Review by
Michael L. Satlow , Jewish marriage when you look at the antiquity. Princeton: Princeton College or university Push, 2001. xii, 431 pages ; twenty-five cm. ISBN 069100255X $.
Tawny Holm , Indiana College out of Pennsylvania.
It lighting-up and comprehensive publication by the Satlow happens far to display one conversation on the subject of ong Jews, and you can among all of their Christian, Roman, and you can Greek natives, as it is today from inside the progressive Western and progressive Jewish neighborhood. Satlow, whom notices relationships because a good socially constructed, culturally situated organization, gets a great refreshingly historical direction to your alarmist discourse today. “The simple fact your commentary off public marital ‘crisis’ can be so dated at least is always to aware us to brand new chance we was talking about a question of rhetoric far more than simply fact. xvi-xvii). Are you aware that researching hopeful belief one to modern wedding try rather an upgrade to the bad days of the past of your patriarchal prior, Satlow suggests that ancient Judaism is far more tricky than simply of several suppose, features “a minumum of one rabbinic articulation out of relationship ideals . . . so you’re able to rival our very own egalitarian notions” (p. xvii).
Whether the “you to rabbinic articulation” off near-egalitarianism impresses all of the reader, Satlow’s circumstances to have higher diversity within other Jewish organizations are well-made (brand new Palestinian rabbis constantly come in a much better light versus Babylonian), along with his guide commonly ergo getting tempting not just to students off Near East antiquity and you will Judaism, but on discovered societal. The research takes a vinyl method of Jewish relationship regarding Mediterranean Levant (particularly Palestine) and you may Babylonia about Persian several months with the rabbinic period (ca. five-hundred B.C.Elizabeth. to 500 C.Elizabeth.). You will find around three basic arguments: (1) individual Jewish groups of antiquity differed out of each other within comprehension of relationship, constantly however constantly conceiving relationship regarding the historical and you will incelemeyi okuyun geographical context; (2) there’s nothing fundamentally Jewish about Jewish relationships up until Jews modified way of living and you can traditions shared with the servers societies within their individual idiom to help you erican marriages today, old Jewish ideals regarding the relationship most likely diverged greatly from facts, and different ancient court prescriptions by the rabbis should not be removed since detailed.
Satlow rightly cautions an individual concerning the characteristics of one’s first sources; specific symptoms don’t have a lot of otherwise skewed facts, especially the Persian period (in which i just have Ezra-Nehemiah on Bible and you will Aramaic judge data files of Egypt) in addition to Babylonian Amoraic period 200-500 C.Elizabeth. (for which we possess the Babylonian Talmud, a giant resource however, one which shows a sealed rabbinic area rather than Babylonian Jews at-large). If you don’t new supply plus add the brand new Palestinian Talmud and you will midrashim, Jewish blog for the Greek (like the Septuagint translation of your Hebrew Bible while the The fresh Testament), the fresh Dry Sea Scrolls, scattered archaeological stays and you can inscriptions, and lots of references in order to Jews from the low-Jewish Greek and you may Latin writers.
Pursuing the inclusion, in which Satlow contours their objections, contributions, means, present, and you may methodology, the ebook are split up into around three bits. Region We, “Considering matrimony,” takes into account this new ideology, theology, and you may courtroom underpinnings from wedding. Area II, “Marrying,” actions throughout the beliefs off ancient wedding to the reality, doing which is you’ll be able to: relationship, which y), betrothal, the wedding, and also abnormal marriage ceremonies (e.g. second marriages, polygynous marriage ceremonies, concubinage, and levirate marriages). Part III, “Being Hitched,” discusses the new economics from relationship and the articulation of Jewish ideals in the old literary works and you can inscriptions. Immediately following a final part of findings, in which Satlow reorganizes his conclusions diachronically of the period and part, the book shuts that have comprehensive prevent notes, a comprehensive bibliography, and you can three indexes: topic, premodern offer, and you will modern experts.