Talmudic Astrology: Bavli Šabbat 156a-b
This article presents a literary and structural analysis of the longest sustained treatment of astrology in the Babylonian Talmud, the sugya found at Šabbat 156a—b, often considered the "locus classicus" of the rabbinic perspective. Here originate the expressions yesh mazal leyisrael and a...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
HUC
2009
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
Year: 2007, Volume: 78, Pages: 109-148 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article presents a literary and structural analysis of the longest sustained treatment of astrology in the Babylonian Talmud, the sugya found at Šabbat 156a—b, often considered the "locus classicus" of the rabbinic perspective. Here originate the expressions yesh mazal leyisrael and ayn mazal leyisrael, whether the fate of a Jew is or is not determined solely by planetary bodies. The sugya offers an outstanding example of the compositional techniques of the redactors (stammaim), who have collected earlier traditions, juxtaposed opposing conceptions, and reworked and glossed their sources to create a "theological sugya." The careful arrangement of sources communicates a totality of meanings, ideas, and facets of the issue that cannot be expressed by a single tradition alone. In this way the redactors explore different aspects of the tension between astrology and free will and between celestial determinism as opposed to reward and punishment. The final section of the paper situates the sugya's tensions in the cultural context of Sasanian Iran and the similar struggle of Zoroastrian theologians. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
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