Jewish Tradition Research Articles

İsa-Mesih ve Pavlus Ekseninde Hıristiyan Geleneğinde Kurtuluş

Salvation expresses the endpoint aimed at religious traditions. However, the meaning that religious beliefs and traditions give to salvation and the prescriptions of salvation they offer to their followers differ from each other. In these prescriptions, sometimes creed acceptances and sometimes rituals come to the fore. In this context, salvation in Christian theology is generally explained by accepting the redeemer role of Jesus Christ. However, there are some differences between the message of Jesus Christ and the message of Paul's Christianity, which was shaped after Jesus Christ, on how to achieve the promised salvation. This situation raised the question of whether salvation will be achieved by faith, rituals, or both. The answers given to this question in the historical process indicate that the ratio of faith-rituals differs on the way to salvation. Because when Jesus Christ began his teaching, he wanted to explain that his message was compatible with the prophets sent before him by stating that he was sent to the lost sheep of the people of Israel, and he saw the Israelites as the addressee in accordance with the Jewish tradition and directed his message to them. Thus, Jesus Christ, who determined the Jewish nation as the target audience of his message with an exclusionary attitude, also emphasized the fulfillment of religious orders and prohibitions based on the law of Moses. According to the Gospels, there was a significant change in the message of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion, and Jesus Christ, who appeared to his apostles, wanted his message to be delivered to all nations, stating that he had been given authority in the heavens and on earth. Warning his apostles about this issue, Jesus Christ willed that everything that was taught to them should also be taught to other nations. The first Christian community, which included people from different nations with this command, continued to live according to the law and tried to convey the message of Jesus Christ all over the world. As a result, the fact that many gentiles, as well as diaspora Jews, accepted Christianity brought up the problem of how to apply the law of Moses. Because while Jesus-Messiah ordered all nations to be invited, he did not specify which practices the gentiles would be responsible for, and this situation led to different interpretations. In this context, this study discusses the importance of faith in Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses in terms of salvation in the period of Jesus Christ and the first Christian community. The study is important in that it points out that the salvation doctrine put forward by Paul and generally accepted today does not coincide with the message conveyed by the Historical Jesus or the Jesus-Christ, according to Christian theology, when he lived in the human body. The subject has been discussed by focusing on the Bible passages. In this direction, it is tried to explain how the main figure in Christianity, Jesus Christ, was historically revealed by the theology of salvation and how the conception of Jesus Christ, who became the subject of salvation and was personally considered the savior, was put forward. In addition, the change in the faith-rituals ratio was emphasized by laying the groundwork for comparing the salvation theologies of the historical Jesus-Christ and Paul, who shaped the Christian tradition. The change in salvation theology was explained by Paul's reinterpretation of the creation story in the Torah.

Jewish–Christian Religiosity: A Study in Twentieth-Century Central European History

The article explores the interaction of the German, Jewish, and Christian traditions in the first part of the twentieth century in Central Europe to show three cases, in which these traditions merge into one. I name the result of this interaction “Jewish–Christian religiosity.” The name conveys a desire, common to the cases discussed, to overcome the traditional distinctions between Jews and Germans and Jews and Christians. It also conveys the belief that spirituality could bridge the gap between people and promote a more open society for all. All three cases expand notions first conceived by Romantic and idealist thinkers in order to facilitate interest in arcane Jewish sources like the Kabbalah and Hasidism. As the article suggests, eclectic worldviews like those discussed here may appear unfamiliar, but they continue intellectual and cultural trends that were discussed in the literature before.

Not Just the Time of the Other—What Does It Mean for Christians Today to Remember Shabbat and Keep It Holy?

In this essay, I explore how Christians can relate to the Sabbath in a way that adequately expresses Christian traditions about sacred time while showing respect for distinctly Jewish practices. My basic claim is that a Christian sanctification of the Sabbath presents an entirely new challenge for a Christianity that does not view Judaism as superseded or outdated. Thus, I ask: What should be the meaning of the Sabbath commandment for Christians? How can Christians sanctify the Sabbath while affirming it as a sign of the Jewish people’s living covenant? First, I will lay out the questions that are raised for Christian theology when affirming Jewish Sabbath observance as part of practiced Judaism, that is, as lived Torah and as a tradition passed on from generation to generation. Next, I will consult contemporary Jewish literature on the topic, then look for Christian accounts of the Sabbath in Christian systematic theologies. I will ask: What happens when Christians affirm that Sunday does not abrogate the Jewish Sabbath, while also asserting their own commitment to the Bible’s holy day? I will subsequently sketch an outline of a Christian theology of Shabbat that acknowledges distinctive Jewish legal traditions as well as its own connectedness to Biblical temporal structures.

Good Life, Brave Death, and Earned Immortality: Features of a Neglected Ancient Virtue Discourse

AbstractThis article examines early Jewish ideas of virtue that are usually ignored in presentations of the history of virtue discourse. We analyze the use of the Greek term ἀρετή in the Apocrypha of the Septuagint; all the occurrences of the term are in texts that were originally composed in Greek. We argue that the discussion on virtues – ideal human qualities and ways of living – in the Apocrypha has three thematic foci: (1) training, (2) courage, and (3) suffering and itspostmortemrewards. Virtue prepares one to live well, encounter grave difficulties and even death with courage, and, finally, earn eternal life. We argue that it is implicit that virtuous Jews surpass, in ways that differ depending on the text, their more-or-less openly Greek antagonists who fail the virtue ideals that they would culturally be expected to uphold. Through their words and deeds, the exemplary Jews demonstrate that true virtue comes from a steadfast commitment to the Jewish tradition and the Mosaic law. Being a good Jew involves training that manifests itself in various desirable traits, but it also means acknowledging the divinity of the Jewish law as the basis of both the good life and thepostmortemconsequences of virtue.

Communication Lake

Communication Lake

Queering Jewish Dance: Baruch Agadati

AbstractThe work of the homosexual Israeli dance pioneer and choreographer Baruch Agadati (1895–1976) queered Jewish dance. His project of Hebrew Dance was a queer take on traditional Jewish dance material mixed with a seemingly queer shift of the antisemitic distortions of this material. Throughout his approach to Jewish dance traditions from a perspective as a nonobservant, secular Jew, Agadati transcended boundaries of religion, secularity, and nation to a complex questioning of how Jewishness could be expressed through modern dance.

‘Crying’ and ‘Children’ in Translations of the one Fragment of the Book of Proverbs: Possible Interpretation or the Digression from the Original?

Relevance of the problem . The subject matter related to the rendering of the Holy Writ is relevant, which is backed up in recent decades with the emerging of a large number of the Bible translations into different languages, as well as with the presence of certain fragments in the original that allow for the ambiguous interpretation. The material for the research is a fragment from the Book of Proverbs ( yassēr binḵā kî yēš tiqwā wǝ’el hǎmîṯô ’al tiśśā’ nap̄šeḵā ) (19: 18) (“Punish your son while there is hope, and do not be indignant with his cry”) in a number of the Bible translations (the Synodal translation, the King James Bible, etc.) into various languages, as well as an analysis of comments on them related to different historical periods. Scientific novelty. The paper proves the groundlessness of the statement about the interpolation of the lexeme “cry”, supposedly contained in the Russian Synodal Bible, caused by subjective reasons, and also considers the validity / wrongfulness of replacing the word “son” in it with the inclusive form “children” based on Jewish written sources. The method of the research. The article uses the method of comparative study of various translations of this fragment, identifying its interpretations contained in them and correlating them with the exegetics available in the Jewish tradition. General results: 1) The coincidence of rendering this fragment with that which we find in the King James Bible, while being different from its representation in a number of translations into other languages, allows us to put forward a hypothesis about its possible influence on the Russian text. 2) The availability of such interpretation among some interpreters, both ancient and modern, indicates in this case the absence of any deliberate distortion of the original in the Synodal translation. 3) The use of inclusive and gender-neutral forms for male people in relation to this fragment instead of those presented in the original should be qualified as a deviation from the original, since according to the norms of Biblical Hebrew, such use is permissible only when the word “ son ” is used in the plural form ( bānîm ), while in the singular it is not used in a similar sense.

The Politics of Galut: On the Rabbinical Tradition of the Least Bad Solution

Abstract Since exile, the galut, is an outcome of Israel’s defeat, the Jewish political tradition rests on the quest of the least bad solution. This contrasts with Greek-Western political theory. Residing in foreign kingdoms, Jews had to accept their domination and invest in ways to survive in hostile environments. The article shows how rabbinical literature invented a kind of proto-theory of survival and opens opportunities for Jewish agency. Even the State of Israel, generally seen as a rupture in Jewish history, fits into this traditional political logic of survival in exile.

Studying Jewish Meditative Techniques: A Phenomenological Typology and an Interdisciplinary View

The field of mystical and meditative research lacks a basic typology delineating the varied genres and characteristics of the mystical experience and of the meditative practices that may be correlated to those. Such a state hinders the comparative study of mysticism and meditation through different philosophical, religious and spiritual traditions, or along the chronological development in a single tradition. In this article, I introduce phenomenological typological tools developed in a previous monograph dealing with the Jewish meditative tradition and illustrate how these can be used to analyze the adjustments and the variations between previous and contemporary Jewish mystics, through examining the four different types of mystical experience and five different characteristics of meditative techniques.

To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values

To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values

Living with the Other: The Ethic of Inner Retreat

Living with the Other: The Ethic of Inner Retreat

Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical

Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical

Back to the Future: Leo Strauss, Gershom Scholem and the Restorative Messianic Utopia

This article offers a critical analysis of the dispute between two prominent twentieth-century Jewish thinkers—Leo Strauss and Gershom Scholem—on the temporal nature of Jewish messianism, particularly the messianism of the Lurianic kabbalah. Whereas Strauss uses Scholem’s authority to criticize the idea of progress and claims that the messianic idea of Lurianism as interpreted by Scholem is purely restorative, Scholem actually argues for its dialectical nature: neither progressive nor regressive but seeking to synthesize the past and future in the utopian figure of “restoring” the original potentiality. The purpose of my analysis is twofold: to expose Strauss’s misreading of Scholem’s theory which has so far escaped the critical attention of scholars, and to contribute to the debate on religion and change by deconstructing the apparent opposition of progress and return (or utopia and restoration) in Jewish messianic tradition.

Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah by Sebastian Selvén

Reviewed by: Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah by Sebastian Selvén Michael Gabizon sebastian selvén, Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah (Reading the Scriptures; Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2021). Pp. viii + 233. $55.99. Sebastian Selvén's monograph is part of the Reading the Scriptures series published by Notre Dame Press, a series that explores the intersection between biblical studies and theology. S.'s contribution to the series focuses on the role of liturgy in the broader field of reception history; as he writes, "Liturgy is, among other things, an experienced biblical interpretation" (p. 2). Through an assessment of Isa 6:1–5 in the Qedushot and the Sanctus,S. demonstrates how the study of liturgy provides a lens through which to view historical interpretive traditions (i.e., how certain Scriptures have been understood by different communities) as well as how liturgy continues to shape contemporary interpretations of the text. Following a two-part introduction, in which S. explores the nature of liturgy as well as the structure of the Qedushot and the Sanctus, the next three chapters explore three interpretations [End Page 488] related to Isa 6:1–5 that have been influenced by liturgical traditions: the identity of the seraphim, the concept of holiness, and the divine presence of God. In chap. 1, S. argues that liturgy has largely shaped the conventional understanding that the seraphim from Isa 6:1–3 are celestial beings, thus resulting in the later creation of angelic hierarchies by religious communities. Following a textual analysis of the word "seraphim" in Scripture, whereby he demonstrates that the most consistent definition of the Hebrew word is "snakes," S. proposes that the identification of seraphim as angels was influenced by early Jewish liturgy. In Qedusha deYotzer, for example, Isa 6:1–3 is read alongside Ezekiel 1–3, which recounts Ezekiel's interaction with heavenly figures; this intertextual link requires some form of harmonization between the biblical texts (p. 32). In turn, S. argues that the connection between the two passages has affected the interpretation of Isa 6:1–3 and the study of angels generally: "The received understanding of what they [the seraphim] are has to a large extent been shaped by how they are presented in Jewish and Christian liturgy, and the theological background of these liturgies" (p. 31). S. further explores the development of angelology through both traditions, and he argues that the ramifications of grouping Isa 6:1–3 with Ezekiel 1–3 in Qedusha deYotzer continue to shape biblical interpretations of the seraphim today. Indeed, S. posits that the "resistance towards describing them [the seraphim] as serpents" reflects centuries of conditioned readings through church art and liturgical texts (p. 58). The example of the seraphim, then, reveals one way the study of liturgy develops our understanding of historical biblical interpretation: "Liturgy actualizes and prioritizes certain passages, strings them together in different ways, and in this kaleidoscopic reconfiguration of texts, certain meanings emerge from them" (p. 123). In chap. 2, S. focuses specifically on the thrice-holy cry of the seraphim, questioning whether this short pericope originally functioned as a celestial hymn to evoke awe, or as a warning to instill fear (p. 58). Although he argues that the purpose of Isa 6:3 is unclear, he proposes that the standard categorization of the thrice-holy cry as celestial liturgy originates from the very role of Isa 6:3 in Jewish and Christian traditions. In other words, since this passage is used for liturgical purposes in some religious communities, the qedusha became "something possessing its own ontological integrity: a liturgy, performed by the celestial beings, taking place in the heavens" (p. 70). In this case, S. again demonstrates how liturgical traditions shape biblical interpretation. S. also posits that the spotlight placed on Isa 6:3, and in turn the emphasis on "holy," has influenced theological movements in various traditions, including the holiness movement of the twentieth century (pp. 77–79). Since liturgies naturally determine which Scriptures become important or central for communities, they inevitably mold the theological movements who engage with such traditional readings. In chap. 3, S. discusses...

A Cut Above the Rest: The Historic Perspectives of Circumcision and Anesthesia

Introduction: Circumcision is the oldest known recorded surgical procedure dating to at least 4000 BCE and held religious, cultural, and military significance. Preputial resection connoted contrasting meanings among different cultures; in some, circumcision was and remains an important transtion into infancy and then adulthood. In Bronze Age and early Egyptian cultures, however, circumcision was performed on vanquished enemies and improved upon the morbidity and mortality of phallic resectoin as a war trophy. The circumcision of Jesus was a significant subject for many Medieval and Renaissance artists who often portrated the event as an allegroical commentary on contemporary socio-political events. While there has been much literature, anthropological analysis, and art on circumcision, little is known about the anesthesia provided to those undergoing the procedure, especially those for whom the act was not a punitive militaristic procedure. We aimed to identify descriptions of the anesthesia provided to patients or victims undergoing circumcision and how the anesthesia may have evolved into the modern techniques used in the modern era. Sources and Methods: We performed a literature review via PubMed journal articles, texts, and historical discussions detailing the evolution of circumcision and accompanying anesthesia throughout history. Results: Earliest records of circumcision described religious rather than scientific rationale, marking a boy’s ascension to manhood. Documentation of the earliest practices of anesthesiology are relevant to urology through these traditions. Circumcision is first noted in Egyptian temple hieroglyphics dated to 4000 BCE, depicting young men restrained with a priest performing the cut wielding a knife. As early as 2500 BCE, circumcision in ancient Egypt was the first known surgical procedure utilizing anesthesia. A mixture rendered from calcium carbonate and acetic acid formed carbon dioxide on the prepuce resulting in the first rendition of cryo-analgesia. Egypt was not the only culture performing circumcision during this time period. Assyrian records dating back to 400 BCE describe a similar methodology, but also transcribed another primitive method of anesthesia. Assyrians utilized digital compression of the carotid arteries to produce anesthetic effects of both altered consciousness and decreased procedural pain. Carotid compression was commonplace enough that it influenced the language for which the carotid blood vessels are described in both Greek and Russian with translation as “The Artery of Sleep.” The Jewish tradition of brit milah utilizes a few drops of wine in the mouth of the infant, both as a form of analgesia and symbolic of the sealed covenant. It is hypothesized that the sugar interacts with the opiate receptors in the brain which is enhanced by the suckling action, providing comfort. Conclusions: Since their earliest documented history, anesthetic techniques have contributed to and been intertwined with the practices of circumcision.

YAHUDİ GELENEĞİNİN KUTSAL METNİ: SEFER TORA

The Sefer Torah is the Torah scroll on which the books of Bereshit, Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim, believed to have been revealed to the Prophet Moses by God, are written on leather parchments.The characteristics of the sofers who write the scripture according to the Jewish tradition, the materials to be used in writing, the writing of the scripture, the preservation and use of the completed parchment, the elimination of the Sefer Torah, which has become unusable, are the topics covered in almost all legal sources closely related to relgious law. Therefore, Jewish religious law reveals the structural features that show how the Sefer Torah has been transmitted from the time it was first written until today. According to this, the sacred scripture of Judaism is not a "book" called humash, but a Torah scroll consisting of leather parchments called Sefer Torah. During the historical process, Jews used the humash for research and investigation, and they placed the Sefer Torah at the center of worship and religious practices. In addition, it is seen that the most sacred object of Judaism is the Sefer Torah. This characteristic of Judaism, which has been preserved since ancient times, has enabled Judaismto gain a different direction from other religions that have holy books. In addition, tJews were called 'Am ha-Sefer', that is, "the people of the book" because of their relationship with the Sefer Torah. The Tanakh's teachings have been interpreted as commanding that every Jew compose a Sefer Torah, which is declared as a command that must be fulfilled within 613 mitzvot. The breaking periods of Jewish History, such as the destruction of the Temple, the disappearance of the sacrificial worship, and the exiles that occurred, caused the central position of the Sefer Torah to increase even more. Due to the destruction of the temple, many worships such as the sacrifice performed in the temple have become impossible. This has led to the emergence of a new understanding of religion in which the text and religious education shaped through the text are at the forefront. The Jews, who were dispersed to different parts of the world, have tried to establish the ties they have with God only via the Sefer Torah, due to the loss of the Temple and the promised land. Therefore, the Sefer Torah has become a sacred object, which is preserved by increasing its value compared to many other elements in Judaism and has a function in different aspects of religious life. In addition, this holiness of Sefer Torah have enabled many other objects such as Aron ha-Kodesh, Teva, etz hayim, keter, rimonim, yad and Sefer Torah sheath to gain holiness. Another important point about Sefer Torah is the symbolic meaning it has had since ancient times. In all religions, which have an abstract understanding of one God, where depictions are rejected, sacred scriptures have been the only indication of God's act of creation and the resulting right to legislate and sovereignty . In Judaism,as well, the Sefer Torah has become a metaphor that connects the Israelites with the sacred, and gives identity to Jews throughout the entire historical process. It has also become a symbolic metaphor referring to the first moment when God descended into Mount Sinai in a fog and the boundaries between the divine realm and the earth disappeared.
 Thus, the Sefer Torah became the common link between God, the Israelites, and the law. So much so that in The Zohar, all the letters of the Torah are associated with all the individuals of the Israelites, and the Sefer Torah and the Jewish nation are shown as the same, complementary and identical elements. The theological ground that allowed all this symbolic expression carried by the parchments enabled the Sefer Torah to become an object used for certain purposes not only by those who adopted the traditional Jewish understanding, but also by the communities that left the tradition in modern Jewish thought. This article provides information about the Sefer Torah as the sacred scripture of Judaism , and then it seeks to reveal how the Torah scrolls and related issues are handled in Jewish religious law, which is called halakha. Then, the symbolic meanings of the Sefer Torah arising from being a "sacred" scripture, emerging in the historical process are discussed. The article also aims to show the structural meaning of Sefer Torah, which is accepted as the most important and most sacred text by all Jewish communities, through rabbinic interpretations and religious law rules. Another aim of the study is to show the symbolic meaning of Sefer Torah through mystical interpretations and religious practices and rituals. The data is obtained through the method ofdocumentation and transcribed using the descriptive method.

The Anxiety of Tradition: Unrealized Weddings in Berdichevsky’s Yiddish Stories

Abstract The trilingual author Mikhah Yosef Berdichevsky (1865–1921) is widely known as a literary modernist and a rebel against Jewish socio-religious conventions. Yet he also developed an original dialectical way of thinking about Jewish tradition. Berdichevsky’s theory of tradition is partly elaborated in his undeservedly obscure Yiddish stories. In order to reconstruct this theory, we undertake a typology and thematic analysis of their signature literary trope: the unrealized wedding.

Other Writings/Traditions

Other Writings/Traditions Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, William J. Urbrock, and J. Edward Owens Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz William J. Urbrock University of Wisconsin Oshkosh J. Edward Owens OSST, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio TX 1618. [1 Samuel 4 according to Josephus, Ant. 5.355–362] Michael Avioz, "1 Samuel 4 in Josephus' Antiquities 5.355–362," JNSL 47 (1, 2021) 1-17. My paper explores Josephus's exegetical skills in elucidating the biblical text, taking his retelling of 1 Samuel 4 in Ant. 5.355–362 as a test case. The historian's retelling of the Samuel text which recounts the fall of the Elides and the destruction of the Shiloh sanctuary is twice as long as the former passage. While acknowledging Josephus's apologetical tendencies in his Antiquities, my article seeks to demonstrate that his hermeneutical concerns in his retelling of the above biblical account is equally significant. I begin by analyzing the biblical passage and its textual difficulties and gaps, and then proceed to examine Josephus's additions, omissions, and changes, as well as the question of his textual Vorlage for the 1 Samuel 4 passage. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1619. [Levitical Temple Singers in Rabbinic Sources] Hallel Baitner, "Levitical Singers in Rabbinic Sources: Echoes of an Ancient Dispute," JSJ 52 (2, 2021) 228-56. The Hebrew Bible reflects ambiguity concerning the historical existence of the Levites as a group distinguished from the priesthood. Postexilic and late Second Temple sources also present a variety of voices concerning the extent to which Levites participated [End Page 580] in the temple's worship. My article argues that, while rabbinic sources appear to present a straightforward, retrospective description of the Levites as a group of temple-singers who were clearly subordinate to the priests and responsible for temple singing, a closer reading reveals differences of opinion about the group and its activity. Disagreements concerning the exact place in the temple in which the Levites used to sing reflect significantly different views concerning the status of the Levites in the temple and the importance of their singing. This rabbinic dispute echoes similar late Second Temple period controversies, and sources from the two periods may shed reciprocal light on each other. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1620. [Reimaging of Angels, Watchers, and Giants in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam] Kelley Coblentz Bautch and Jonathan Kaplan (eds.), "Introduction," Hen 41 (2, 2019) 181-87. As guest editors of a thematic issue of Henoch devoted to early Jewish, Christian, and Islamic reconceptualizations of earlier traditions about "angels, watchers, and giants," B. and K. provide an introduction to the topic that surveys previous scholarly work on the subject as well as the essays featured in this issue. Their essay concludes with a bibliography of relevant studies. For abstracts of those articles of particular interest to OTA readers, see ##1621, 1663.—C.T.B. Google Scholar 1621. [Demons in Josephus] Carson M. Bay, "Demons in Flavius Josephus," Hen 41 (2, 2019) 204-25 [see #1620]. Demons, as they appear in Josephus's corpus, help situate Josephus, qua firstcentury Roman-Jewish author, between a Hellenistic culture informed by classical antiquity and a Jewish culture informed by Jewish Scripture and tradition. Whether as individual beings or as some impersonal force, the daemonic in Josephus's writings aligns far more with the daemons of the Classical and Hellenistic Greek milieu than it does with Jewish literature from the Hebrew Bible to the NT. However, Josephus's daemons do reflect the influence of Jewish tradition as well. Thus, daemons allow Josephus's writings to be seen as the product of intercultural influence and exchange. My essay seeks to demonstrate this claim by providing a sequential and comprehensive assessment of Josephus's treatment of daemons and the daemonic throughout his corpus and then by offering a comparative survey of related literature earlier than or contemporary with Josephus. This survey shows where Josephus's daemons are both different from and similar to ancient Hellenistic and Jewish traditions in their...

Response to Tubert-Oklander on ‘The talmudic way of thinking cannot suddenly have disappeared from us: Death instinct, anti-Semitism and Jewish traditions in the foundation matrix of group analysis’

Tubert-Oklander’s ambivalent reading of my paper seems to have led him to some misreadings of my text. I quote five examples of this.

Job–Sirach

Job–Sirach Christopher T. Begg, Fred W. Guyette, Michael W. Duggan, Brian J. Meldrum, Richard A. Taylor, and J. Edward Owens Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary Michael W. Duggan Calgary AB, Canada Brian J. Meldrum Catholic University of America Richard A. Taylor Dallas Theological Seminary J. Edward Owens OSST, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio TX 1455. [The Library of the Ketubim and the Wisdom Books] Stéphanie Anthonioz, "La bibliothèque des Ketûvîm et les livres de sagesse. Histoire d'un cosmopolitisme d'époque hellénistique," Hen N.S. 42 (1, 2020) 7-19. In Jewish tradition, "Wisdom Literature" is closely associated with the library of the Ketubim, even though the two are not identical. What then, my question runs, is the origin of the former term and what is the nature of the connection between the two corpora? In other words, my focus here is on the history of the OT wisdom books and that of the Ketubim collection, as well as on the possible intellectual influences on these developments, and the social and political crisis that made the Hellenistic period so painful a time in [End Page 526] Judea and elsewhere and yet at the same time also so fruitful a period that the concept of "cosmpolitization" seems entirely appropriate to designate it and the collections of wisdom writings that emerged during it. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1456. [The Exegesis of OT Wisdom Literature in the Last Two Centuries] Eberhard Bons, "La sagesse de l'Ancien Testament au carrefour des nations. Quelques réflexions sur l'exégèse biblique des deux derniers siècles," Hen N.S. 42 (1, 2020) 20-33. Whereas the Pentateuch, the Historical Books and the Prophetic Books of the OT have all been the subject of countless publications, this is much less the case with the OT's Wisdom Literature, even though there has been some increase in scholarly treatments of the latter in recent years. Against this background, I seek to make the case for two hypotheses: first, the above state of affairs is partly a reflection of the history of exegesis during the last 100 years, and more particularly of the influence of the views of Julius Wellhausen on that history, and second, if Wisdom indeed stands at the crossroads of the nations as the overall title for the above issue of Henoch suggests, then it also stands at the crossroads between Israelite traditions and those of other peoples. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1457. [A Dialogue between Proverbs from Africa and Biblical Wisdom Literature] Eleonora Hof, "Wijsheid is niet slechts in één huis te vinden—dialoog tussen spreekwoorden uit Afrika en Bijblelse wijsheidsliteratur [Wisdom is not found in only one house: The Dialogue between Proverbs from Africa and Biblical Wisdom Literature]," ACEBT 31 (2017) 107-18. African approaches to biblical wisdom literature tend to critique the dominant Eurocentric hermeneutical approach, doing so on the basis of the consideration that this literature needs to interpreted, not only on the basis of ANE parallels, but also through the lens of indigenous African wisdom. My paper surveys approaches to such a dialogue between African and biblical wisdom. First, the African Proverbs Project has for more than 20 years been collecting a wide range of indigenous proverbs and making these available on its website and Facebook pages. This project offers a positive outlook on African proverbs and urges pastors to root their sermons deeply in African soil by drawing on indigenous categories of wisdom. Two other authors, K. Bediako-Akoto and L. P. Kimilike, take a more critical approach. The former paints a particularly bleak picture concerning the skewed view of gender relationships, menstruation, and female sexuality reflected in these proverbs. He does not discern any possibilities of salvaging such sayings, but rather calls for a liberating re-reading of biblical texts. Similarly, Kimilike voices his concerns about the gender violence that comes to expression in many proverbial African sayings, but still discerns a liberating potential in the sayings about poverty. This liberating potential emerges...