Jewish Identity in Early Rabbinic WritingsJewish Identity in Early Rabbinic Writings is more than a question of legal status: it is the experience of being Jewish or of 'Jewishness' in all its social and cultural dimensions. This work describes this experience as it emerges in Talmudic and Midrashic sources. Besides the question of “who is a Jew?”, topics include the contrast between Israel and the non-Jews, the physical embodiment of Jewish identity, the 'boundaries' of Israel and resistance to assimilation. Jewish identity, it is argued, hinges essentially on the Divine commandments (mitzvot) and on Israel's perceived proximity with the Divine. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, including the theories of William James and Merleau-Ponty, this study raises important issues in anthropology, as well as accounting for central aspects of early rabbinic Judaism. |
Contents
assumptions images and representations | 1 |
II Identity the commandments and bodily experience | 51 |
Israel in symbolic imagery | 82 |
centre and periphery | 87 |
dissociation and dissimilation | 139 |
solipsism introversion and transcendence | 199 |
| 260 | |
| 267 | |
ARBEITEN ZUR GESCHICHTE DES ANTIKEN JUDENTUMS UNO DES URCHRISTENTUMS | 271 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
according Aggadic Almighty amei haAretz Amorite animals apostates argue avoda zara Avot dRN B.AZ B.Ber B.BK B.Eruv B.Git B.Hag B.Hul B.Ket B.Kid B.Meg B.Men B.Nida B.Pes B.Sanh B.Shab B.Sot B.Yev Babylonian Talmud Biblical bodily chapter circumcision commandments context convert cultural decircumcision Deut.R distinctive early rabbinic writings Eccl.R Eliyahu Esau Est.R ethnic Ex.R exclusion experience of Jewish forbidden Gen.R Gerim Greek wisdom Halakhic havdala Hebrew heretics historical identity of Israel impurity instance intercourse intermarriage Jewish identity Jews Judaism Kutim later Lev.R Mekh Midrash Tehillim Midrashim minor tractate Mishna Mishnaic nations Neusner non-Jewish woman non-Jews Num.R ontological op.cit Palestinian Talmud passage PdRE Pes.R Porton prohibition quoted Rabba redacted reference repulsive Roman Rome ruling Sadducees scriptural sexual shabbat Sifra Sifre Sifre Deut sinners of Israel slaves Song specific suggest Talmudim Tanh Tannaitic Targum tefillin term Torah learning Tosafot Tosefta tractate treated tzeniut women Y.Ber Yehuda