Introduction

Power, Violence, and Responsibility

ABSTRACT We are living in what some have described as an “age of protest.” Nevertheless, protesting has been around for thousands of years, and some core features of contemporary discourse are already prominent in antiquity. In this article I explore three key dimensions of protest and rebuke within early rabbinic (tannaitic) literature: power, violence, and responsibility. Although protest and rebuke overlap in many respects, tannaitic discussion of these actions diverge in significant ways that grant us greater clarity into the dynamics the early rabbis perceived to be at play when attempting to effectively confront others on the individual level. I argue that the differences between rabbinic discourse about these two types of confrontation in the three aforementioned areas stem from crucial differences in the ways these acts are perceived and received. The notable nuances between rabbinic portrayals of protest and rebuke can provide insight into thinking about effective interpersonal confrontation today.

The Oath Formulas of Matthew 23:16–22 as Evidence for a Pre-70 Date of Composition for Matthew’s Gospel

Although several Matthean scholars have suggested that the oath formulas in Matthew 23:16-22 offer evidence of a pre-70 date of composition for the Gospel, scholars have not previously conducted a thorough investigation of this claim. This essay explores the potential meaning and rationale of the oath formulas, examines post-70 Jewish conceptions of the temple site, scrutinises the oaths ‘by the sanctuary’ or ‘by the temple’ in early rabbinic literature that potentially undermine the usefulness of the oath formulas for establishing the date of the Gospel, and considers Matthew’s purpose for including Matthew 23:16-22. It concludes that the oath formulas of Matthew 23 do lend credible support to a pre-70 date of composition for the Gospel of Matthew, though they cannot establish this date conclusively.

How to Live Communally Amidst Doubts: Moshe Halbertal, The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature

How to Live Communally Amidst Doubts: Moshe Halbertal, The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature

The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature, written by Moshe Halbertal

The Birth of Doubt: Confronting Uncertainty in Early Rabbinic Literature, written by Moshe Halbertal

Paul’s Three Paths To Salvation

Paul’s Three Paths To Salvation

Other Writings/Traditions

Other Writings/Traditions Thomas Hieke, Christopher T. Begg, and Fred W. Guyette Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary 2475. [Seductive Biblical Women in Rabbinic Perspective] Yuval Blankovsky, "Verführung um des Himmels willen: Verführerische biblische Frauen aus Sicht der Rabbinen," Rabbinische Literatur, 263-78 [see #2537]. B. elaborates on a hitherto unnoticed pattern of interpretation in rabbinic literature that praises non-Jewish women and criticizes men. Secondly, B. tries to explain the reason for the emergence of this pattern: Why should the rabbis praise non-Jewish women? B. presents some examples from the Midrash Bereshit Rabbah (Judah and Tamar; Tamar and the wife of Potiphar: both do what they do "for heaven's sake"; Lot and his daughters). Next, B. interprets the sugia in b. Hor. 10b dealing with Lot and his daughters, Tamar vs. Zimri (Num 25:14), and Jael and Sisera. These two works have different reasons for praising the seductive women. In Bereshit Rabbah, the rabbis ascribe seduction to biblical women for the sake of heaven, in order to convey the patriarchal message that sexual intercourse is appropriate for the purpose of procreation and that gentile women desire Jewish men because they recognize their cultural superiority. The Talmud, on the other hand, shows a concern with situating the concept of sin for heaven's sake, as suggested by the biblical Jael story, in the context of Levirate marriage. Therefore, the sugia also mentions Lot's daughters and Tamar, but not Ruth, because, according to rabbinical understanding, Ruth did not commit any sexual sin. The above women use their sexuality for the benefit of the Jewish group, and this pattern exemplifies the rabbinic idea that sins committed with good intentions are legitimate to some degree.—T.H. Google Scholar 2476. [Bibliography of Jewish Intertestamental and Early Rabbinic Literature] David W. Chapman and Andreas J. Kostenberger, "Jewish Intertestamental and Early Rabbinic Literature: An Annotated Bibliographical Resource Updated Again (Part 1)," JETS 63 (3, 2020) 559-60. This publication builds on the authors' initial bibliography for the corpora cited in their title that appeared in JETS 43 (2000) 577-618 and was itself updated in JETS 55 (2012) 235-72, 457-88. As they note in their opening remarks concerning the present contribution (p. 560): "Part 2 of this annotated bibliography is due to appear in the next issue. The structure of these two articles is Part 1: 1. General Reference Tools; 2. OT Versions; 3. Apocrypha; and 4. Pseudepigrapha; Part 2: 5. Dead Sea Scrolls; 6. Individual Authors (Philo, Josephus, Pseudo-Philo, Fragmentary Works); 7. Rabbinic Literature; and 8. Other Early Works from the Rabbinic Period."—C.T.B. Google Scholar 2477. [Priestly Violence; Zeal for Yhwh; Genesis 34; Test. Lev. 5–7] Enric Cortès, "Del sacerdoci gratuït a la violència del 'zel per YHWH'. De la Torà a la literatura intertestamentària: TestLev 5–7 [From Gratuitous Priesthood to Violence Committed Out of 'Zeal for Yhwh': From the Torah to Intertestamental Literature: Test. Lev. 5-7]," RCT 45 (1, 2020) 9-39. My article aims to discern how priestly election in ancient Israel came to be regarded in the Pentateuch and subsequently in extrabiblical testamentary literature as something [End Page 911] due to the Levites or priests who engaged in acts of violence in the name of zeal for God that resulted in their being awarded the priesthood. In this connection, I review the essay of J. Kugel in HTR 85 (1, 1992) 1-34 on the role of Levi as a priest in Test. Lev. 5–7 vis-àvis the presentation of the Levi figure in Genesis 34. My article, I believe, offers a better understanding of the related issue of circumcision, especially as this features in Jubilees, Philo, and the Book of Judith. My article also pays special attention to the midrashic elaboration of Test. Lev. 5–7 [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 2478. [Epistle of Barnabas 4; Hesiod, Works and Days 106–201] Kylie Crabbe, "The Generation of Iron and the Final...

Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic LiteratureBalbergMiraBlood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic LiteratureUniversity of California PressOakland CA, 2017, xi, 287, £79.95ISBN 978-0-52029-592-6

Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic LiteratureBalbergMiraBlood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic LiteratureUniversity of California PressOakland CA, 2017, xi, 287, £79.95ISBN 978-0-52029-592-6

Przygody demona Asmodeusza i króla Salomona według Talmudu babilońskiego (Gittin 68a–b). Przekład i komentarz z perspektywy projektu Elyonim veTachtonim

Tractate Gittin 68a–b contains a unique rabbinic story about the adventures of king Solomon and demon Asmodeus. The king wishes to build the Jerusalem temple, but in order to do so he needs the support of the demon. The latter helps the king, but the price Solomon has to pay afterwards turns out to be very high and for the rest of his days the king sleeps surrounded by his armed guard in fear of the return of Asmodeus. Despite the complexity and richness of this tale, it has not yet been translated into Polish. What is more, due to the vividness of its protagonists it can exemplify the nuances of the world of the supernatural entities. The present study has therefore two main purposes: (1) the presentation of the Polish translation of the story of Solomon and Asmodeus present in Gittin 68a–b; and (2) the analysis of the said story using the categories of the Elyonim veTachtonim project, which aims at the creation of a complete database of the supernatural entities in the early rabbinic literature.

초기 랍비 문헌에 나타난 “성전 부재”에 대한 연구

이 논문은 성전 제의를 ‘인애의 실천’으로 대체한 요하난 벤 자카이의 대체 신학(아봇 드 라비 나탄 4장)이 랍비 유대교의 대표적 성전관이라고 이해한 제이콥 뉴즈너의 한계를 지적하고, 타나임 전통을 반영하는 랍비문헌(미쉬나, 토셉타, 메킬타, 시프라, 시프레 신명기)을 통해 성전 재건의 기대감을 확인한다. 랍비 유대교는 초대 교회, 다른 유대교 분파들과 마찬가지로 임박한 성전 재건의 기대감을 공유하고 있었다. 할라카 전통인 미쉬나와 토셉타는 성전 재건에 대한 임박한 기대감과 종말론적 기대감을 드러내고, 타나임 미드라쉬는 성전 재건의 기대감과 ‘인애의 실천’의 강조외에도 성전 대체를 위한 여러 신학적 통찰(고통, 기도, 이스라엘 거주 등)을 제안한 특징이 있다. 성전의 역할을 대신하는 다양한 신학적 제안은 제 2차 유대 전쟁(132-135)의 패배까지 경험한 유대인들을 위한 랍비 유대교의 신학적 배려의 결과로 보인다. 성전 재건에 대한 지속적인 기대감을 고려한다면, 대체 신학적 제안들은 성전 재건의 완성 전까지만 유효한 일시적 대체로 보아야 할 것이다. 본 연구는 초대 교회의 다양한 신학적 주제가 로마 교회 전통에서 연구되는 것과 함께 랍비 유대교의 전통과 비교연구될 필요성을 확인시켜 주는 데 목적이 있다.

Chronicles and intertextuality in early rabbinic literature

The call to read Chronicles ‘midrashically’ in Leviticus Rabbah 1.3 and Ruth Rabbah 2.1 challenges the contemporary understanding of intertextuality in the early Rabbis’ interpretation of Scripture. David Stern, James Kugel, and others claim that the sages considered each word of the Bible to be equal, regardless of who wrote it or when. The Rabbis’ insistence, however, that Chronicles receive special treatment contradicts this assertion. This article argues that Chronicles’ late date of composition had a dual effect. On the one hand, Chronicles’ lateness reduced its authority and led the Rabbis to give greater weight to the words of the Primary History in their intertextual readings. On the other hand, Chronicles’ retelling of the past provided a biblical warrant for the Rabbis’ own reshaping of tradition.

Mira Balberg. Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic Literature. Oakland: University of California Press, 2017. 287 pp.

Mira Balberg. Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic Literature. Oakland: University of California Press, 2017. 287 pp.

Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic Literature by Mira Balberg (review)

Blood for Thought: The Reinvention of Sacrifice in Early Rabbinic Literature by Mira Balberg (review)

“Like a Throne of Glory:” The Apotropaic Potential of Ṣîṣîṯ in the Hebrew Bible and Early Rabbinic Literature

AbstractAlthough at first glanceṣîṣîṯmeet the definitional criteria of an amulet, there are just three passages in the early rabbinic literature that only indirectly suggest such an interpretation. Yet, as it turns out, the tassels feature strong connections with the priestly clothes, and given the protective role played by the latter inside the Tabernacle,ṣîṣîṯcan be interpreted as a lay functional equivalent of the sacerdotal garment. The present paper has three main purposes: first, to scrutinize the passages from B. Men. (41a, 43b and 44a) that are often taken as witnessing to the apotropaic function of fringes; second, to contextualize tassels in the network of the priestly objects:teḵēlęṯ, ša‘aṭnēzandṣîṣ; third, to advance a hypothesis regarding the implicit apotropaic potential ofṣîṣîṯ.

A Tale of Two Sisters: The Image of Eve in Early Rabbinic Literature and Its Influence on the Portrayal of Lilith in the Alphabet of Ben Sira

The purposes of this paper are (1) to outline the early Jewish traditions concerning Lilith, so as to provide the backdrop for (2) the reconstruction of the main elements of her image in the Alphabet of Ben Sira (ABS), which contains the most elaborate variant of the Lilith-myth. The latter in turn will be (3) confronted with the early rabbinic traditions concerning Eve, so as (4) to present the role of Lilith in unburdening Eve of her problematic past, on the one hand, and (5) to acknowledge the role of Eve in elevating Lilith to the position of the “prototypical” Jewish femme fatale, on the other. The conclusions are that (1) the image of Lilith in the ABS draws upon the traditions that arose around Eve in the early rabbinic literature, (2) the main difference between the two lies in Lilith’s far more defined and unambiguous portrayal in the ABS, and (3) one of the functions of Lilith in the ABS is to promote the positive image of Eve.