“IN NEHARDEA WHERE THERE ARE NO HERETICS”: THE PURPORTED JEWISH RESPONSE TO CHRISTIANITY IN NEHARDEA (A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE TALMUDIC EVIDENCE) (original) (raw)

This research paper re-examines Talmudic evidence regarding the Jewish response to Christianity in Nehardea, challenging the broadly-held assumptions about Jewish-Christian debates during the Talmudic period. It scrutinizes the application of the term "minim" in Talmudic texts, arguing that its identification with Christians is overly simplistic and that it likely refers to a wider array of sectarian groups. The study further contends that the frequency and nature of interactions between Babylonian rabbis and Christians were significantly less than previously assumed, questioning the validity of historical interpretations that frame these relationships as central to rabbinic discourse.