Middle Persian Context of the Babylonian Talmud

Catalog description

This course explores the Babylonian Talmud as a product of the late antique Persian world. We will explore the social, literary and cultural contexts of the Bavli, with particular interest in the status of women in rabbinic thought. The mainly peaceful Jewish experience under Persia will be contrasted with the more complex situation in Israel under Rome, highlighting ways that these very different cultural contexts contributed to make the Bavli the unique document that it is.