Power, Ethics, and Ecology in Jewish Late Antiquity
eBook - PDF

Power, Ethics, and Ecology in Jewish Late Antiquity

Rabbinic Responses to Drought and Disaster

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Power, Ethics, and Ecology in Jewish Late Antiquity

Rabbinic Responses to Drought and Disaster

About this book

Rabbinic tales of drought, disaster, and charismatic holy men illuminate critical questions about power, ethics, and ecology in Jewish late antiquity. Through a sustained reading of the Babylonian Talmud's tractate on fasts in response to drought, this book shows how Bavli Ta?anit challenges Deuteronomy's claim that virtue can assure abundance and that misfortune is an unambiguous sign of divine rebuke. Employing a new method for analyzing lengthy talmudic narratives, Julia Watts Belser traces complex strands of aggadic dialectic to show how Bavli Ta?anit's redactors articulate a strikingly self-critical theological and ethical discourse. Bavli Ta?anit castigates rabbis for misuse of power, exposing the limits of their perception and critiquing prevailing obsessions with social status. But it also celebrates the possibilities of performative perception - the power of an adroit interpreter to transform events in the world and interpret crisis in a way that draws forth blessing.

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Yes, you can access Power, Ethics, and Ecology in Jewish Late Antiquity by Julia Watts Belser in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Jewish Theology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. Encountering the Bavli: An Introduction for Readers New to the Babylonian Talmud
  10. 1 Covenantal Ecology and the Discourse of Natural Signs
  11. 2 Discerning Divine Favor: The Art of Interpretation and the Ambiguity of Natural Signs
  12. 3 Merit in the Midst of Danger: Falling Walls, Faltering Houses, and the Power of Performative Perception
  13. 4 Charisma and Ritual Fasting for the Sake of Rain: Parrhesia, Penitence, and Intimacy before God
  14. 5 Confusing the Fathers: Charisma and the Limits of Human Power
  15. 6 Hiddenness and Holiness: Gender, Class, Concealment, and the Critique of Rabbinic Status-Seeking
  16. Conclusion: Power and Perception in Bavli Ta`anit
  17. Bibliography
  18. Subject Index
  19. Index of Ancient Sources