Book contents
- Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
- Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Jewish Society under Sasanian Rule
- 2 Competing for Power
- 3 Beyond ‘Tolerance’
- 4 Forgetting Persecution
- 5 Rabbis and Fire Temples
- 6 Kings and Religion in the Talmud and in the Imagination of Sasanian Communities
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Source Index
Introduction
Toward a New History of Jews and the Sasanian Empire
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 April 2024
- Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
- Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Jewish Society under Sasanian Rule
- 2 Competing for Power
- 3 Beyond ‘Tolerance’
- 4 Forgetting Persecution
- 5 Rabbis and Fire Temples
- 6 Kings and Religion in the Talmud and in the Imagination of Sasanian Communities
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Source Index
Summary
The nature of this boast is puzzling: What does the king of the Sasanian Empire, in this case Shapur I (r. 240–270 CE), have to do with rabbinic biblical interpretation? An anonymous interpolation explains that “King Shapur” in Rabbah’s boast is simply a nickname for Shmuel, an earlier prominent rabbi. According to the interpolation, Rabbah is therefore making a run-of-the-mill brag about besting his eminent rabbinic colleague, Shmuel. Even so, the fact that Shmuel’s high rank is conveyed through analogy to the Sasanian king is noteworthy. Such a comparison assumes that the rabbinic movement is a kind of microcosm of the Sasanian Empire, headed by prominent rabbis and kings respectively.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024