The Missing Century: A Reevaluation of the Halakhic Connections between Palestine and Babylonia during the Fifth Century CE
Scholars have generally claimed that legal interaction between Palestine and Babylonia continued to occur even at the end of the Amoraic period, that is, from the beginning of the fifth century CE until the end of the Saboraic period in Babylonia (500-689 CE). These connections, so it has been claim...
| Published in: | Hebrew Union College annual |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
HUC
2022
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Judaism
/ Amoraim
/ Saboräer
/ History 500-689
/ Halacha
/ History 400-500
/ Palestine
/ Babylonia
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| IxTheo Classification: | BH Judaism |
| Further subjects: | B
R. Ashi
B R. Yosee b. Avun B R. Hanina |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Scholars have generally claimed that legal interaction between Palestine and Babylonia continued to occur even at the end of the Amoraic period, that is, from the beginning of the fifth century CE until the end of the Saboraic period in Babylonia (500-689 CE). These connections, so it has been claimed, attest to the continuing Palestinian hegemony over rabbinic Babylonia, as can be seen from the legal questions sent by Babylonian Amoraim to Palestine. In contrast with the above common scholarly claim, I argue that there is no evidence in the Babylonian Talmud of halakhic exchanges between Babylonia and Palestine during the fifth century CE. Evidence as to interaction between these two centers disappears after the fifth generation of Amoraim, one generation before R. Ashi. I will further argue that the Amoraic statements reported in the generation of R. Ashi in Babylonia are earlier, and do not contain evidence of rabbinic activity in Palestine during that period. All that we really have from this period is a limited number of Palestinian traditions (slightly over twenty) that were brought to Babylonia by three Amoraim who emigrated during this period, R. Hanina, R. Abba and R. Yose b. Avun. The best explanation for this phenomenon is that the Amoraic period in Palestine came to a close by the end of the fourth century. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
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