The Tradition vs. Individual Talent: Narrative Point of View and the Ideological Counter-Voice in the Story of R. Dosa ben Harkinas (bYevamot 16a)
This essay presents an analysis of a story which has been largely neglected by scholars of what has come to be known as the “Yavne Cycle,” and of talmudic narrative as whole: the Bavli’s version of the story of R. Dosa ben Harkinas. I begin with a close reading of the story, focusing on its sophisti...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Penn Press
2022
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In: |
The Jewish quarterly review
Year: 2022, Volume: 112, Issue: 2, Pages: 261-288 |
Further subjects: | B
Babylonian Talmud
B Yavne B talmudic narrative B Dosa ben Harkinas |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | This essay presents an analysis of a story which has been largely neglected by scholars of what has come to be known as the “Yavne Cycle,” and of talmudic narrative as whole: the Bavli’s version of the story of R. Dosa ben Harkinas. I begin with a close reading of the story, focusing on its sophisticated use of point of view and irony, and then go on to consider its literary and cultural contexts. I seek to establish its status as a high point of talmudic narrative art, an important and highly distinctive element of the Yavne Cycle, and a powerful counter-voice in the Bavli as a whole. I further argue that this story is part of a larger body of texts in the Bavli that challenge the Bavli’s dominant discourse and values. These sources may in turn reflect the work of a group of dissident scholars who were active in the Babylonian academies. |
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ISSN: | 1553-0604 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: The Jewish quarterly review
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jqr.2022.0017 |