The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C.E. - 350 C.E. : Texts on Education and Their Late Antique Context

Drawing on the great progress in Talmudic scholarship over the last century, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture is both an introduction to a close reading of rabbinic literature and a demonstration of the development of rabbinic thought on education in the first centuries of the Common Era. In Roman Palestine and Sasanid Persia, a small group of approximately two thousand Jewish scholars and rabbis sustained a thriving national and educational culture. They procured loyalty to the national language and oversaw the retention of a national identity. This accomplishment was unique in the Roman Near East, and few physical artifacts remain. The scope of oral teaching, however, was vast and was committed to writing only in the high Middle Ages. The content of this oral tradition remains the staple of Jewish learning through modern times. Though oral learning was common in many ancient cultures, the Jewish approach has a different theoretical basis and different aims. Marc Hirshman explores the evolution and institutionalization of Jewish culture in both Babylonian and Palestinian sources. At its core, he argues, the Jewish cultural thrust in the first centuries of the Common Era was a sustained effort to preserve the language of its culture in its most pristine form. Hirshman traces and outlines the ideals and practices of rabbinic learning as presented in the relatively few extensive discussions of the subject in late antique rabbinic sources. The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture is a pioneering attempt to characterize the unique approach to learning developed by the rabbinic leadership in late antiquity. Contents......Page 10 1. Contours of Rabbinic Study: An Introduction......Page 14 2. Learning, Speech, and Thought in Late Antiquity......Page 28 3. Sifre Deuteronomy: The Precariousness of Oral Torah......Page 42 4. A Talmudic Primer on Education (Eruvin 53a–55a)......Page 60 5. Cultures in Conflict (Avoda Zara 18b–19b)......Page 76 6. Education and Accountability (Bava Batra 20b–22a)......Page 94 7. Teaching with Authority: A Comparative View......Page 108 8. The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture......Page 120 Appendix 1: A Survey of Secondary Literature on Education and Literacy in Rabbinic Literature......Page 132 Appendix 2: Portraits of Jewish Sages Engaged in Study......Page 138 Notes......Page 144 Bibliography......Page 180 Source Index......Page 186 A......Page 192 C......Page 193 D......Page 194 F......Page 195 I......Page 196 L......Page 197 O......Page 198 Q......Page 199 S......Page 200 T......Page 202 Z......Page 203 From the Publisher's Website: As technology makes the world more accessible, it is increasingly important to develop a wide perspective on social issues as well as political, environmental, and health issues of global significance. Each anthology in the new Global Viewpoints series (which does not duplicate any material in the Opposing Viewpoints series) delivers contemporary perspectives on the featured issue-with the majority of the material reflecting stances of countries other than the United States. Primary sources, including speeches and government documents, join essays from international magazines and news sources for a truly panoramic view. Helpful features include an annotated table of contents, a world map and country index, a bibliography and a subject index Contours of rabbinic study: an introduction Learning, speech and thought in late antiquity Sifre Deuteronomy: the precariousness of oral Torah A talmudic primer on education (Eruvin 53a-55a) Cultures in conflict (Avoda zara 18b-19b) Education and accountability: (Bava batra 20b-22a ) Teaching with authority: a comparative view The stabilization of rabbinic culture Appendix I: a survey of secondary literature on education and literacy in rabbinic literature Appendix II: portraits of Jewish sages engaged in study.