The Babylonian Talmud, Book 10

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Gutenberg ID

—

Title

The Babylonian Talmud, Book 10

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

This volume serves as a comprehensive introduction to Michael L. Rodkinson's translation of the Babylonian Talmud, presenting a detailed history of the text's development and its enduring struggles against persecution. It explores the Talmud's resilience through centuries of opposition, offering readers essential context for understanding its nature, the sages involved, and its significance as a wonder of the world.

Summary up to 500 words

Michael L. Rodkinson's 'The Babylonian Talmud, Book 10' serves as a comprehensive historical preface to his translation, arguing that understanding the Talmud's complex history is essential before studying its laws. The text chronicles the Talmud's existence from its oral origins in the first century B.C. to the early 20th century, detailing its constant threat from various enemies. These adversaries included the Seleucidae under Antiochus Epiphanes, Roman emperors such as Nero, Domitian, and Hadrian, the Samaritans, Sadducees, and Boethuseans. Following the completion of the Talmud in Babylonia, Justinian decreed its death by imposing capital punishment on those who studied it. Subsequent threats came from the Karaites during the era of the Gaonim, who nearly succeeded in destroying the text, and later from the Popes. Starting with Pope Innocent III, the Talmud was burned at the stake in nearly every century from the 11th to the 18th across Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. In the 18th century, Frankists in Poland, led by Bishop Dembovski, dragged copies through the streets of cities like Kamenetz and Lemberg to burn them. Despite these violent attacks, capital punishments, and the burning of thousands of copies in Paris, Rome, and Cremona, Rodkinson asserts that the Talmud survived intact, with not a single line destroyed. Rodkinson systematically reviews these vicissitudes, correcting previous incomplete histories by filling gaps regarding specific persecutions, such as those by the Frankists. He defends the Talmud against polemical accusations, clarifying misconceptions about terms like 'unclean' (Tumah). He refutes claims of inherent anti-Christian sentiment, explaining that prohibitions against idols refer to spiritual invocation rather than material objects, and that the concept of 'uncleanness' relates to ritual purity regarding corpses, not moral filth. The volume concludes with an explanation of the translation method and a bibliography, aiming to enlighten students and general readers about the Talmud's enduring influence and the reasons why it remains a vital subject of study. Rodkinson emphasizes that the text's survival is a testament to its divine truth and the devotion of its followers, who sacrificed their lives and possessions to save it.

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4.2/5

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Categories

• Religion
• Judaism