Reading the Talmud as an Historian
Übung 09167 – WiSe 1718
Reading the Talmud as an Historian
Instructor: Dr. Rachel Furst
Since the Middle Ages, the Talmud has been the most important text in the Jewish canon and, consequently, the focus of traditional Jewish scholarship as well as the repeated target of anti-Jewish polemics, censorship, and book burnings. What is the Talmud’s allure? This course will afford participants an opportunity to study Talmudic texts firsthand and also to consider the historical and cultural circumstances that produced this text and established it as the Jewish “book of books.” We will read passages from the Babylonian Talmud alongside the Palestinian; contrast narrative sections of the Talmud with legal ones; become acquainted with famous Talmudic personalities; and consider the value of Talmudic texts as a lens into Jewish history and Jewish thought.
Time: Do. 16:00-18:00 c.t.
Location: Amalienstr. 73A, 118
Language of Instruction: English