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Books by Stuart S Miller

This Festschrift in honor of Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman, a renowned authority on the Dead Se... more This Festschrift in honor of Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman, a renowned authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinic Judaism, includes contributions by twenty of his former doctoral students, now colleagues. The volume is divided into two sections, the "Biblical and Second Temple Period" and "Rabbis, Other Jews, and Neighboring Cultures." The diverse topics covered and the wide range of interdisciplinary approaches employed reflect Professor Schiffman's success in cultivating a school of scholars who are making unique contributions to the study of the Jews and Judaism. Readership Academic Libraries, humanities institutes, seminaries, graduate and postgraduate students, educated laypersons, clergy For more information see brill.com Order information: Order online at brill.com The Americas: 1 (860) 350 0041 | brillna@turpin-distribution.com Outside the Americas: 44 (0) 1767 604-954 | brill@turpin-distribution.com

To read the full Preface to the volume and excerpts from the contributed articles, see:
https://brill.com/view/title/32173?rskey=3UPeY9&result=4

See Preface to the second revised edition of At the Intersection of Texts and Material Finds...

Chapter Four: Did the Author of P. Oxyrhynchus 840 Know What a “Miqveh” Was? . . . . . . . . . . ... more Chapter Four: Did the Author of P. Oxyrhynchus 840 Know
What a “Miqveh” Was? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
The Exchange between “the Savior” and the High Priest . . . . . . . . . 106
Running, Natural, and “Living” Waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Split Stairways do not Make a “Miqveh” Either . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Spiritual Perceptions of Water in Antiquity
and the Meaning of the Fragment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
a) Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
b) From Jeremiah to the Rabbis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
c) Spiritualizing Water:
From the Late Second Temple Period to the Gospel of John . . . 137
d) P. Oxyrhynchus 840 and Jewish Ritual Immersion . . . . . . . . . 146
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This is the preface, table of contents, and special postscript to my book, At the Intersection of... more This is the preface, table of contents, and special postscript to my book, At the Intersection of Texts and Material Finds: Stepped Pools, Stone Vessels, and Ritual Purity Among the Jews of Roman Galilee (Journal of Ancient Judaism Supplements, Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 2015). For more on the "ancient" Jewish farming community of Chesterfield, CT, see http://newenglandhebrewfarmers.org/

This is my earliest discussion of how complexity theory can help refine our application of Ed San... more This is my earliest discussion of how complexity theory can help refine our application of Ed Sanders' "Common Judaism" and, therefore, our approach to Early Judaism and Jewish Society.

Papers by Stuart S Miller

Philip Roth Studies, 2022

Abstract:Philip Roth gets a lot of things right about Jewish Weequahic, at least for the time in ... more Abstract:Philip Roth gets a lot of things right about Jewish Weequahic, at least for the time in which he lived there. Nevertheless, there are some aspects of the Jewish landscape of Weequahic and Newark that escaped him. Some of what he misses explains a development he was surely unaware of, the rejuvenation of traditional Jewish life in Weequahic after his departure from Newark, which takes place in the very period in which Roth has "the Swede," Seymour Levov, cast off any connection to his Jewish roots. It is argued here that Roth misreads some of what he witnessed and was ill-informed about developments in Weequahic beyond 1950. Had it been otherwise, his take on the local and national Jewish condition might have been very different. Much of the story of the Jewish community of Newark has yet to receive the full scholarly treatment it deserves. When it is written, it will shed new light not only on Roth's writings but also on the struggles, realities, and meaning of being Jewish in mid-twentieth-century America.

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 1999

To read the full Preface to the volume and excerpts from the contributed articles, see:
https://brill.com/view/title/32173?rskey=3UPeY9&result=4

See Preface to the second revised edition of At the Intersection of Texts and Material Finds...

Philip Roth Studies, 2022

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 1999

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 1993

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Nov 1, 1995

An analysis of the view that the people of Sepphoris are depicted in negative terms in Talmudic a... more An analysis of the view that the people of Sepphoris are depicted in negative terms in Talmudic and rabbinic sources.

The Biblical archaeologist, Jun 1, 1992

Located about three miles northeast of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth is the ancient city of Sep... more Located about three miles northeast of Jesus' hometown of Nazareth is the ancient city of Sepphoris, which was called the "ornament of all Galilee" by the Jewish historian Josephus. Scholars have long been intrigued by the impact that the city, which is not mentioned in the New Testament despite its proximity to Nazareth, may have had on Jesus' life.

BRILL eBooks, Oct 19, 2020

This is chapter 15 (pp. 350-397) in the soon to be available Festschrift for Lawrence H. Schiffma... more This is chapter 15 (pp. 350-397) in the soon to be available Festschrift for Lawrence H. Schiffman. To see the contents of the volume and the first pages of my article go to: https://brill.com/view/title/32173?rskey=3UPeY9&result=4

Classical Review, Dec 14, 2015

well as style and occasions for letter writing, and shows how Libanius through his letters ‘weave... more well as style and occasions for letter writing, and shows how Libanius through his letters ‘weaves a web of relations but also of moral and social pressures’ (p. 159). In Chapter 8, ‘The Reception of Libanius: from Pagan Friend of Julian to (almost) Christian Saint and Back’, H.-G. Nesselrath and V.H. examine the colourful reception of Libanius from his own time, through Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages and all the way to the present. The main conclusion from Part 2 emerges quite clearly throughChapter 8: Libanius, across genre, wrotewith posterity in mind, and his rhetorical skills and cultural awareness merit a modern day rediscovery of Libanius. Part 3, ‘Contexts: Identity, Society, Tradition’, contains five chapters that investigate some of the key themes in Libanius’ works. In Chapter 9, ‘Emperors and Empire in Libanius’, H.-U. Wiemer draws a picture of Libanius’ interactions with and presentations of the Emperors and the Roman Empire. In Chapter 10, ‘Libanius’ Networks’, S. Bradbury shows how Libanius interacted through a ‘series of inter-connected, inter-marrying prominent families’ (p. 239) and illuminates both the reach and the limits of Libanius’ political and social influences. As Nesselrath observes, Chapter 10, ‘Libanius and the Literary Tradition’, is an exercise in Quellenforschung and intertextuality. The chapter builds on the works of Foerster (1877-), Norman (1964) and Schouler (1984) in a thorough discussion of what Greek authors Libanius knew and utilised in his own work. The literary tradition was an integral part of Libanius’ promotion of his educational level and his Greek heritage. J.R. Stenger covers the concept of Greek identity in Libanius in Chapter 12, ‘Libanius and the “Game” of Hellenism’. Stenger explores various outlets for Hellenism and concludes that ‘Libanius’ Hellenism emerges as a flexible rhetorical device, deployed for and in social relations in a strategic, creative and at times playful manner’ (p. 292). A similar conclusion appears in the last chapter, ‘Not the Last Pagan: Libanius between Elite Rhetoric and Religion’, as P. Van Nuffelen argues that each text which treats matters of religion must be read carefully within its context. This conclusion is perhaps true of any matter treated by Libanius. The book stands as a successful endeavour. Each chapter and section contributes to a very useful and thorough critical introduction to Libanius and his works. It shows how Libanius deserves a nuanced approach, which takes both text and context into account, and it invites its readers to bring this late-antique author back into classical research.

Studies in the History and Traditions of Sepphoris

SBL Forum published this essay, which I wrote in advance of the release of Mel Gibson's "The Pass... more SBL Forum published this essay, which I wrote in advance of the release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion."

It is a treatment of the dynamics of the discussion surrounding the film, not the film itself.