The Shalom Hartman Institute has an article by Ishay Rosen-Zvi, “Orality, narrative, rhetoric: New directions in Mishnah research.” The article originally appeared in the AJS Review, V. 32 No. 2, November 2008. The appearance in recent years of an impressive series of books, articles, and mainly dissertations on various aspects of the Mishnah, collectively signifies [...]
Unrelated to the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the always interesting blog Boing Boing has linked to a blog which discusses things a bit more down-to-Earth, kids and how we shouldn’t be so paranoid, although sometimes we probably should be, about what they eat, how they play, etc. For parents with kids under driving [...]
Menachem Butler has further clarification by Rachel Elior of her theory that the Essenes never existed. Money quote: Why should we rely on the questionable testimony of Philo, Pliny and Josephus, written in Greek and Latin outside of the Land of Israel in the first century, about peaceful celibates who lived ideal lives in a [...]
Over at H-Law there is an interesting discussion about the “top ten historians.” Even with all of the limitations and biases involved in making such a list, whether they be geographical, disciplinary, etc., it is a lively and informative discussion. The most recent posts from this discussion thread can be found here, starting with this [...]
What a few weeks it has been for the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Scholarship suggesting the existence of the Essenes, a religious Jewish group that lived in the Judea before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, is wrong, according to Prof. Rachel Elior, whose study on the subject will be [...]
In Haaretz there is an interesting interview with Yehuda Liebes about many things. Also see this Hebrew site which has a number of his articles. Here is an interesting biographical note. He is happiest when he’s at home in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, in the company of his books, sitting in front of his computer. [...]
While teaching a class the other day I came across an interesting note in Menachem Elon’s magnum opus Jewish Law : History, Sources, Principles. In his discussion of R. Yosef Caro’s Beit Yosef, Elon quotes extensively from Karo’s introduction to this work. At the end of a long list of authorities whom he will cite, [...]
As Purim is almost over, a quick post on an interesting facet of Megillat Esther. Among all of the scrolls and fragments that make up the Dead Sea Scrolls there is at least a fragment of every single biblical book except for Esther and possibly Nehemiah. See here, here, and this article which I haven’t [...]
I just received the following email from JTS. I regret to inform you that Dr. Fritz A. Rothschild passed away. Dr. Rothschild was Professor Emeritus of Jewish Philosophy, was a graduate of our Rabbinical School and a long time member of our faculty. The funeral will take place this Wednesday, March 11 at 11:30 am [...]
Congratulations go out to Adam Shear of Tea, Lemon, Old Books. (hat tip) PITT PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES WINS NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 3 March 2009 University of Pittsburgh issued the following news release: Adam Shear, Pitt assistant professor of religious studies, is the winner of the prestigious National Jewish Book Award in the Scholarship category [...]
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