The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe De-Rabbi Eliezer and the Pseudepigrapha

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BRILL, 2009 - Religion - 352 pages
This study analyzes mythic narratives, found in the 8th century midrashic text Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer (PRE), that were excluded, or repressed , from the rabbinic canon, while preserved in the Pseudepigrapha of the Second Temple period. Examples include the role of the Samael (i.e. Satan) in the Garden of Eden, the myth of the Fallen Angels, Elijah as zealot, and Jonah as a Messianic figure. The questions are why these exegetical traditions were excluded, in what context did they resurface, and how did the author have access to these apocryphal texts. The book addresses the assumptions that underlie classic rabbinic literature and later breaches of that exegetical tradition in PRE, while engaging in a study of the genre, dating, and status of PRE as apocalyptic eschatology.
 

Contents

The Authority of Pirqe deRabbi Eliezer
23
The Historical Context
35
The Problem of the Origin of Evil
49
Adam Eve and the Serpent the First Version
71
The Myth of the Fallen Angels
109
Introduction to the Etiological Narratives
141
The Jewish Myth of Prometheus or The First
151
Rosh Hodesh as a Womens Holiday
169
Jonahs Sojourn in the Netherworld
211
Conclusion
259
The Relationship between PRE and Liturgy
265
A Diplomatic Edition of PRE 30 The Banishment
275
A Diplomatic Version of Chapter 13 Adam Eve
281
A Diplomatic Version of PRE Chapter 20
289
A Diplomatic Version of a Selection from
293
Bibliography
311

Why is Elijah invited to the Brit Milah?
185

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About the author (2009)

Rachel Adelman, (Ph.D. Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2008) was a post-doctoral fellow in Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto in 2007-2008. She now teaches Bible and Rabbinics at Miami University, Ohio, and also lectures widely abroad.

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