Overview

This volume brings together studies by experts in the rabbinic literature of late antiquity and by specialists in the history of the Jews in that period in order to reveal the value of rabbinic material as historical evidence and the problems and issues which arise in its exploitation.A substantial introductory section discusses the current state of knowledge about Palestine in this period and debates about the difficulties involved in editing and dating rabbinic texts. Specific core texts and text categories are then introduced to the reader in a series of ten discrete studies. The volume concludes with six thematic analyses which illustrate the use and limitations of rabbinic evidence for cultural, religious, political, economic and social history.This volume will be essential reading for all scholars concerned with the history of the later Roman Empire.

Full Product Details

Author:   Martin Goodman (Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Oxford; Fellow of the British Academy) ,  Philip Alexander (Professor of Post-Biblical Jewish Literature, University of Manchester; Fellow of the British Academy)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Volume:   165
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 24.10cm
Weight:   0.797kg
ISBN:  

9780197264744

ISBN 10:   0197264743
Pages:   380
Publication Date:   13 January 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Martin Goodman: Introduction Part I: The Issues 1: Philip Alexander: Using Rabbinic Literature as a source for the History of Late-Roman Palestine: Problems and Issues 2: Fergus Millar: The Palestinian Context of Rabbinic Judaism 3: Peter Schäfer: Research into Rabbinic Literature: An attempt to define the Status Quaestionis 4: Chaim Milikowsky: The Status Quaestionis of Research into Rabbinic Literature 5: Peter Schäfer & Chaim Milikowsky: Current Views on the Editing of the Rabbinic Texts of Late Antiquity: Reflections on a debate after twenty years Part II: The Rabbinic Texts 6: Amram Tropper: The State of Mishnah Studies 7: Romen Reichman: The Tosefta and its Value for Historical Research: Questioning the historical reliability of case stories 8: Gunter Stemberger: Halakhic Midrashim as Historical Sources 9: Sacha Stern: The Talmud Yerushalmi 10: Richard Kalmin: Problems in the use of the Bavli for the History of Late-Roman Palestine: the example of Astrology 11: Alex Samely: Literary Structures and Historical Reconstruction: the example of Amoraic Midrash 12: Wout van Bekkum: The Future of Ancient Piyyut 13: Robert Hayward: Targum 14: Robert Brody: The Epistle of Sherira Gaon 15: Peter SchäFer: Hekhalot Literature and the Origins of Jewish Mysticism Part III: History 16: Seth Schwartz: 'Rabbinic Culture' and Roman Culture 17: Catherine Hezser: Material Culture and Daily Life 18: Moshe Lavee: Rabbinic Literature and the History of Judaism in Late Antiquity: Challenges, methodology, and new approaches 19: William Horbury: Rabbinic Perceptions of Christianity and the History of Roman Palestine 20: Aharon Oppenheimer: Politics and Administration 21: Hayyim Lapin: Economics and Society Martin Goodman: Conclusion

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Author Information

Martin Goodman is Professor of Jewish Studies in the University of Oxford, a Fellow of Wolfson College, and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. Among his books on Jewish history are Rome and Jerusalem (2007) and Judaism in the Roman World: Collected Essays (2007).

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