This volume guides the reader in listening to Early Jewish stories about holy figures which appear to have first been told between 150 B.C.E. and 150 C.E. Following new translations, the book provides a close hearing of the oral storytelling that generated these narratives now surviving only in literary form. Historical folklore must reconstruct storytelling performance from literary remains. Making use of contemporary folklore methods, the author examines the text, texture, and context of over one hundred stories, including birth prophecies, provision legends, prophetic stories of destruction or deliverance, and tales of martyrdom. A broad range of stories of these four types is presented in a way that reveals and illumines the oral patterns and characteristics of the storytellers. The stories are drawn from apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature, Early Jewish historians, first-century Christian texts, and the Mishnah and early Talmudic writings. The Christian tradition is included here because it was generated within sectarian Judaism, and the first reports about Jesus appeared from Jewish storytellers. This work aims to shift the attention of biblical scholars and historians of religion away from an exclusive focus on the thought and art of writers or authors, and toward a wider recognition of the work of the storytellers, men and women alike, who generated the traditions that ultimately came to be preserved in written form.
Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)

Wire, Antoinette Clark

Scholars Pr

UNKNO

Studies in biblical literature (Society of Biblical Literature), Atlanta, GA, 2002

Society of Biblical Literature monograph series, no. 1, Atlanta, GA, 2002

Studies in biblical literature, 1, Atlanta, Ga, 2002

United States, United States of America

December 2002

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

x, 420 pages ; 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Part I: Early Jewish stories of prophecy at birth -- 1. Birth prophecy stories: early biblical figures -- #1 To the mother Eve and Cain / life of Adam and Eve 21 -- #2 To the great-grandfather Enoch about Noah / 1 Enoch 106.1-18 -- #3 To the adoptive father Nir and uncle Noah about Melchizedek / 2 Enoch 71 -- #4 To the great-grandmother Melcha about Abraham / Biblical Antiquities 4.11 -- #5 To the mother Sarah about Isaac / Jubilees 16.15-19 -- #6 To the father Abraham and mother Sarah about Isaac / Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-18, 39-40 -- #7 To the father Abraham about Isaac; to the mother Rebecca about Jacob and Esau / Romans 9:6-13 -- #8 To the sister Miriam about Moses / Biblical Antiquities 9.10 -- #9 To an Egyptian priest and to the father Amarames about Moses / Josephus, Antiquities 2.205-206, 210-212, 215-218 -- #10. To the adopting mother about Moses / Biblical Antiquities 9.15-16 -- #11 To the sister Miriam about Moses / Babylonian Talmud Sotah 12b-13a -- 2. Birth prophecy stories: later biblical figures -- #12 To the mother Eluma about Samson / Biblical Antiquities 42.1-7 -- #13 To the mother Hannah about Samuel / Biblical Antiquities 50:1, 50:5-50:7 -- #14 To the mother Hanna about Samuel / Targum Jonathan of the former prophets, 1 Samuel 2:1-8 -- #15 To the mother Sochaba about Elijah / Lives of the prophets 21 -- #16 To a priest about Elisha / Lives of the prophets 22 -- 3. Birth prophecy stories: contemporary figures -- #17 To the father Monobazos about Izates / Josephus, Antiquities 20.17-21 -- #18 To the father Zechariah about John / Luke 1:5-25 -- #19 To the mother Elizabeth and the father Zechariah about John / Luke 1:57-71, 76-79 -- #20 To the mother Mary about Jesus / Luke 1:26-38 -- #21 To the great aunt Elizabeth and the mother Mary about Jesus / Luke 1:39-56 -- #22 To the father Joseph about Jesus / Matthew 1:18-25 -- #23 To Simeon about Jesus / Luke 2:25-35 -- #24 To the prophet Anna about Jesus / Luke 2:36-38 -- #25 To the mother about Paul / Galatians 1:15-17 -- #26 To the angel Gabriel and to the mother about rabbi Ishmael the high priest / Midrash on the ten martyrs -- 4. Telling early Jewish stories of prophecy at birth
Part II: Early Jewish stories of wondrous provision -- 5. Wondrous provision stories: the need -- #27 Misery and comfort / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24b -- #28 The vinegar / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a -- #29 The goats / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a -- #30 The beams / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a -- #31 The bread / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24b-25a -- #32 The wine / John 2:1-11 -- #33 The wind / John 6:16-21 -- #34 The fever / Luke 4:38 -- #35 Igrath / Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 112b -- #36 The pigs / Matthew 8:28-34 -- 6. Wondrous provision stories: the need voiced -- #37 The circle / Mishnah Ta'anit 3:8 -- #38 The children / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23b -- #39 Yohanan ben Zakkai's son / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 34b -- #40 Rabban Gamaliel's son / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 34b -- #41 The official's son / John 4:46b-54 -- #42 The leper / Mark 1:40-45 -- #43 The blind man / Mark 10:46-52 -- #44 The bleeding woman / Matthew 9:20-22 -- #45 The graves / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25b -- #46 Rabbi Akiba's prayer / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25b -- 7. Wondrous provision stories: the need met -- #47 The cistern-digger's daughter / Jerusalem Talmud Demai 1:3 (22a) -- #48 The Ginnai river / Babylonian Talmud Hullin 7a -- #49 The Syrophoenician woman's daughter / Mark 7:24-30 -- #50 Tabitha and the widows / Acts 9:36-43 -- #51 Imma Hilkiah's clouds / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23ab -- #52 The stone / Song of Songs Rabbah 1.1.4 -- #53 The wheat / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24a -- #54 The snake / Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 5,1/26 (9a) -- #55 The table leg / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a -- #56 The garlic skin / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a -- 8. Telling early Jewish wondrous provision stories -- Part III: Early Jewish stories of prophet's signs -- 9. Signs of destruction attributed to Biblical prophets -- #57 Noah and Lot / Luke 17:26-32 -- #58 Jonah / Lives of the prophets 10 -- #59 Nahum / Lives of the prophets 11 -- #60 Habakkuk / Lives of the prophets 12 -- #61 Ezekiel / Lives of the prophets 3 -- #62 Daniel / Lives of the prophets 4 -- #63 Ezra / 4 Ezra 4:52-5:9 -- 10. Signs of destruction attributed to contemporary prophets -- #64 Judas / Josephus, Jewish War 1.78-80 -- #65 Manaemus / Josephus, Antiquities 15.373-376 -- #66 Simon; Glaphyra -- #67 John the Baptizer / Josephus, Jewish War 2.111-116 -- #68 John the Baptizer / Luke 3:2-9, 16b-20 -- #69 Jesus of Nazareth about Jonah and the Queen of the South / Luke 11:29-32 -- #70 Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem / Mark 11:12-25 -- #71 The high priest / John 11:47-52 -- #72 Agabus on Paul's imprisonment / Acts 21:10-14, 27b, 33a -- #73 Jesus ben Ananias / Josephus, Jewish War 6.300-309 -- #74, John of Patmos / Revelation 18:1-4a, 7-10, 15-19 -- 11. Signs of deliverance attributed to biblical prophets -- #75 Noah's daughter in law / Sibylline oracles 3:767-775, 781-782, 794-808, 819-829
#76 Enoch and Noah / 1 Clement 9:3-4 -- #77 Noah and Jonah / 1 Clement 7:5-7 -- #78 Rabah / 1 Clement 12:1-8 -- #79 Levi / Testament of Levi 8.1-19 -- #80 Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel / 1 Clement 17:1 -- #81 Isaiah / Lives of the prophets introduction and I -- #82 Hosea / Lives of the prophets 5 -- #83 Haggai / Lives of the prophets 14 -- 12. Signs of deliverance attributed to contemporary prophets -- #84 Deceivers / Josephus, Jewish War 2.258-260 -- #85 The Egyptian / Josephus, Jewish War 2.261-263 -- #86 The portico prophet / Josephus, Jewish War 6.281-287 -- #87 Jonathan / Josephus, Jewish War 7.437-442, 448-450 -- #88 John the Baptizer / Mark 1:2-8 -- #89 Jesus of Nazareth at the Jordan and in Galilee / Mark 1:9-15 -- #90 Jesus of Nazareth enters Jerusalem / Matthew 21:1-17 -- #91 Jesus called the Christ / Josephus, Antiquities 18.63-64 -- #92 The Samaritan / Josephus, Antiquities 18.85-89 -- #93 Theudas / Josephus, Antiquities 20.97-98 -- #94 The Egyptian / Josephus, Antiquities 20.167-172 -- #95 Theudas and Judas / Acts 5:36-37 -- #96 The Egyptian / Acts 21:38 -- Part IV. Early Jewish stories of Martyrdom and vindication -- 14. Martyrdom and vindication stories of biblical figures -- #97 Isaac / Biblical Antiquities, 32.1-4 -- #98 Seila / Biblical antiquities 40.2-8 -- #99 Micah / Lives of the prophets 6 -- #100 Amos / Lives of the prophets 7 -- #101 Isaiah / Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 10,2/19 (28c) -- #102 Zechariah / Lives of the prophets 23 -- #103 Zechariah; the Sanhedrin; young men and women, the school children / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b -- #104 The prophets and apostles / Luke 11:47-51 -- #105 The faithful and the prophets / Hebrews 11:32-40 -- #106 The just, Daniel, and the three in the fire / 1 Clement 45.3b-8 -- 15. Marytrdom and vindication stories of Maccabean and Hasmonean period figures -- #107 Two circumcising mothers and worshippers in a cave / 2 Maccabees 6:8-10 -- #108 Seven brothers and their mother / 2 Maccabees 7:1-10, 24-30, 37-41 -- #110 The mother of seven / 4 Maccabees 16:12-13, 16:15b, 17:1 -- #111 the mother of seven / 4 Maccabees 18:6-19 -- #112 Four hundred girls and boys / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b -- #113 The woman and her seven sons / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b -- #114 The teacher of righteousness / Qumran Habakkuk Commentary XI.2-12, 14-15 -- #115 Onias / Josephus, Antiquities 14.22,28 -- #116 Eighty women of Ashkelon / Jerusalem Talmud Hagiga 2,2 (77b) -- 16. Martyrdom and vindication stories of first century C.E. figures -- #117 John the Baptizer / Mark 6:14-29 -- #118 Jesus of Nazareth according to Mark / Mark 15:20b-16:8 -- #119 Jesus of Nazareth according to Matthew / Matthew 27:50-54; 28:1-10, 16 -- #120 Jesus of Nazareth according to Luke / Luke 23:27-43; 24:1-11 -- #121 Jesus of Nazareth according John / John 19:16b-30; 20:1-18 -- #122 Stephen according to Luke / Acts 6:8-7:2; 7:9, 35, 39, 45-60 -- #123 Peter and Paul / 1 Clement 5 -- #73 Jesus ben Ananias -- #124 Jesus with five disciples / Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 43a -- 17. Martyrdom and vindication stories of early second century C.E. figures -- #125 Rabbi Akiba / Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 9,7/8 (14b) -- #126 Rabbi Akiba / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 61b -- #127 Rabbi Hanina ben Taradion / Babylonian Talmud Abodah Zerah 18a -- #128 Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba / Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 14a -- #129 Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair / Jerusalem Talmud, Demai 1,3/8 (22a) -- 18. Telling early Jewish martyrdom and vindication stories -- Conclusion: Holiness enacted in early Jewish storytelling -- The stories -- The function of early Jewish legends -- The tellers of early Jewish stories -- Early Jewish women as story tellers -- Early Jewish stories and gospel formation -- The cultural legacy of holy lives and deaths

2023-06-28