The Invention of Judaism: Torah and Jewish Identity from Deuteronomy to Paul

333 Pages·2017·1.84 MB·English

by  John J. Collins

The Invention of Judaism
Torah and Jewish Identity from
Deuteronomy to Paul
John J. Collins
university of california press
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of
the Jewish Studies Endowment Fund of the University of California Press
Foundation, which was established by a major gift from the
S. Mark Taper Foundation.

The Invention of Judaism
the taubman lectures in jewish studies
Daniel Boyarin, Series Editor
The Taubman Professorship and Lectures
The Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Visiting Professorship in
Jewish Studies was established at the University of California,
Berkeley, in 1975 by grants from Milton I. Taubman and the
Taubman Foundation; an equal sum was contributed by the
family of Maurice Amado, Walter A. Haas, Daniel E. Koshland,
Madeleine Haas Russell, and Benjamin H. Swig. Distinguished
scholars in the fi elds of Jewish studies are invited to teach at
Berkeley for the enrichment of students and to give open lectures
for the benefi t of the public at large. Publication of the lectures is
made possible by a special gift of the Taubman Foundation.
1. Biblical Prose Prayer as a Window to the Popular Religion of Ancient Israel, by
Moshe Greenberg.
2. Hebrew Poetry of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, by Dan Pagis.
3. The Promise of the Land: The Inheritance of the Land of Canaan by the Israelites,
by Moshe Weinfeld
4. Tales of the Neighborhood: Jewish Narrative Dialogues in Late Antiquity, by Galit
Hasan-Rokem
5. Alef, Mem, Tau: Kabbalistic Musings on Time, Truth, and Death, by Elliot
Wolfson
6. Halakhah in the Making: The Development of Jewish Law from Qumran to the
Rabbis, by Aharon Shemesh
7. The Invention of Judaism: Torah and Jewish Identity from Deuteronomy to Paul,
by John J. Collins
The Invention of Judaism
Torah and Jewish Identity from
Deuteronomy to Paul
John J. Collins
university of california press
University of California Press, one of the most
distinguished university presses in the United States,
enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship
in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and
by philanthropic contributions from individuals and
institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2017 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Collins, John J. (John Joseph), author.
Title: The invention of Judaism : Torah and Jewish
identity from Deuteronomy to Paul / John J. Collins.
Other titles: Taubman lectures in Jewish studies ; 7.
Description: Oakland, California : University of
California Press, [2017] | Series: The Taubman
lectures in Jewish studies ; 7 | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifi ers: lccn 2016033502 (print) | lccn 2016034742
(ebook) | isbn 9780520294110 (cloth : alk. paper) |
isbn 9780520294127 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
isbn 9780520967366 ()
Subjects: lcsh: Judaism—History—To 70 a.d. |
Bible. Old Testament—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Classifi cation: lcc bm170 .c65 2017 (print) | lcc
bm170 (ebook) | ddc 296.09/01—dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016033502
Manufactured in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
contents
Preface vii
Introduction: Jews, Judeans, and the Maccabean Crisis
1
1. Deuteronomy and the Invention of the Torah
21
2. Torah in the Persian Period
44
3. The Persistence of Non-Mosaic Judaism
62
4. Torah as Narrative and Wisdom
80
5. Torah as Law
97
6. Torah and Apocalypticism
114
7. The Law in the Diaspora
134
8. Paul, Torah, and Jewish Identity
159
Epilogue
183
Notes 189
Bibliography 255
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources 301
Index of Modern Authors 313
preface
Jewish identity is a controversial issue. Traditionally, anyone born of a
Jewish mother is a Jew. Yet the rabbinate in Israel refuses to recognize
marriages or conversions performed by conservative or reform
rabbis. By some standards, genealogy is not enough. To be Jewish is to
keep the Law of Moses, or even to keep it according to a particular
interpretation.
The tension underlying these modern disputes is an old one. Juda-
ism is an ethnicity, to which one may belong regardless of belief or reli-
gious practice, but it is also a religion, defi ned by adherence to the Law
of Moses. The ethnicity can be traced back to the time of King David
or beyond. The normative status of the Law is also ancient, but arose
somewhat later. Contrary to popular belief, Judaism, in the sense
defi ned by the Law, did not begin at Mount Sinai. The Torah, or Penta-
teuch (the fi ve books of Moses), was formed over centuries, in a process
that is still a matter of intense debate. Most scholars agree that it took
its fi nal shape either during or after the Babylonian exile, in the sixth
century b.c.e. It was not immediately accepted as normative by every-
one. This book is an attempt to trace the reception of the Torah in its
fi rst six hundred years or so, from the Babylonian exile to the end of the
Second Temple period.
vii