Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature: A Collection of Socio-anthropological Essays (Brill Reference Library of Judaism): 27 - Hardcover

Fishbane, Simcha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9004158332 ISBN 13: 9789004158337

Publisher: Brill, 2007

Synopsis

Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature deals with the status of those groups and individuals who, for various reasons, appear to have no place in mainstream Rabbinic Jewish society, or may be perceived by that society as posing a threat to its norms and to its very existence.
The book examines the thoughts and attitudes of the Rabbis set forth in various sections of the Mishnah, Tosefta and Talmud. Deviant groups studied include witches, prostitutes, Gentiles, bastards, Nazirites, soldiers, Kutites, the disabled and the menstruous woman. Social anthropological methodologies are used to provide a unique perspective on the implicit message of the redactors of these Rabbinic texts, and to make these important texts equally accessible to both scholars and laymen interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of these important issues.

About this title

About the Author

Simcha Fishbane, Ph.D. (1988) in Social Anthropology of Religion at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, is Executive Assistant to the President of Touro College and Professor of Jewish Studies. He has published extensively on Jewish texts and their meaning. His publications include The Method and Meaning of the Mishnah Berurah (1991).

Edition details

• Publisher: Brill
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9004158332
• ISBN 13: 9789004158337
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 234