After Eden : Church Fathers and Rabbis on Genesis 3:16-21 /
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This volume charts the interpretation of Genesis 3:16-21 in a number of patristic and classical rabbinic sources. It is a case study in the reception of a biblical fragment in two intrinsically related yet distinct interpretative communities: early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. Following the lead of the biblical text, this study sheds new light on each traditions' view of the human condition, more specifically on the way Church Fathers and Rabbis approach the themes of procreation, labour, mortality and corporeality. The book carefully studies the reading of the biblical text as proposed by a number of representative and influential authors or documents, including Ambrose of Milan, Didymus the Blind, John Chrysostom and Augustine, as well as Genesis Rabbah and Avot de Rabbi Nathan. The introductions at the beginning of each chapter enable also the non-specialist to enter the distinct literary worlds of midrash and patristic Bible interpretation.
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Saints and role models in Judaism and Christianity /
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This volume deals with the role of saints and exemplary individuals in Judaism and Christianity. Although sharing the Hebrew Bible and recognizing the same Biblical figures there, both religions have developed widely divergent perspectives upon the significance of these figures, although there are occasional common motifs and themes. Moreover, even the contrasting themes betray an underlying interaction between both religions as is clear from the contributions on, for example, Melchizedek, Elijah, the Desert Fathers, Rabbis on clothing, the Apostle Peter in Jewish tradition, the Maccabees in Christian tradition and the Biblical examples in Saint Antony the Hermit. The book examines Jewish and Christian perspectives upon saints and role models from the Biblical period to the present time. It will be of special importance to scholars and general readers interested in an interdisciplinary approach to theology, rabbinics, history, art history and much more.
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1 online resource :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
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9789004126145
Eusebius, Onomasticon : A Triglott Edition with Notes and Commentary /
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One of the challenging tasks for archaeologists and biblical historians alike is the identification of sites mentioned in the Bible-some of which were destroyed and disappeared in time without a trace. The first comprehensive attempt to locate these places was that of Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea and fourth-century church historian (ca. 260-339 CE). In his Onomasticon Eusebius cataloged most of the cities, sites and regions mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Supplementing his list when possible, Eusebius provided detailed information concerning the sites' history and location, including their distances in Roman miles from other well-known metropolitan centers in fourth century Palestine. The Onomasticon of Eusebius is the most important book for the study of the Land of Israel in the Roman period. Scholars and students alike will find his work indispensable for an understanding the physical settings of the biblical narrative.
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Aggadat Bereshit : Translated from the Hebrew with an Introduction and Notes /
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Aggadat Bereshit is a homiletic Midrash on the Book of Genesis written in Hebrew, about the 10th century CE. It has a unique threefold structure, dividing the chapters or homilies according to the three parts of Tenakh : Torah (Genesis), Prophets and Writings. It contains interesting material, some unparalleled in rabbinic literature, such as an anti-Christian interpretation of Genesis 22. Besides being the first translation, this volume presents some variants from manuscripts unknown by its last editor (S. Buber, Krakow 1903). This English translation will be welcomed in the world of Jewish and Biblical Studies, academics as well as lay-persons with lesser knowledge of rabbinic Hebrew. The extensive introduction gives an up-to-date overview of the questions as to text, contents, structure, dating and provenance of this hitherto neglected Midrash.
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Purity and Holiness : The Heritage of Leviticus /
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Purity has long been recognized as one of the essential drives which determines humankind's relationship with the holy. Codes of purity and impurity, dealing with such far-ranging topics as 'external stains' and 'inner remorse', represent the physical and 'bodily' side of religious experience and provide the key to the understanding of human orientation to nature, and the structure of society, including even relationships between the sexes. Starting with the Hebrew Bible, a number of articles study some rather neglected passages from both exegetical and cultural-anthropological standpoints. Next, it is shown that the concept of purity is far more central to the New Testament than previously thought. Luke is portrayed as a Jewish-oriented writer. The discussion of purity in Mark is compared with Rabbinical and Qumranic material. Patristic discussions of purity reflect both allegorical and literal interpretations, while rabbinical rulings display a fine sense for detail and realia. Biblical references to illness are interpreted both in Christian and Jewish traditions as a metaphor for immoral behavior. The present collection of studies proceeds far beyond other collections on purity, studying both the medieval and modern periods. Purity rules, in both Christian and Jewish society, do not disappear in the Middle Ages, but become increasingly stronger. Sometimes there appear unexpected and surprising similarities between both societies. Modern society sees a decline in the importance of purity, reflecting a growing ambiguous attitude to the relationship between the body and the holy. A feminist perspective is also provided, examining the intertwined relationship between religion, gender and power. Exegesis, archaeology, liturgy, anthropology and even architecture are all used to study the complex phenomena of purity in their religious and social dimensions from both Christian and Jewish perspectives.
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1 online resource :
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Paratext and Megatext as Channels of Jewish and Christian Traditions : The Textual Markers of Contextualization /
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Religious traditions are channeled to new audiences by textual markers, which inform their understanding and influence. Such markers are signs of contextualisation which belong to the paratext of a tradition: textual elements that do not belong to the core text itself but belong to their embedding and as such affect their reception. Alternatively, some texts function purposely in tandem with another text, and cannot be understood without that text. While the second text informs the way the first one is being understood, it can hardly function independently. The discussions include the arrangement of textual blocks in the Hebrew Bible; how the oral transmission of Jewish Aramaic Bible translations had to be recited as a counterpoint to the Hebrew chant; how synagogue poetry presupposes the channels of liturgical instruction; how the Talmud can be perceived as a translation of Mishnah; how the presence of paratextual elements such as annotations and prefaces influenced the Index Librorum Prohibitorum concerning 16th century Bibles; the function of paratext and scope for modern Bible translations. This volume will tentatively explore the wide range of paratext and megatext as devices of channeling religious traditions.
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Eusebius of Caesarea against Paganism /
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Dealing with the subject of apologetics and polemics against the pagans in Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-340), this volume discusses his response to the vigorous political, cultural and religious campaign launched against Christianity in his time. The first part of the book examines the background for Eusebius' apologetic enterprise and his early apologetic writings. The second and main part of the study analyzes major topics in Eusebius' great two-part apologetic work, the Praeparatio Evangelica and the Demonstratio Evangelica , such as the concept of Christian prehistory, prophecy and miracles. The last part deals with Eusebius' tactics and rhetoric and the place of Porphyry - the outstanding pagan polemicist against Christianity - in Eusebius' work. This part closes with a discussion of Eusebius' final apologetic statement in his work The Theophany , reflecting already the recent triumph of Christianity. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
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Justin Martyr and the Jews /
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Justin Martyr, a second-century Gentile Christian apologist, was active in the Christian-Jewish propaganda war to convert each other and the pagans. He radicalized the ideas of St. Paul on the divine Election, Abraham, the Pentateuch, and the Gentiles. Justin's background, sources, and thought, and his place in the inter-religious propaganda war, are discussed, as are the irreconcilable views of Jesus and Paul on the Pentateuch and the Gentiles. Justin Martyr and the Jews considers the place of Paul and Justin's teachings in today's Christian-Jewish dialogue about the roots of early Christian Antisemitism, showing that the presuppositions of Paul and Justin must be abandoned if Christians and Jews today are to reach true understanding. As part of the search for such understanding, recent scholarly literature has been concerned with pre- and post-Holocaust inter-religious relations, as well as with the roots of Christian Antisemitism. Some scholars have endeavoured to show that Pauline teachings were misunderstood, and thereby exonerate Paul from the responsibility for Christian persecutions of Jews through the ages. These scholars have also attempted to make Paul a bridge between Christians and Jews in their modern dialogue. The present writer argues that this interpretation of Pauline teaching, followed and even radicalized by Justin, is unfounded.
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Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
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Religious Identity and the Problem of Historical Foundation : The Foundational Character of Authoritative Sources in the History of Christianity and Judaism /
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The essays collected in this book deal with the question how, throughout the history of Christianity, Christian communities have tried to construct their identity by anchoring their views in authoritative and normative sources. The main focus is upon the problem of historical foundation through textual traditions but other authoritative sources ( role of religious leaders; ritual traditions) are taken into consideration as well. The book takes as its point of departure the fact that with the rise of modernity the former dependence of western church and society on authoritative sources was called into question. Ever since, appeal to such sources is no longer self-evident; at times it is even regarded as problematic. Based on this radical change brought about by modernity, the book is divided in two main parts. The first part deals with the question how Christian churches and confessions ( Roman-Catholic and Protestant) confronted modernity and which role was played by authoritative sources in the tradition to the modern era. Special attention will be paid to the way in which Judaism reacted to many of the same impulses, both societal and religious ones. The second part deals with the premodern period, from early Christianity to the post-Reformation era, and focuses on the role authoritative traditions, textual or otherwise, have played in providing various Christian communities with a relative stable identity. The aim of the book is to elucidate processes resulting in the formation of authoritative traditions as well as the effects of these traditions on the identity of Christian and Jewish communities. In addition, the book attempts to clarify the various ways in which Christian and Jewish communities have reacted to the growing suspicion authoritative traditions aroused in the western world since the rise of modernity.
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A Holy People : Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Religious Communal Identity /
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A Holy People investigates the various ways in which Jews and Christians define their religious identity, people or community, as being holy. Keeping in mind that historical studies can offer food for thought regarding contemporary issues, the study offers a large collection of essays, relating to the biblical, patristic and medieval period and especially to the modern period. The obvious question of many in the modern world as to whether the attribute of the 'holiness' allows for acknowledgement of authentic religion outside the own religious community, deserves an honest answer and well-documented study: too easily the claim of holiness intertwines with claims of power, whether by rivalling groups within the religious community, by groups divided along gender lines, or on the level of territorial claims. It will be of special importance to scholars and general readers interested in an interdisciplinary approach to theology, rabbinics, history, political science, and much more.
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1 online resource :
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Jesus' Last Week : Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels - Volume One /
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For the past forty years, but for only the first time in history, Christian scholars fluent in Hebrew and living in the land of Israel have collaborated with Jewish scholars to examine Jesus' sayings from a Judaic and Hebraic perspective. The result of this research confirms that Jesus was an organic part of the diverse social and religious landscape of Second Temple-period Judaism. He, like other Jewish sages of his time, used specialized methods to teach foundational Jewish theological concepts such as God's abundant grace. Jesus' teaching was revolutionary in a number of ways, particularly in three areas: his radical interpretation of the biblical commandment of mutual love; his call for a new morality; and his idea of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels , the initial volume, focuses on the Passion Narratives in a search for the Historical Jesus. It also reexamines the synoptic problem in light of recent historical and archaeological research. The volume represents the first attempt by members and associates of the Jerusalem School to apply collectively the methodology pioneered by Robert Lindsey and David Flusser. Included in the volume is the final article written by the late Professor Flusser, The Synagogue and the Church in the Synoptic Gospels.
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1 online resource :
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Sanctity of time and space in tradition and modernity /
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Time and space can take on a sacred nature in both Judaism and Christianity accompanied by a permanent critical attitude towards the sacred. Conceptions of sacredness imply a conception of community and of society at large. This study investigates the different attitudes toward sacred time and space from an interdisciplinary perspective, ranging from the Biblical period through Qumran, Patristics, Rabbinics, archaeology and theology to modern and even to post-modern rituals. This approach offers a fascinating insight into both the common heritage of Judaism and Christianity and their mutual differences.
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Includes bibliographical references and index. :
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