Judean Scribalism, Documentary Epistemology, and the Name ישׂראל (original) (raw)
2018, “The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg
Pages 207-252 in “The Scaffolding of Our Thoughts”: Essays on Assyriology and the History of Science in Honor of Francesca Rochberg. Ancient Magic and Divination 13. Edited by C. Jay Crisostomo, Eduardo A. Escobar, Terri Tanaka, and Niek Veldhuis. Leiden: Brill, 2018.
Related papers
Jewish Quarterly Review, 2019
In one of his letters sent from Safed to Poland, R. Shlomo Shlomel Meinstral of Dresnitz reports the rather exceptional penitential exercises of Avraham ben Eliezer ha-Levi Berukhim (1515–93). Even though this particular epistle has not become part of the hagiographical accounts compiled in Shivhei ha-Ari, it nevertheless had a lasting impact on Jewish communities over the last four centuries. The present paper focuses on the narrative structure of the passages dealing with the life and activities of Avraham ha-Levi in the manuscript version of Shlomel’s epistle, its alterations and adaptations in early modern kabbalistic and pietistic books, and the recurrence of the very same themes and motifs in later historiographical and literary works. It illustrates the impact of the legends and exempla constructed in hagiography, showing how the predominant laudatory and edifying character of the stories fully unfold their prescriptive potential in their later usage. In doing so, the paper demonstrates how the hagiographical materials ultimately shaped Jewish rituals and practices in the early modern period and the modern era.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.