The Sinner and the Amnesiac

The Rabbinic Invention of Elisha ben Abuya and Eleazar ben Arach

By:

Alon Goshen-Gottstein

Format:

Hardback

Series:

Contraversions: Jews & Other Differences

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Description

Elisha ben Abuya is one of the most intriguing figures in early rabbinic literature, consistently capturing the Jewish imagination as the arch-heretic, apostate, and great sinner. Because of the vague nature of the rabbinic sources relating to him, later generations, particularly in modern times, have been able to project upon him the visions of whatever they saw as either negative or ideal in the figure of the rebel apostate. This book systematically analyzes all sources referring to Elisha ben Abuya, and in so doing, confronts the difficulties of deriving reliable information from rabbinic materials and of writing the biography of a rabbinic hero. The author argues that we have no way of discovering the historical Elisha ben Abuya; he is the product of the creative handling of traditions by later generations. Later generations do not fancifully invent the figure of Elisha but interpret and transmit earlier traditions, trying to resolve the contradictions and to interpret the enigmas they encounter. In the context of this interpretive process, a unique historical image is created, a sage who is born out of tradition, not historical memory.

Author Biography:

Alon Goshen-Gottstein is Director of the Institute for the Study of Rabbinic Thought, Bet Morasha, Jerusalem.

Release date NZ

December 1st, 2000

Author

Alon Goshen-Gottstein

Audiences

Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Professional & Vocational

Pages

432

Series

Contraversions: Jews & Other Differences

Dimensions

157x226x33

ISBN-13

9780804733878

Product ID

5306612

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