Babel's Tower Translated: Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation PDF
Preview Babel's Tower Translated: Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation
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.
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