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Rabbinic Rhetorics of Sexuality
出版Brown Judaic Studies, 1995
URLhttp://books.google.com.hk/books?id=yr8L0AEACAAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api
註釋This book is about the intersection of two topics, rabbinic constructions of sexuality and the rhetoric that the rabbis of late antiquity used to promote their sexual mores. In the first goal I follow the recent works of David Biale, Daniel Boyarin, and Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, who have begun to ask not just what the rabbis legislated about sexuality, but how they understood it: what assumptions about sexuality inform rabbinic dicta and law? How are rabbinic sexual assumptions manifested within the rabbinic literature, and how are the statements produced within one set of sexual assumptions understood when transmitted to a culture that has a very different understanding of sexuality? Despite their own occasional claims to the contrary, the rabbis of late antiquity had little coercive power. Their power depended upon their ability to persuade. Rabbinic "texts," be they originally written or oral, represent attempts not only to convey tradition but to win adherents to that tradition. Any (successful) speaker or writer attempts to make arguments only to a particular audience. This study asks what kinds of arguments the rabbis thought would be effective within their own cultures. How did these rabbis attempt to persuade each other, and perhaps even a larger community, to practice only "sanctioned" sexual behavior? Although the extant rabbinic documents from late antiquity - which contain virtually all that we know about the rabbis - are relatively uniform, within these documents one can discern deep fissures between rabbinic circles. Rabbinic "culture" was not a monolithic entity. One of the primary conclusions of this study is that one cannot talk of "a" rabbinic view of sexuality or set of rhetorics. Palestinian and Babylonian rabbis held often extremely different assumptions about sexuality. This should come as no surprise: although linked by texts, traditions, and some travel between the communities, Palestinian and Babylonian rabbis functioned in radically different cultural milieus. Any comprehensive study of rabbinic sexuality intersects with many broader issues: the nature of rabbinic documents; rabbinic modes of argumentation; rabbinic self-perception and power; the influence of non-rabbinic thought on the rabbis; gender expectations; and the relationship between rhetoric and reality. As this study progressed, I became increasingly aware of the vast and complex web within which I had entangled myself. I hope that simply through my collection, organization, and analysis of rabbinic texts on sexuality this study will contribute to, and continue to stimulate, the developing dialogue on rabbinic sexuality. I will be happy if this study also makes some modest contributions to those areas with which it intersects. This study is a revised version of my dissertation, completed at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1993. Many people contributed to this work, and it is a privilege for me to be able to thank them. My adviser, Shaye J. D. Cohen, was unstinting with his time and advice, he saved me from numerous errors; helped me to clarify issues of importance; improved my prose; and encouraged me to publish this book with Brown Judaic Studies. My debt to him is enormous. Bernadette J. Brooten, Richard Kalmin, Sarah Pomeroy, and Burton Visotzky all read and commented upon this entire manuscript. Jacob Neusner read the Introduction and Conclusion and offered many trenchant comments. Judith Hauptman read Chapter 5. Daniel Boyarin read Chapter 6, and was kind enough to share the proofs of his book Carnal Israel with me. All shortcomings in this book would only have been magnified without their comments. Teachers too numerous to name have contributed to my intellectual development, allowing me to reach this point. Particularly influential, however, have been: Baruch Bokser (z"l), Gerson Cohen (z"l), Steven Fraade, Isaiah Gafni, and Yosef Yahalom. I have been fortunate to enjoy financial support while writing this book. An Interuniversity Fellowship (1989-91) and Lady Davis Fellowship (1990-91) for study at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, supported me as I was beginning this project. A Stroock Fellowship in Ancient Judaism from the Jewish Theological Seminary (1991-92) and a Charlotte W. Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship (1992-93) allowed me the freedom to complete the dissertation. As I have prepared the dissertation for publication in its present form I have benefited from the resources of the Judaic Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati. I thank all of these organizations. Only my wife, Jacqueline Romm Satlow, fully understands how difficult completing these revisions has been for me, and I thank her for her understanding and support. Finally, my parents, Frank and Felsa Satlow, instilled in me the love for ideas and intellectual discourse that drove me daily. Their emotional support has been unceasing, and it is to them that I, with pleasure, dedicate this work.