Bird's-Eye View of Jewish History and Literature

Bird's-Eye View of Jewish History and Literature

I. Biblical Period

Jews have traditionally divided the Hebrew Bible into three sections: Torah ('Law', the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ('Prophets'), and Ketuvim ('Writings'); the first letters of each section form the word, Ta Na Kh, which is the common Hebrew name for the Bible. Traditionally, Jews have attributed the composition of the Torah to Moses, Nevi'im to various Prophets, and Ketuvim to Prophets and two Kings (David and Solomon). Modern scholarship sees them as the work of anonymous authors dating from the 11th cent. b.c.e to the 3rd cent. b.c.e.

c. 1700 b.c.e.Abraham

c. 1290 "Exodus from Egypt

c. 1000 "David

722 "Fall of Northern Kingdom

586 "Fall or Southern Kingdom, destruction of First Temple, exile to Babylonia

516 "Some return to Israel under Haggai and Zekhariah

444 " Ezra

444 " -- 70 c.e. -- Development of Oral Tradition, which later finds expression in rabbinic Judaism

200 " -- 100 c.e.-- Apocrypha (Books excluded from Jewish (and Protestant) Canon, e.g., Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, Judish, Maccabees.

Other writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Apocalyptic Works

Greek and Aramaic Translation of Bible, Hellenistic Exegesis and Philosophy (Philo), History (Josephus). Little of this resonates in rabbinic Judaism

II. Rabbinic Period (70-500 c.e.)

In this class, we will consider the rabbinic period as beginning in 70 c.e. (Destruction of the Second Temple) to 500 c.e. (Closure of the Babylonian Talmud); some start it as early as c. 500 b.c.e., if one wishes to take into consideration the development of Oral Tradition). The Rabbis themselves claimed that Moses was given an Oral Law to explain the Written Law.

The two types of Rabbinical literature are Halakha (Law) and Aggadah (Lore). The two genres of Rabbinic writing are Midrash (Biblical Commentary) and Non-Midrash (sorry, there is no good word.) There are Midrashic collections as late as the 12th and 13th centuries, way past the end of the Rabbinic Period.

70 c.e. -- 220Period of the Tannaim. The Tannaim were heirs to the Pharisees, a class of Jewish scholars and judges during the period of the Second Temple; their arch-rivals were the Saducees, and Tannaitic religious thought reflects an anti-Saduceean bias,

Note that the books of the Tannaim only begin to be composed at the end of the Tannaitic period; they are, after all, the heirs of an Oral Tradition.

A. Non-Midrashic Works (Mostly Halakha, some Aggadah).

1. Mishnah (c. 200 c.e., Rabbi Judah the Prince, authoritative Tannaitic law code)

2. Tosefta (c. 220 c.e. R. Hiyya and R. Oshaiah)

3. Baraitot (Tannaitic halakha excluded from Mishnah; cited in Gemarah )

B. Midrashic Works (Attributed to Tannaim, for the most part; composed much later)

1. Midrash Halakha (Legal Midrash): Mikhilta (Exodus), Sifra (Leviticus), Sifrei (Numbers and Deuteronomy)

2. Midrash Aggadah (Non-legal Midrash): composed between sixth and twelfth centuries, attributed to Tannaim and some Amoraim. Midrash Rabbah (Great Midrash) on the five books of Moses; Tanhuma; Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer, etc.

220-500Period of the Amoraim (Jewish Scholars in Babylonia and Palestine)

A.. Non-Midrashic Works (Mostly Halakha, some Aggadah).

1. Babylonian Talmud (Gemara, compiled by Ravina and Rav Ashi c. 500 c.e.)

2. Palestinian (Jerusalem) Talmud (shorter than Babylonian Talmud, c. 400 c.e.)

III. Medieval Period (500-1750)

500-1050 Period of the Savoraim (redactors of the Talmud) and Geonim (Heads of the Babylonian Academies)

Bible Studies – The fixing of the Masora – how the scrolls of the Bible were to be read in the synagogue.

Saadia b. Joseph (tenth century) , translation of Bible into Arabic

Legal Studies – Mostly Respona of the Geonim.

Philosophical Studies – Saadia Gaon, and other Geonim.

Kabbalah – None.

1050-1550 Period of the Rishonim (Early Authorities)

Bible Studies -- R. Shlomo Yitzkhaki (Rashi, 1040-1105, N. France), focuses on the simple meaning of the text, but uses midrash to elucidate text; Abraham Ibn Ezra (12th Cent. Spain), uses grammar, eschews midrash, appeals to astrology; R. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204), includes a lot of Bible exegesis in his commentary; R. Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides, Ramban, 1195-1270, S. Spain and Land of Israel), writes multilayered commentary;

R. Levi ben Gershom (Gersonides, Ralbag, 1288-1344), focuses on philosophy, ethics, and commandments.

Legal Studies (codes, commentaries, and responsa)

R. Isaac of Fez (the “Rif”, 1013-1073); Rashi; The “Masters of the Tosafato” (1100-1275); Maimonides (Comm. On Mishnah, Mishnah Torah and Responsa); Ramban; R. Solomon b. Abraham (1233-1310, N. Spain), R. Asher ben Yehiel (1250-1327, “Rosh”, N. Spain), wrote digest of laws and commentaries. R. Jacob ben Asher (son of the Rosh, 1270-1343) writes a law code based on Rosh, Rambam, and Rif – the “Tur” – the 4 rows or parts; R. Joseph Karo ( author of the Shulkhan Arukh, the Set Table 1565, later added to by R. Moses Isserles in Cracow, the Mapah – the tablecloth.)

Philosophical Studies and Ethical Literature

12th cent. Abraham Ibn Ezra , Judah Halevy, Maimonides, 13th cent. Translation movement from Arabic to Hebrew, Samuel Ibn Tibbon and Shem Tov. b.Joseph Falaquera, 14th cent. Philosophers include Gersonides, Joseph ibn Kaspi, and Moses of Narbonne, 15th cent. Hasdai Crescas and Isaac Abrabanel, Spain.

Ethics: Bahya ibn Pakuda (Spain, 11th-12th cent.), Duties of the Heart), the Ashkenzaic Pietists Sefer Hasidim c. 1200 ), etc.

Kabbalah

The Book of Luminosity (Sefer ha-Bahir), 12th cent. Provence; writings of Abraham Abulafia, 13th cent., the Zoharic literature, 13th Spain. Then commentaries on Zohar. Then, in Safed in the 16th cent., the Tree of Life (Etz Hayyim) of Isaac Luria, and the Orchard of Pomegranites (Pardes Rimonim) of Moshe Cordevero.