Description
Book SynopsisSituates the Babylonian Talmud, or Bavli, in its cultural context by reading several rich rabbinic stories against the background of Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, and Mesopotamian literature of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, much of it Christian in origin.
Trade Review"The rabbinic gems unearthed by the author's questions/answers/reflections mark the beginning of a venture into the place of rabbinic folk narrative in the culture of the ancient Mediterranean world." -- Z. Garber CHOICE "Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." -- Dvora E. Weisberg H-Net "This is a fascinating book... Migrating Tales is a most welcome edition." -- Ben Rothke The Times of Israel "All credit to Richard Kalmin for judiciously and encouragingly pointing in scholarly directions that have previously been little explored." -- Stefan C. Reif Journal of Theological Studies "Kalmin expertly uses the examples in his book to claim that the borders of late ancient empires were porous, and that ideas and traditions moved freely between them. This is undoubtedly correct and an important corrective to the inward gaze of rabbis - Roman and Sasanian - celebrated in scholarship in recent decades." Marginalia, Los Angeles Review of Books "Few... rigorous, scholarly publications are also written in a brilliant, clear, and fluent manner, making them interesting and enjoyable reading for any educated reader. Professor Richard Kalmin's Migrating Tales: The Talmud's Narratives and Their Historical Context certainly belongs to this category, and I hope it receives the wide audience it deserves." Mediterranean Studies "Rightly contests a dichotomous division of the rabbinic world into 'West' and 'East,' 'Greco-Roman' and 'Persian,"' and presents instead a much more complex and dynamic picture of migration, transition, and interaction between regions, languages, and cultures... The book deserves praise for the remarkable erudition that underlies it, for its scrupulousness, and for the textual and philological sensitivity that guides every page of it." -- Mira Balberg Journal of Religion "[Kalmin's] approach is quite convincing, and will hopefully encourage others to pursue similar areas of research. Recommended for academic libraries, with interests in rabbinics or ancient Jewish history." Association of Jewish Libraries This book is highly recommended for its thorough research, elegant translations, and readable style. It is a significant addition to talmudic scholarship. Review of Biblical Literature "Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." Humanities and Social Science "A rich resource for students of rabbinic literature who seek to understand how legends were borrowed and retold among rabbis and non-Jews in the Roman east. This book will also serve as a methodological guide for scholars interested in studying cultural sharing among a wide range of traditions." Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Manuscripts and Early Editions Introduction 1. "Manasseh Sawed Isaiah with a Saw of Wood": An Ancient Legend in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Persian Sources 2. R. Shimon bar Yohai Meets St. Bartholomew: Peripatetic Traditions in Late Antique Judaism and Christianity East of Syria 3. The Miracle of the Septuagint in Ancient Rabbinic and Christian Literature 4. The Demons in Solomon's Temple 5. Zechariah and the Bubbling Blood: An Ancient Tradition in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Literature 6. Pharisees 7. Astrology 8. The Alexander Romance Summary and Conclusions Bibliography General Index Index of Primary Sources
