Middle Judaism: Jewish Thought, 300 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.

Middle Judaism: Jewish Thought 300 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. / Gabriele Boccaccini......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Foreword by James H. Charlesworth......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 20
Abbreviations......Page 22
Introduction: Writing a History of Jewish Thought – Reasons and Challenges......Page 28
PART I. METHODOLOGICAL LINES......Page 32
The Obstacle of Confessional Bias......Page 34
Confessionally Divided Sources......Page 36
Confessionally Divided Scholarship......Page 38
A Comprehensive Approach......Page 40
Is Christianity (Still) a Judaism?......Page 42
The Genus Judaism and Its Species......Page 45
In Search of a Name......Page 48
A New Name for a New Approach......Page 51
From Many Bibliographies to an Inclusive Bibliography......Page 53
Jewish History, World History, and Salvation History......Page 59
The Emergence of Judaism in the Time of Jesus......Page 62
From Schürer to the New Schürer: From "Late Judaism" to "Early Judaism"......Page 72
"Early Judaism(s)" and "Early Christianity"......Page 93
PART II. A CROSS-SECTION: THE SECOND CENTURY B.C.E.......Page 102
3. Ben Sira, Qohelet, and Apocalyptic: A Turning Point in the History of Jewish Thought......Page 104
Wisdom and Law: An Identity?......Page 108
Wisdom as a Gift from God......Page 109
The Fear of God, Obedience to the Law, and the Gift of Wisdom......Page 110
Intelligence, Obedience to the Law, and the Gift of Wisdom......Page 111
Wisdom and Law: An Asymmetrical Relationship......Page 115
Cosmic Order, Wisdom, and Law......Page 117
The Law as Wisdom's Education......Page 121
The Law as Wisdom's Blessing......Page 123
Wisdom, Law, and Salvation......Page 125
The Ambivalence of Human Nature......Page 126
Human Freedom and the Omnipotence of God......Page 132
Dominating One's Own Ambivalence......Page 136
The Foundation of Divine Retribution: Between Mercy and Wrath......Page 141
From a New Conception of the Righteous to a New Conception of Judgment......Page 143
The Joy of the Wicked and the Suffering of the Righteous......Page 145
Death and Beyond Death......Page 146
At the Origins of a Long Debate......Page 151
Apocalypses and Apocalyptic Tradition......Page 153
The Book of Dream Visions in the Apocalyptic Tradition......Page 158
The Ideological Unity and Compositive Scheme of the Book of Daniel......Page 161
Enoch and Daniel: The Knowledge of the Mediator......Page 162
The Sense of History......Page 168
Human Responsibility and the Responsibility of the Angels......Page 176
God's Judgment: Retribution or Purification?......Page 181
Faced with the Events of History......Page 183
Daniel and the Apocalyptic Tradition......Page 186
A Somewhat Shameless Grandson......Page 188
The Letter of Aristeas: Between Apology and Debate......Page 190
The Monarch-God of Pseudo-Aristeas......Page 193
Imperfect and Sinning Humankind......Page 194
Mercy as the Core of the Relationship between God and Humankind......Page 196
A Theology of Grace......Page 198
The Meaning of the Mosaic Law......Page 201
Salvation among the Gentiles......Page 203
Greek Paideia as an Itinerary of Salvation......Page 206
The Meeting of Greek Paideia and Jewish Paideia......Page 208
A Dialogical Judaism......Page 211
PART III. SOME PREPARATORY SKETCHES......Page 214
6. Philo of Alexandria: A Judaism in Philosophical Categories......Page 216
Between Classical Culture and the Jewish Tradition......Page 218
The Relationship with the Classical Sources......Page 219
The Suggestions of the Jewish Tradition......Page 221
The Acquisition of Memory as a Moral Itinerary......Page 225
Memory and Perseverance......Page 228
Memory and Discernment......Page 229
The Final Step: Memory of God and Forgetfulness of the Self......Page 231
Sexual Sin as "the Most Serious of All Evils"......Page 232
Virginity as a Flight from Evil (and from Woman)......Page 233
The Voyage of the Soul toward God......Page 235
A Fertile and Fruitful Virginity......Page 236
Spiritual Virginity and Physical Virginity......Page 237
The "Most Jewish" Document in the New Testament......Page 240
Anti-Judaism and Anti-Pharisaism......Page 241
In the Face of the Law......Page 243
Salvation: Between Mercy and Justice......Page 244
Paul's Christianity......Page 247
James's Christianity......Page 249
Human Freedom and the Value of Praxis......Page 252
Christianity and Christianities......Page 254
A Problem of Method......Page 256
The Memorial Value of Worship in Ancient Judaism......Page 258
Worship as a Memorial "before God"......Page 260
Worship as a Memorial "for Future Generations"......Page 262
The Memorial Value of Worship in Essenism......Page 264
"Do This as a Sign That Reminds You of Me"......Page 266
Apologetic Motifs in Josephus's Work......Page 268
Faithfulness to the Religious Identity and Tradition......Page 269
Israel's Primacy in Fidelity to the Forefathers' Laws......Page 272
The Betrayed Memory......Page 273
Memory Vindicated......Page 275
Universalism: A Christian Exclusive?......Page 278
Proselytism and the Anti-Gentile Debate......Page 279
Committed in a Common Will To Do Good......Page 283
From a Chosen People to a Community Apart......Page 286
Joined in Sin......Page 289
At the Roots of Universalism......Page 292
Ancient Jewish Literature......Page 294
Middle Jewish Literature......Page 295
Ancient Rabbinic Literature......Page 307
Medieval and Modern Authors......Page 308
Contemporary Authors......Page 309