A Mirror of Rabbinic Hermeneutics : Studies in Religion, Magic, and Language Theory in Ancient Judaism.

Intro -- Contents -- Introduction -- Documentation style, transliteration and references -- Part I: Officina rabbinica -- 1 Impertinent Students vs. Sagacious Rabbis: The Art of Learning -- 1.1 The Student -- 1.2 He Who Always Asks -- 1.3 Impertinence is the Beginning of Wisdom -- 2 Ezra as "Reformer" in Classical Jewish Literature -- 2.1 The Reformation in the 16th century -- 2.2 Ezra the Reformer -- 2.3 Conclusion -- Part II: Reflecting Roman Religion -- 3 Roman Religion at the Periphery of the Empire -- 3.1 Religious Customs: The Rhetoric of Ethics -- 3.1.1 "Roman" Sources for the "Rabbinic" Romans -- 3.1.2 Political and Popular "Religiosity" or Culture: Theatre and the Circenses -- 3.1.3 The Rhetoric of Ethics -- 3.2 Holidays: Religion, Politics, and Social Life -- 3.2.1 On the History of Research -- 3.2.2 The Calendar -- 3.2.3 The Typology of the Festivals -- 3.2.4 Day of Rest, pollutio, and Permissions of Commerce -- 3.2.5 The Day of Rain: A Judeo-Roman Festival? -- 3.2.6 Kalendae -- 3.2.7 Elements: Wishes and Presents -- 3.2.8 The Rabbinic Explanations of the Origin of the Kalendae -- 3.2.8.1 Topos 1: Yanubris and the Calendar -- 3.2.8.2 Topos 2: A Black Day -- 3.2.8.3 Topos 3: The Voluntary Death of a King -- 3.2.8.4 The Kalendae: A Detail? -- 3.2.9 Saturnalia and Sigillaria -- 3.2.10 ???t?s?? -- 3.2.11 Feriae Imperatoris -- 3.2.12 Birthday and Day of Death -- 3.2.13 Apotheosis -- 3.3 Conclusion -- Part III: Performing the Craft of Science &amp -- Magic -- 4 The Science(s) and "Greek Wisdom" -- 4.1 Greek Wisdom and Everyday Sciences -- 4.2 Empirical Science: Medicine -- 4.3 Theoretical Science: Astrology -- 4.4 Conclusion -- 5 On Magic: Past and Present Research -- 5.1 Magic in Past and Present Scholarship -- 5.1.1 The Polemic-Apologetic Approach -- 5.1.2 Archaeological and Philological Research -- 5.1.3 Folklore and Folk Life Studies.

5.1.4 Mysticism, Kabbalah, and Jewish Magic -- 5.1.5 The Halakhic-Theological Approach -- 5.2 Magic and Methods in Studying Magic -- 6 "Ways of the Amorite" and Hellenism in Jewish Palestine -- 6.1 The darkhe ha-emori -- 6.2 Halakhic Attitudes to Magic and Science -- 6.2.1 Good Manners -- 6.2.2 Common Sense -- 6.2.3 Established and Deep-Rooted Convictions -- 6.2.4 Empirical Observation -- 6.3 Pliny and the "Foreign" Customs of the Magi -- Appendix: A Comparison between Pliny and Tosefta Shabbat -- 7 The Magician/Magush in Rabbinic Judaism -- 7.1 Magus &amp -- Physician -- 7.2 Magician and Illusionist -- 7.3 Medieval Developments -- 8 "Watermarks" in the MS Munich, Hebr. 95 -- 8.1 Notes on the Manuscript -- 8.2 A Page, or Fragments of a Handbook? -- 8.3 Water, Waters, Creation, and other Mirabilia -- 8.4 A Veritable "Watermark" -- 9 The Meal of the Spirits, the Three Parcae and Lilith -- 9.1 A Decree by Burkhard, Bishop of Worms: The Table Set for the Three Parcae -- 9.2 The Prepared Table -- 9.3 Sideros (Iron), Lilith, and the Name of God -- 9.4 Concluding Thoughts -- 10 Evidence and Plausibility: on Magic and Ariel Toaff's Pasque di Sangue -- 10.1 Ariel Toaff's Pasque di Sangue -- 10.2 The Geographic Limits of the Phenomenon "Magic" -- 10.3 The Use of "Blood" - The Word and the Code -- 10.4 Defining "Magic" -- 10.5 Conclusion -- Part IV: Reflecting on Languages and Texts -- 11 Reflecting on Languages and Texts -- 11.1 Holy, Rabbinic and Common language -- 11.1.1 Leshon ha-qodesh -- 11.1.2 Leshon ?akhamim -- 11.1.3 Common language -- 11.2 Dialect or different pronunciation? -- 11.3 Language, text transmission and exegesis -- 11.4 Conclusion -- 12 On Editing Rabbinic Texts -- 12.1 The Quest for the Ur-Text -- 12.2 Editions are a Product of Time and Authority -- 12.3 Editions as Interpretations of Texts -- 12.4 The Pragmatic Edition: Midrash Tehillim.

12.5 Conclusion -- 13 On Some Greek Loanwords in Aquila's Translation of the Bible -- 13.1 Leviticus 23:24 and the Feast of Tabernacles -- 13.2 Ezekiel 16:10 on Dressing -- 13.3 Ezekiel 23:43 on Prostitution -- 13.4 Psalm 48 (47):15 and the Eternal World -- 13.5 Proverbs 18:21 and Rhetorical Figures -- 13.6 Proverbs 25:11 on Rhetoric -- 13.7 Esther 1:6 on Colours -- 14 The Septuagint in Disgrace -- 14.1 Talmudic Stories and Post-Talmudic Developments -- 14.2 Medieval reception and the Megillat Ta'anit Batra -- 15 In Lieu of a Conclusion: Pleasure and Desire of Learning -- 15.1 The Song of Songs in Discussions -- 15.2 The Pleasure of Sin -- Selected Bibliography -- Index of Primary Sources.

After World War II, Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich (1921-2007) published works in English and German by eminent Israeli scholars, in this way introducing them to a wider audience in Europe and North America. The series he founded for that purpose, Studia Judaica, continues to offer a platform for scholarly studies and editions that cover all eras in the history of the Jewish religion.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.