Elijah and the Rabbis: Story and Theology

Elijah and the Rabbis: Story and Theology / Christen H. Lindbeck......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
Elijah in Rabbinic Times and Beyond......Page 10
The Biblical Elijah and the Rabbinic Elijah......Page 12
Elijah and the Messiah......Page 14
The Elijah Stories as Folklore......Page 16
Elijah Stories asa a Window on Rabbinic Culture and Theology......Page 18
The Structure of this Book......Page 21
Acknowledgments......Page 24
Scholarship on the Rabbinic Elijah......Page 28
Methodology: Folklore Studies and Form Criticism......Page 32
Folklore Studies......Page 33
Folklore Studies, Biblical Studies, and Rabbinics......Page 35
Form and Genre Criticism of Rabbinic Narrative......Page 38
Form Criticism in This Work......Page 42
Elijah, Folklore Studies, and Form Criticism......Page 46
The Oral-Traditional context of the Babylonian Talmud......Page 47
Who Are the Folk?......Page 48
The Relationship Between Literacy and Orality in Greco-Roman Antiquity......Page 50
Literacy and Orality in Rabbinic Society......Page 52
Halakhah, Aggadah and Folklore......Page 56
Why Folklore Studies Are Useful in Interpreting Rabbinic Narrative......Page 60
Summary of Methodology......Page 69
3. Elijah in Rabbinic Culture and the Wider Culture of Late Antiquity......Page 71
Elijah as Angelic or Supernatural Being......Page 73
Elijah and the Angel of Death......Page 75
How Elijah Differs from Angels More than He Resembles Them......Page 78
Elijah and the Bat Kol......Page 81
Elijah's Unique Role as Supernatural Mediator......Page 84
Elijah as Rabbi and Holy Man......Page 89
Elijah as Ideal Teacher......Page 93
Tensions Between Master and Disciple and Elijah......Page 94
Elijah Stories and the Tensions of Rabbinic Society......Page 97
Elijah Comparaed to the Christian Saints......Page 99
Elijah as Hermes Figure......Page 101
The Possibility of Cross-Cultural Comparison......Page 103
Jewish Knowledge of Hermes......Page 107
Correspondences Between Elijah and Hermes......Page 111
4. The Three Generic Groups of Elijah Stories......Page 122
The Generic Group of Stories in Which Elijah Ceases or Refuses to Visit Someone......Page 123
Elijah and Rav Anan......Page 127
Elijah and Rabbi Yossi......Page 130
The Generic Group of Stories in Which Elijah Appears in Disguise......Page 131
The Appearance of Supernatural Beings in Rabbinic Literature......Page 132
Elijah in Disguise......Page 133
Elijah Rescues Rabbi Eleazar ben Perata......Page 137
The Generic Group in Which Elijah Answers Questions......Page 143
The Formula "He Found Him"......Page 144
The Formula "Was Often Found With Him"......Page 145
The Context of This Generic Group......Page 146
Elijah Brings Rabbah bar Abbuha to Paradis......Page 156
Elijah and Rabbinic Thought in Babylonia......Page 163
Elijah From the Middle Ages to the Present......Page 173
Elijah Provides Wealth......Page 176
Elijah as Provider and Close of the Sabbath......Page 179
Elijah Rescues from Danger......Page 181
Elijah Affirms Truth......Page 184
Elijah at Circumcisions and at Passover......Page 185
Elijah at Circumcisions......Page 186
Elijah at Passover......Page 189
Elijah Today......Page 192
1. Avodah Zarah 17b......Page 198
2. Avodah Zarah 18a-b......Page 199
5. Bava Meẓia 59b......Page 200
6. Bava Meẓia 83b-84a......Page 201
8. Bava Meẓia 85b......Page 202
9. Bava Meẓia 114a-b......Page 203
10. Berakhot 3a......Page 204
13. Berakhot 58a......Page 205
16. Gittin 70a......Page 207
19. Ketubot 61a......Page 208
20. Ketubot 77b......Page 209
21. Ketubot 105b......Page 210
23. Kiddushin 70a......Page 211
25. Megillah 15b......Page 212
27. Sanhedrin 63b-64a......Page 213
29. Sanhedrin 98a......Page 214
32. Shabbat 33b......Page 216
33. Shabbat 109b......Page 217
34. Ta'anit 21a / Sanhedrin 108b-109a......Page 218
35. Ta'anit 22a......Page 219
36. Ta'anit 24b......Page 220
38. Yoma 19b-20b......Page 221
1. The Study of Rabbinic Narrative......Page 222
2. Oral-Formulaic Studies and the Culture of the Bavli......Page 226
3. Elijah in Rabbinic Culture and the Wider Culture of Late Antiquity......Page 229
4. The Three Generic Groups of Elijah Stories......Page 237
5. Elijah From Rabbinic times to the Twenty-First Century......Page 243
Editions and Translations of Primary Sources......Page 248
Secondary Sources......Page 249
Index......Page 260