“Because Kilns Are Not Permitted in Jerusalem”: An Urban Legislation Dealing with Distancing of S... more “Because Kilns Are Not Permitted in Jerusalem”: An Urban Legislation Dealing with Distancing of Smoke-Emitting Implements from the City in Ancient Palestine
The absence in the Talmudic records of pilgrimages as one of the motives for travel raises the qu... more The absence in the Talmudic records of pilgrimages as one of the motives for travel raises the question as to whether such journeys took place during those times. This article asserts that some of the literary descriptions of ventures undertaken by Babylonian sages actually depict a kind of pilgrimage.
In the present paper an attempt is made to examine the impact of the Roman public spectacles on J... more In the present paper an attempt is made to examine the impact of the Roman public spectacles on Jews, through the rabbinic texts that allude to the 'God in the arena'.
Our paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tract... more Our paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tractate Bava Batra of the Babylonian Talmud, most of them attributed to Rabba Bar Bar Hanna. The anonymous editor of Rabba's collection of narratives wove these four accounts into a separate unit within the anthology of tales in tractate Bava Batra. Through these short narratives one may see the dialectical process of shaping rabbinic perceptions of the Sinai desert — not so much a real, geographical location as a liminal, mythical sphere. This paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tractate Bava Batra (BT. Bava Batra 73a–74b). The main concern of the fifth chapter of Bava Batra is a seller's obligations when selling a ship. The amoraic discourse on the Mishnah begins with a practical discussion, in order to elucidate its meaning. The sugya 1 then takes a new direction, in accordance with the associative structure of the Talmud. Since the sugya deals with marine matters, its legal (halakhic) part is then followed by two seafarers' narratives about huge waves, opening the sequence of some 20 travellers' tales. 2 The Talmudic redactors 3 attributed most of these accounts to the Babylonian sage Rabbah Bar Bar Hanna, an amora of the third generation; that is, the late third or early fourth century CE. 4 He was one of the nehutei, a group of sages who travelled between Babylonia and the Land of Israel, bearing knowledge about the Torah back and forth between the two centres of learning. Research shows that they were active mainly in the period between the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century CE. 5 More than 200 sayings in the Babylonian Talmud 1 Sugya is the basic unit of organisation in Talmudic Literature, typically comprising a detailed elaboration of the Mishna.
The pandocheion/inn was an ancient institution in the Mediterranean Basin and in Israel. Many stu... more The pandocheion/inn was an ancient institution in the Mediterranean Basin and in Israel. Many studies dealing with wayside inns of the ancient world show that they constituted the basic substructure for the lively travel activity during Roman times, and without which it would be difficult to understand the wideranging mobility that characterized that age. This typical institute of the Hellenistic-Roman world, had spread throughout the Land of Israel during Roman times, and consequently the word ‘pundak’ (inn) was assimilated into the Hebrew and Aramaic languages. The image of the inn as derived from Talmudic sources is usually portrayed in darkly colored shades, and does not correspond to the extensive information that confirms the importance of inns in the ancient world. Rabbinic literature can teach us something about the widespread perception of the period regarding the nature and characteristics of the wayside inn as viewed by the Sages.
In the following paper we intend to examine several rabbinic texts wherein marble paneling or pav... more In the following paper we intend to examine several rabbinic texts wherein marble paneling or paving is mentioned. Such a study may add to our understanding of attitudes and responses within Jewish spheres to the spread of the use of marble as a building material. The literary data referred to in this paper covers a period of some 800-900 years of Jewish literary writings that was created within four distinct cultures – Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian Persia and Early Islamic. Whilst there were major differences between these cultures, scholars have shown that the use of marble for decorating walls or as paving material functioned in a very similar ways. The relatively conservative techniques in marble-working between Roman and medieval times, enables us to study a collection of texts within such a wide span of time.
“Because Kilns Are Not Permitted in Jerusalem”: An Urban Legislation Dealing with Distancing of S... more “Because Kilns Are Not Permitted in Jerusalem”: An Urban Legislation Dealing with Distancing of Smoke-Emitting Implements from the City in Ancient Palestine
The absence in the Talmudic records of pilgrimages as one of the motives for travel raises the qu... more The absence in the Talmudic records of pilgrimages as one of the motives for travel raises the question as to whether such journeys took place during those times. This article asserts that some of the literary descriptions of ventures undertaken by Babylonian sages actually depict a kind of pilgrimage.
In the present paper an attempt is made to examine the impact of the Roman public spectacles on J... more In the present paper an attempt is made to examine the impact of the Roman public spectacles on Jews, through the rabbinic texts that allude to the 'God in the arena'.
Our paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tract... more Our paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tractate Bava Batra of the Babylonian Talmud, most of them attributed to Rabba Bar Bar Hanna. The anonymous editor of Rabba's collection of narratives wove these four accounts into a separate unit within the anthology of tales in tractate Bava Batra. Through these short narratives one may see the dialectical process of shaping rabbinic perceptions of the Sinai desert — not so much a real, geographical location as a liminal, mythical sphere. This paper focuses on four short tales that belong to a cycle of some 20 travel stories from tractate Bava Batra (BT. Bava Batra 73a–74b). The main concern of the fifth chapter of Bava Batra is a seller's obligations when selling a ship. The amoraic discourse on the Mishnah begins with a practical discussion, in order to elucidate its meaning. The sugya 1 then takes a new direction, in accordance with the associative structure of the Talmud. Since the sugya deals with marine matters, its legal (halakhic) part is then followed by two seafarers' narratives about huge waves, opening the sequence of some 20 travellers' tales. 2 The Talmudic redactors 3 attributed most of these accounts to the Babylonian sage Rabbah Bar Bar Hanna, an amora of the third generation; that is, the late third or early fourth century CE. 4 He was one of the nehutei, a group of sages who travelled between Babylonia and the Land of Israel, bearing knowledge about the Torah back and forth between the two centres of learning. Research shows that they were active mainly in the period between the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century CE. 5 More than 200 sayings in the Babylonian Talmud 1 Sugya is the basic unit of organisation in Talmudic Literature, typically comprising a detailed elaboration of the Mishna.
The pandocheion/inn was an ancient institution in the Mediterranean Basin and in Israel. Many stu... more The pandocheion/inn was an ancient institution in the Mediterranean Basin and in Israel. Many studies dealing with wayside inns of the ancient world show that they constituted the basic substructure for the lively travel activity during Roman times, and without which it would be difficult to understand the wideranging mobility that characterized that age. This typical institute of the Hellenistic-Roman world, had spread throughout the Land of Israel during Roman times, and consequently the word ‘pundak’ (inn) was assimilated into the Hebrew and Aramaic languages. The image of the inn as derived from Talmudic sources is usually portrayed in darkly colored shades, and does not correspond to the extensive information that confirms the importance of inns in the ancient world. Rabbinic literature can teach us something about the widespread perception of the period regarding the nature and characteristics of the wayside inn as viewed by the Sages.
In the following paper we intend to examine several rabbinic texts wherein marble paneling or pav... more In the following paper we intend to examine several rabbinic texts wherein marble paneling or paving is mentioned. Such a study may add to our understanding of attitudes and responses within Jewish spheres to the spread of the use of marble as a building material. The literary data referred to in this paper covers a period of some 800-900 years of Jewish literary writings that was created within four distinct cultures – Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian Persia and Early Islamic. Whilst there were major differences between these cultures, scholars have shown that the use of marble for decorating walls or as paving material functioned in a very similar ways. The relatively conservative techniques in marble-working between Roman and medieval times, enables us to study a collection of texts within such a wide span of time.
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