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Babels Tower Translated: Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation PDF

379 Pages·2013·4.53 MB·English
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Babel’s Tower Translated Biblical Interpretation Series EditorsinChief PaulAnderson YvonneSherwood EditorialAdvisoryBoard AkmaAdam–RolandBoer–MusaDube JenniferL.Koosed–VernonRobbins AnnetteSchellenberg–CarolynJ.Sharp JohannaStiebert–DuaneWatson RubenZimmermann VOLUME117 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/bins Babel’s Tower Translated Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation By PhillipMichaelSherman LEIDEN•BOSTON 2013 LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Sherman,PhillipMichael. Babel'sTowertranslated:Genesis11andancientJewishinterpretation/byPhillipMichael Sherman. pagescm.–(Biblicalinterpretationseries;volume117) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-90-04-20509-3(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-24861-8(e-book)1.Babel, Towerof.2.Bible.O.T.GenesisXI–Criticism,interpretation,etc.3.Rabbinicalliterature–History andcriticism.I.Title. BS1238.B2S542013 222'.110609–dc23 2012048655 Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100characters coveringLatin,IPA,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitableforuseinthehumanities. Formoreinformation,pleaseseewww.brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN0928-0731 ISBN978-90-04-20509-3(hardback) ISBN978-90-04-24861-8(e-book) Copyright2013byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,GlobalOriental,HoteiPublishing, IDCPublishersandMartinusNijhoffPublishers. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical, photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher. AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillNV providedthattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter, 222RosewoodDrive,Suite910,Danvers,MA01923,USA. Feesaresubjecttochange. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper. םדאשרבדלכשאצומהתאןכ ומשלעארקנוילעושפנןתונ Mekhilta,Shirta35 ForSuzanne,Kitely,andEmory Whohumblemeinbeingcalledbymyname. CONTENTS Acknowledgements..................................................... ix Abbreviations........................................................... xi Introduction:InterpretationasTranslationorExegesisandHistorical Hermeneutics ...................................................... 1 PARTI UNEARTHINGTHETOWER IntroductiontoPartI ................................................... 11 1 ReturntoBabel:ReadingwithouttheCanon....................... 17 2 ReadingBabelBackwards.CanonicalFoundationsforExegetical Expansion .......................................................... 43 PARTII REWRITTENBABEL IntroductiontoPartII .................................................. 87 3 TheHolyLanguageintheBookofJubilees:TheTowerofBabel andtheEclipseofSacredTradition................................. 97 4 Pseudo-Philo’sBiblicalAntiquities:EchoesoftheTower............ 121 5 JosephusandtheInfluenceofAnxiety:ColonizingtheTowerand thePoliticsofDispersion........................................... 153 6 TranslatedtoHeaven:TheTowerofBabelandThird(Greek) Baruch.............................................................. 195 7 TheInnerTower:PhiloandtheTranslationofCultures............ 217 viii contents PARTIII THERABBINICBABEL:MIDRASHASTRANSLATION IntroductiontoPartIII ................................................. 277 8 AJustTranslation:ReadingtheRabbinicBabelinGenesisRabbah 289 Conclusion ............................................................. 333 Bibliography ............................................................ 337 IndexofAncientSources ............................................... 355 IndexofModernAuthors............................................... 361 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following work is a slightly revised version of my Emory University dissertation.WritingadissertationisnotdissimilarfrombuildingtheTower ofBabel.Thevoicesofamultitudeofpersons(bothscholarsandteachers) mustbebentintosomeformofaunifiedvoiceiftheprojectisevertoreach completion.Theworkitselfoftenseemsdauntingandoverlyambitiouson manydays.Whilethefinalpurposeistoproduceanewpieceofscholarship which(hopefully)sayssomethinginteresting,anequallyimportantgoalis the production of a ‘name’ for the student. There is also the ever present possibilitythatsomehigherpower(deityorcommitteemember)willfind fault with the project and send the bricks crashing down on your head! I havebeenfortunatethatthelaterdidnotoccur. Therearetoomanypeopletothankfortheirgeneroussupport.During graduateschoolIbenefitedfromthecuriosityandwisdomofanumberof friends. I am especially grateful to Jordan Rosenblum, who taught me an enormousamountaboutwhyandhowtherabbisdowhattheydo.Beatrice Wallinshastaughtmemanyimportantthings.Iwillnotforgetasummer spentdrinkingcoffee,translatingMishnahandTargum,andworryingabout theadventofparenthood. IamthankfulforWilliamK.Gilderswhopushedmetotranslatemore closely, think more clearly, and write more economically—even when I pushed back. I am also grateful that Walter Wilson and Carol Newsom agreedtobeonmydissertationcommittee.Theircarefulreadingandfrank criticismshavemadethisworkstrongerthanitcouldhavebeenotherwise. Myparentshavebeenaconstantsourceofkindnessinmylife.Theyhave always been supportive of my career plans, even when I am certain they didn’tquitebelievesuchacareerwaspossibleoradvisable.Imustalsothank myfriendsattheSocietyofBiblicalLiteratureforofferinggreatfriendship andencouragement(nottomentionbabysittingservices)duringmytime onstaff. Icompletedthewritingofmydissertationduringmyfirsttwoyearsat Maryville College. It is no exaggeration to say that Maryville College has beenessentialinthesuccessfulcompletionofthework.ThanksgotoKaren BealeandAndrewIrvineforalwaysbeingpresentandkeepingmesane.My mentorandfriend,PeggyCowan,hasdonetoomanythingstobeadequately thanked.Sheistheverydefinitionofanרזעןבא.

Description:
Ancient Jewish Interpreters read and rewrote the biblical narrative of the Tower of Babel to address various challenges to the identity of 'Israel' in the Second Temple and early rabbinic periods.
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