This illuminating study is about the absence of a concept of time
in ancient Judaism, and the predominance instead of process in the
ancient Jewish world-view. Sacha Stern draws his evidence from the
complete range of Jewish sources from this period: mainly early
rabbinic literature, but also Jewish Hellenistic literature, Qumran
sources, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and inscriptions. Following
a methodological introduction drawing on anthropological studies,
the author starts by focusing on the word used for time in early
rabbinic literature, zeman. He shows that it means only 'points in
time' or finite periods of time, but that the concept of time as a
continuum-of time as a whole-is totally absent from rabbinic texts.
It is unknown even in such obvious contexts as discussions of age,
accounts of the creation of the universe, and in other matters
relating to timing and time reckoning, the calendar, and
chronology. He shows convincingly that although timing was central
to early rabbinic halakhah, it was not conceived of as a measuring
of the time dimension, but rather as a way of co-ordinating
different processes (e.g. co-ordinating the reading of the Shema
with sunrise or dusk). The calendar, likewise, was not a
measurement of time but an astronomical scheme, and therefore only
process-related. Similar conclusions apply to early rabbinic
notions of chronology, history, and even ethics: the notion of time
as an entity or a resource, so familiar in modern society, is
completely unknown in rabbinic ethics. Further confirmation emerges
from the author's study of non-rabbinic ancient Jewish sources in
Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, including Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphic
works and Dead Sea Scrolls, sources that are also concerned with
the calendar and chronology but without any notion of time per se.
The absence of a concept of time is also attested in other Near
eastern cultures, but stands in contrast to Graeco-Roman culture
with its pervasive concept of chronos. The ancient Jewish view also
stands in contrast with medieval Judaism, when the concept of time
became well established in ethics, philosophy, biblical exegesis,
and halakhah, a development which Stern attributes partly to the
influence of Greek philosophy on medieval Jewish thinkers. He
concludes with reflections on the wider implications of these
findings, especially regarding the limited Hellenization of ancient
Judaism and its cultural isolation within the Graeco-Roman world.
This perceptive work, clearly, cogently, and convincingly argued,
offers a new perspective on the world-view of ancient Judaism and
its links with other cultures in the Near East of late antiquity.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
