From Mesopotamia to the Mishnah (eBook)

Cover 1
Table of Contents 8
Preface 10
Acknowledgements 16
Abbreviations, Terminology, and Transliteration 20
Abbreviations 20
Primary Sources 20
Additional Primary Sources 21
Terminology 21
Transliteration 22
Introduction 24
Tannaitic Laws and not Tannaitic Law : The Philological-Historical Approach and the Legal Legacy of the Tannaim 27
Tannaitic Law(s) and Comparative Ancient Law : Context, Influence, and Internal Development 29
The Legal Legacy of the Tannaim: Ancient Parallels and Antecedents 34
On the Relationship of Ancient Laws to Ancient Societies 40
On the Relationship of Inheritance Laws to Presumed Social and Economic Settings in the Bible and Tannaitic Literature 47
On the Textual and Archeological Evidence for the Presumed Family Structure and Landholding Patterns in the Bible and Tannaitic Literature 50
Tannaitic Society and Tannaitic Inheritance Law: Cause and Effect? 54
The Present Study 56
Chapter 1: Gifting and Inheriting in Tannaitic Law and in the Ancient World 62
Introduction 62
Gifting and Inheriting in Tannaitic Law 66
A Philological-Historical Analysis of mBB 8:5 71
Gifting and Inheriting in the Bible 75
The Universality of Unilateral Inheriting and Universal Succession 78
Gifting in the Ancient World 81
Terminology and Implementation of Gifting and Inheriting 83
Conclusions 87
Chapter 2: Firstborn Inheritance in Tannaitic Law and in the Ancient World 90
Introduction 90
The Tannaitic Sources 93
The Firstborn in the Bible 94
The Ancient Near East 98
Ancient Greece and Rome 101
Conclusions 104
Chapter 3: Testate Succession in Tannaitic Law and in the Ancient World 106
Introduction 106
Testate Succession in Tannaitic Law 108
Testate Succession in the Bible 112
Job, Judith, Tobit, and the Elephantine Papyri 114
Testate Succession in the Ancient Near East and in Ancient Greece 117
Roman Law and Rabbi Yo?anan Ben Beroka 121
Yaron on Rabbi Yo?anan Ben Beroka 124
Conclusions 126
Chapter 4: Inheritance by Daughters in Tannaitic Law and in the Ancient World 128
Introduction 128
Inheritance by Daughters in Tannaitic Law 133
Philo and the Tannaitic Traditions 141
Direct Inheritance by Daughters in the Bible 143
Inheritance by Daughters in the Ancient Near East 147
The Elephantine and Judean Desert Papyri 150
Greece and Rome 151
Conclusions 153
Chapter 5: Inheritance by Wives in Tannaitic Law and in the Ancient World 156
Introduction 156
Inheritance by Wives in Tannaitic Law 158
Inheritance by Wives in the Bible 162
Inheritance by Wives in the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome 164
Conclusions 166
Conclusions: How Jewish is Jewish Inheritance Law? 168
Appendix: Gifts in Contemplation of Death in Tannaitic Law and Ancient Parallels 170
Introduction 170
The Tannaitic Mattenat Bari 171
The Tannaitic Mattenat Shakhev Mera 173
Ancient Parallels to the Mattenat Bari and Mattenat Shakhev Mera 176
A Mattenat Bari From the Judean Desert? 179
The Formula of the Tannaitic Mattenat Bari and Gifting Formulae at Elephantine 181
Yaron on the Tannaitic Diath?k? 183
Bibliography 190
Index of Foreign Terms 212
Index of Contemporary Authors 214
Index of Sources 216
Hebrew Bible 216
Second Temple Literature 217
New Testament 217
Ancient Translations 217
Ancient Near Eastern Sources 218
Greek Sources 218
Roman Sources 219
Mishnah (m) 219
Tosefta (t) 220
Halakhic Midrash 221
Palestinian Talmud (p) 221
Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) 221
Talmudic Commentaries 222
Judean Desert Papyri 222
Elephantine Papyri 222
Index of Subjects 223