Exploring Mishnah's World(s): Social Scientific Approaches 3030535703, 9783030535704

Table of contents :
Preface
Why Mishnah? And Why Promote Social Science Approaches to the Study of Its Evidence?
The Range and Scope of This Volume’s Essays and the Authors’ Conversation
Acknowledgments
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: Challenges and Opportunities in the Social Scientific Study of the Evidence of the Mishnah
Outline of Our Programmatic Introduction
Why Is It Important to Seek to Know More About Palestinian Jewish Society and Culture in the Latter Half of the Second Century and Early Third Century CE?
Why Turn to the Evidence of the Mishnah?
Mishnah’s Most Pervasive Rhetorical and Literary Traits, the Basis for Methodological Challenges and Choices in the Use of Its Evidence
Three Potentially Compelling Topical Directions of Inquiry in the Sociological and Anthropological Study of Mishnah’s Evidence
Chapter 2: Dignity or Debasement: The Destitute in the World of Mishnah
Introduction
The Support of the Poor
The Status of the Poor Person
Giver or Receiver? The Focus of Mishnah Peah
Care and Compassion
Personality Traits of Mishnah’s Poor
Concluding Remarks
Chapter 3: “The Land of Israel Is Holier Than All Lands”: Diaspora in Mishnah’s Cosmos—The Message
Introduction
Mishnah
The Sociology of Space
The Land of Israel in Mishnah
Diaspora
Summary
Summary
Summary
Concluding Remarks: The Message
Chapter 4: Marginal Person and/or Marginal Situation: The Convert in Mishnah
Introduction
Theoretical Framework
Mishnah
The Convert’s Status and Literacy in Mishnah
From Gentile to Jew: A Transitional Situation
Concern and Compassion
Inheritance
Preserving the Holy Seed
Past Culture or Stigma
Principles of Halakhah and Biblical Marginality
Concluding Remarks
Chapter 5: Religious Authority in the Mishnah: Social Science Perspectives on the Emerging Role of Scholars
Searching the Mishnah for Evidence
Core Questions
Social Science Guidelines
The Identification of Rabbis/Scholars in the Status Hierarchy
Legitimating Rabbinic Authority
Multiple Paths to Legitimacy
The Emergence of Disputes and Disagreements Among the Rabbinic Elite
Generational Transmission of Authority
Consequences of Scholarly Disputes
The Power of Local Custom and Memory of Temple Practices
Concluding Thoughts
Chapter 6: Family Structure, Kinship, and Life Course Transitions: Social Science Explorations of the Mishnah
Family Themes: Preliminaries
Family Formation: Marriage and Kiddushin
Yebom, Generational Continuity, and Kinship Relationships
Reproduction
Intermarriage and Marriage Regulations
Age Variation for Defining Girls (Women)
Marital Obligations and Rights
Rights of Widows and Stepchildren/Stepparents
Control over Daughters
Sotah
Divorce: The Dissolution of Marriage
Concluding Thoughts
Chapter 7: Study as a Socially Formative Activity: The Case of Mishnah Study in the Early Rabbinic Group
Contextual Elements: Text, Study, and Occupational Groups in Ancient Judaic Societies
Contextual Elements: Sage and Scribal “Classes” in Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean Societies of the Greco-Roman Period
Mishnah Study and Early Rabbinic Social Formation, a Case Study
Extra-Mishnaic, Early Rabbinic Evidence for the Centrality of Mishnah Study to the Inner-Group Life of the Early Rabbinic Social Formation
Intra-Mishnaic Evidence and the Nature of Inner-Group, Normative Traits Modeled and Re-enforced by Mishnah Study
Macro-Literary Traits: Mishnah’s Topical Agenda and Scripture
Micro-Rhetorical Traits: Inculcating “High-Grid” Taxonomical Vision
Conclusions
Chapter 8: When Tosefta Was Read in Service of Mishnah Study: What Pervasive Literary-Rhetorical Traits of Toseftan Materials Divulge About the Evolution of Early Rabbinic Group Identity on the Heels of Mishnah’s Promulgation
Introduction: The Question at Hand
Recalling Conclusions Based on the Evidence of Mishnah
The Task at Hand: The Evidence from Tosefta and the First Developments of a Post-Mishnaic Social Identity Within the Early Rabbinic Social Formation
Underlying Historical Premises for This Study’s Approach
What the Toseftan Evidence, Considered In Situ, Shows: Prefiguring This Study’s Findings
Tosefta’s Literary-Rhetorical Traits as a Model of/for Mishnah Study
Tosefta’s Macro Traits: Agenda and Organization
Broadly Speaking, Mishnah Supplies Tosefta with Its Themes and Vision of Its “World”
Tosefta Stands in Similar Relationship to Scripture as Mishnah Does
Tosefta’s “Chapters” Have, Relative to Mishnah, Little Literary Unity and Coherence of Their Own, But, In Situ, Rely on the Unity and Coherence of Corresponding Mishnah “Chapters”
Tosefta’s Intermediate Level, Literary-Rhetorical Traits
Tosefta as “Commentary” and “Complement” Often Serves to Mitigate Mishnah’s Extremely Laconic Nature
Tosefta as “Supplement” to Mishnaic “Chapters”
Tosefta’s Micro-Level Literary-Rhetorical Traits
Concluding Observations
Chapter 9: Studying Mishnah “Talmudic-ly”: What the Basic Literary-Rhetorical Features of the Talmuds’ Legal Compositions and Composite “Essays” Tell Us About Mishnah Study as an Identity-Informing Activity Within Rabbinic Groups at the End of Late Antiqu
Introduction: Questions and Targeting a Specific Type of Evidence in Response
Some Core, Pervasive Literary-Rhetorical Traits of the Yerushalmi’s and Bavli’s Legal Compositions
The Literary-Rhetorical “Interrogative Drivers” of Compositions in Yerushalmi and Bavli
Take, for Example, These Two “Parallel” Composite Essays from the Yerushalmi and Bavli
What Has Happened to Mishnah Study in Studying It “Talmudic-ly” as an Identify-Forming Activity Within the Rabbinic Movement? Some Observations and Proposals
Index