Women in the Bible, Qumran, and early Rabbinic literature : their status and roles / by Peter Heger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heger, Paul, 1924- author.

Series:

Studies on the texts of the desert of Judah ; Volume 110.

Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, 0169-9962 ; Volume 110

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women in the Bible.

Women in rabbinical literature.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (434 pages).

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands : Brill, 2014.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Women in the Bible, Qumran and Early Rabbinic Literature: Their Status and Roles portrays the tension between the unity of husband and wife and their different legal and social status from a wide range of perspective, as deduced from the texts of the three corpora. The volume discusses the related topics of divorce, polygamy, woman's obligations to fulfill precepts, membership in the community, genealogy and attitudes toward sex, such as rejection of asceticism. Women in the Bible, Qumran and Early Rabbinie Literature begins with an objective interpretation of the biblical narratives of the Creation and the Fall, the intellectual basis of Jewish attitudes toward women, and then analyzes the divergent interpretations of Qumran and the Rabbis, the grounds of their distincet doctrines and halakhot. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1

1 The Creation Narrative and the Status of Women 11

1.1 Introduction 11

1.2 The Biblical Text: Problems and Interpretations 11

1.2.1 Key Textual Differences between the Creation Narratives of Gen t and 2 11

1.2.2 Textual Issues in the Creation Narrative of Gen 2 12

1.2.3 Interpreting the Phrase 14

1.2.4 Implications of Man's Prior Creation 18

1.2.5 The Creation of Woman from Man (Gen 2:21-24) 22

1.2.6 God's. Presentation of Eve to Adam, and His Reaction 26

1.2.7 Scholarly Opinions and Interpretations 32

1.3.1 Male-Female Equality or Inequality as a Consequence of the Creation Narrative 35

1.3 Qumran's Possible Understanding of the Creation Narrative and Its Legal Ramifications 39

1.4 Rabbinic Interpretation of the Creation Narrative: Positive and Negative Attitudes towards Women in Midrashim 42

1.5 Conclusion 45

2 Interpretations of the Fall Narrative 46

2.1 Introduction 46

2.2 The Biblical Text: Problems and Interpretations 47

2.2.1 Close Textual Analysis of Gen 3.1-14 47

2.2.2 Gen 3:14-24: Distinct Retributions for Adam and Eve 52

2.2.3 Jubilees' Intentional Changes to the Biblical Text 60

2.2.4 Scriptural Attitudes towards Women 64

2.2.5 Excursus: Js Jubilees' Attitude towards Women Negative or Positive? 72

2.2.6 Intermediate Summary 77

2.3 Qumran Interpretation of the Woman's Role in the Fall Narrative 78

2.3.1 Hypotheses of Woman's Rote in the Fall Event 78

2.3.2 No Allegation of Sexual Misbehaviour of Women in Qumran Writings 80

2.4 The Rabbinic Interpretation of the Fall Narrative 83

2.4.1 Midrashim with Negative Views towards Women 83

2.4.2 Midrashim Attributing Guilt to Adam, Mitigating Eve's Guilt 86

2.4.3 Rabbinic Attitudes towards Women: A Brief Overview 89

2.4.4 Rabbinic Rules of Behaviour for Contact with Women and Their Interpretation 90

2.5 Underlying Philosophy and Theology of Rabbinic Midrashim and Quasi'Halakhot 92

2.5.1 Women's Character: The Dinah Affair 92

2.5.2 Frymer-Kenslys Theory 94

2.5.3 Rabbinic Conceptions of Men's Character 97

2.6 Deducing the Theology and Philosophy Underlying Rabbinic Literature 100

2.6.1 General Principles, Criteria, and Premises 100

2.6.2 Assessing Contrasting Midrashim and Pronouncements 101

2.6.3 Summarizing Rabbinic Opinion 103

2.7 Conclusion, Part 1: Interpretations of the Creation and Fall Narratives 105

Part 2

3 The Father's Authority and Responsibility, and Their Limitations: A Debate with Scholarly Theories 113

3.1 Introduction 113

3.2 Slavery and Manumission for Israelite Women: Scriptural Rules 113

3.3 Rabbinic Rules Relating to Male and Female Minors 124

3.4 Plausible Attitude of Qumran towards the Father's Authority 126

3.5 A General Reflection on the Status of Women in Jewish Writings 128

4 Women's Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts 131

4.1 Introduction 131

4.2 Scriptural Attitudes towards Women's Obligations 132

4.2.1 Scriptural Commands That Lack Precision about Gender 132

4.2.2 Did Women Participate in the Revelation at Sinai? An Analysis of the Scriptural Text 133

4.2.3 The Range and 139

4.2.4 Ramifications of Women s Absence from the Revelation at Sinai 141

4.2.5 The Husband's Authority to Decide Which Precepts His Wife Must Fulfill: The Evidence 143

4.3 Rabbinic Viewpoints on Women's Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts 148

4.3.1 Did Women Participate in the Sinai Revelation? Rabbinic Opinions 148

4.3.2 Rabbinic Attitudes towards Women's Obligations: Introduction 152

4.3.3 Rabbinic Theories and Their Textual and Practical Background 154

4.3.4 How Women's Obligations Became Institutionalized 162

4.4 Debating Safrai's Theory on the Sequence of the Developmental Stages 163

4.4.1 Consequences from the Rabbinic Midrashim about the Rules for Teaching Women 163

4.4.2 Additional Evidence against Safrai's Theory 165

4.5 Qurmranic Attitudes on Woman's Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts 170

4.5.1 Introduction 170

4.5.2 Implicit Deduct ions from Qumranic Texts 170

4.6 Conclusion 174

5 Were Women Members of the Eda-Yahad? 176

5.1 Scriptural Commands That Lack Precision about Gender 176

5.2 Quniran's Principle of Eda, the Yahad Holy Community, and Its Legal Implications 176

5.3 References to Yahad in Qumran Writings: Differing Scholarly Proposals 184

5.4 Sharing Wealth of Members in iQS and in CD: Identical or Different? 189

5.4.1 iQS Community Rules Texts 190

5.4.2 Harmonization of Apparent Inconsistencies 192

5.5 Interim Conclusion 195

5.6 Debating Schuller's and Grossman's Theories 197

5.6.1 The Status of Women and Children in the Eda 197

5.6.2 Schuller's Interpretation 199

5.6.3 Grossman's Interpretation 204

5.6.4 Further Debates on Women's Status in Qumran 208

5.7 Debating Wassen's Theory 213

6 The Polygamy Rules of CD IV:20-V:2 and 11Q19 LVII:15-19 and Their Sources: Implications for Divorce and Remarriage 220

6.1 Introduction 220

6.2 The Interpretation of CD IV:20-V:1: Disputing Schremer's Theory 222

6.3 Motivations and Sources of the Prohibition on Polygamy in CD 225

6.3.1 The Motivation for the Prohibition: Wassen's Conjecture 225

6.3.2 The Biblical Source of the Polygamy Prohibition in the CD 226

6.3.2.1 Lev 18:18 or a Logical Consideration of Gen v.2.7 and 7:9? 226

6.3.2.2 The Meaning of J1VT: Debating Grubers Narrow Interpretation 228

6.3.2.3 Further Arguments against Gruber's Theory 230

6.3.3 The Source of the Prohibition on Polygamy in 11Q19 LVII15-19 235

6.3.4 Further Questions on the Polygamy Prohibition 238

6.3.5 Thoughts on the Motive behind Qumran's Prohibition of Polygamy 239

6.3.6 Interim Conclusion on the Source of the Polygamy Prohibition in the CD 240

6.4 Does CD Prohibit Divorce? 241

6.4.1 Shemesh's Theory: Sexual Intercourse between a Man and an Unmarried Woman Is Equivalent to Marriage 244

6.4.2 Vered Noam's Theory That Qumran Followed the Rule of the Ancient Halakah, Prohibiting Divorce Altogether 247

7 Asceticism in Scripture and in Qumran and Rabbinic Literature 249

7.1 Introduction 249

7.2 What Is Asceticism? 250

7.3 Fraade on Rabbinic Asceticism 252

7.4 The Biblical Attitude towards Pleasure: The Antithesis of Asceticism 262

7.4.1 The Scriptural Concept of Fasting 365

7.5 Pleasure and Self-Denial in the Rabbinic Literature 267

7.5.1 Boyarin's Thesis: The Good and Evil Desires 267

7.5.2 Rabbinic Attitude towards Pleasure 270

7.6 Fraade's Thesis: Obstacles to Spiritual Fulfillment 272

7.6.1 Fraade's Definition of Perushim 275

7.6.2 Self Denial of Pleasure during Mourning Is Not Asceticism 279

7.6.3 Nazirite Abstention Is Not Asceticism 282

7.6.4 The Rabbinic Concept of Fasting 288

7.7 Asceticism in the Qumran Texts 292

7.7.1 Preliminary Considerations 292

7.7.2 Fraade's Thesis: An Ascetic Community in Qumran? 293

7.8 Conclusion 298

8 Genealogy and Holiness of Seed in Second Temple Judaism: Facts or Creative Supposition? 302

8.1 Introduction 302

8.2 Genealogical Purity or Cultural Survival? 303

8.2.1 The Nature of Restrictions on Marriage in Second Temple Judaism 303

8.2.2 The Basis of the Qumranic Marriage Rules of 4Q271 and 4Q3g6 308

8.3 Interpreting Ezra and Nehemiah on Intermarriage 311

8.3.1 The Relevant Texts and Their Main Meaning 311

8.3.2 Ezra and Nehemiah's Motivation in Extending Prohibition of Intermarriage 312

8.3.3 Ethnicity and Intermarriage 314

8.3.4 The Problematic Concept of "Holy Seed" 316

8.3.5 Interpreting Pollution and Cleansing 322

8.4 Disputing Hayes' Theory 324

8.4.1 The Core of the Theory 324

8.4.2 Desecration or Transgression? 328

8.4.3 The Significance of the asham (Guilt) Offering 330

8.4.4 Intermarriage: Cultural Dilution, Not Profanation 332

8.4.5 Disputing Hayes' Support from Tobit 333

8.4.6 Disputing Hayes' Support from Jubilees 335

8.4.7 Concluding Reflections 340

8.5 Disputing Hayes on Qumran's Attitude towards Intermarriage 340

8.5.1 The Meaning of and in Qumran Literature 342

8.5.2 The Meaning of in Qumran Literature 345

8.5.3 Disputing Hayes' Interpretation of the Phinehas Narrative 348

8.5.4 Hayes' Interpretation and Ezra's Intentions 350

8.5.5 Conclusion: Ezra's Prohibition in Relation to Divine Law 353

8.6 Conversion and the "Holy Seed" Theory 354

8.6.1 Qumran and Converts 355

8.6.2 The Meanings of ger and ezrakh 357

8.7 Conclusion 364

8.8 Appendix: The Term in Scripture, Qumran and Rabbinic Literature, and Scholarship 365.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Local Notes:

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.

Other Format:

Print version: Heger, Paul, 1924- Women in the Bible, Qumran, and early Rabbinic literature : their status and roles.

ISBN:

9789004277113

OCLC:

883570480

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.