Holy Lives, Holy Deaths: A Close Hearing of Early Jewish Storytellers

by Wire, Antoinette Clark

• ISBN13: 9789004126558
• ISBN10: 9004126554
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub

Summary

This volume guides the reader in listening to Early Jewish stories about holy figures which appear to have first been told between 150 B.C.E. and 150 C.E. Following new translations, the book provides a close hearing of the oral storytelling that generated these narratives now surviving only in literary form. Historical folklore must reconstruct storytelling performance from literary remains. Making use of contemporary folklore methods, the author examines the text, texture, and context of over one hundred stories, including birth prophecies, provision legends, prophetic stories of destruction or deliverance, and tales of martyrdom. A broad range of stories of these four types is presented in a way that reveals and illumines the oral patterns and characteristics of the storytellers. The stories are drawn from apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature, Early Jewish historians, first-century Christian texts, and the Mishnah and early Talmudic writings. The Christian tradition is included here because it was generated within sectarian Judaism, and the first reports about Jesus appeared from Jewish storytellers. This work aims to shift the attention of biblical scholars and historians of religion away from an exclusive focus on the thought and art of writers or authors, and toward a wider recognition of the work of the storytellers, men and women alike, who generated the traditions that ultimately came to be preserved in written form.Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)

Author Biography

Antoinette Clark Wire is Robert S. Dollar Professor of New Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Storytelling World	1	(1)
Access	1	(5)
Method	6	(12)
Text	11	(2)
Texture	13	(3)
Context	16	(2)
Aims	18	(7)
Part I: Early Jewish Stories of Prophecy at Birth	25	(78)
Birth Prophecy Stories: Early Biblical Figures	27	(27)
To the mother Eve about Cain / Life of Adam and Eve 21	27	(1)
To the great-grandfather Enoch about Noah / 1 Enoch 106.1-18	28
To the adoptive father Nir and uncle Noah about Melchizedek / 2 Enoch 71	7	(31)
To the great-grandmother Melcha about Abraham / Biblical Antiquities 4.11	38	(1)
To the mother Sarah about Isaac / Jubilees 16.15-19	39	(3)
To the father Abraham and mother Sarah about Isaac / Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-18, 39-40	42	(1)
To the father Abraham about Isaac; to the mother Rebecca about Jacob and Esau / Romans 9:6-13	43	(3)
To the sister Miriam about Moses / Biblical Antiquities 9.10	46	(1)
To an Egyptian priest and to the father Amarames about Moses / Josephus, Antiquities 2.205-206, 210-212, 215-218	47	(1)
To the adopting mother about Moses / Biblical Antiquities 9.15-16	47	(3)
To the sister Miriam about Moses / Babylonian Talmud Sotah 12b-13a	50	(4)
Birth Prophecy Stories: Later Biblical Figures	54	(20)
To the mother Eluma about Samson / Biblical Antiquities 42.1-7	54	(4)
To the mother Hannah about Samuel / Biblical Antiquities 50:1, 50:5-51:7	58	(4)
To the mother Hannah about Samuel / Targum Jonathan of the Former Prophets, 1 Samuel 2:1-8	62	(4)
To the mother Sochaba about Elijah / Lives of the Prophets 21	66	(4)
To a priest about Elisha / Lives of the Prophets 22	70	(4)
Birth Prophecy Stories: Contemporary Figures	74	(21)
To the father Monobazos about Izates / Josephus, Antiquities 20.17-21	74	(2)
To the father Zechariah about John / Luke 1:5-25	76	(2)
To the mother Elizabeth and the father Zechariah about John / Luke 1:57-71, 76-79	78	(3)
To the mother Mary about Jesus / Luke 1:26-38	81	(2)
To the great aunt Elizabeth and the mother Mary about Jesus / Luke 1:39-56	83	(3)
To the father Joseph about Jesus / Matthew 1:18-25	86	(1)
To Simeon about Jesus / Luke 2:25-35	87	(1)
To the prophet Anna about Jesus / Luke 2:36-38	88	(2)
To the mother about Paul / Galatians 1:15-17	90	(1)
To the angel Gabriel and to the mother about Rabbi Ishmael the high priest / Midrash on the Ten Martyrs	90	(5)
Telling Early Jewish Stories of Prophecy at Birth	95	(8)
Part II: Early Jewish Stories of Wondrous Provision	103	(78)
Wondrous Provision Stories: The Need	105	(19)
Misery and comfort / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24b	105	(5)
The vinegar / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a	110	(1)
The goats / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a	110	(1)
The beams / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a	111	(2)
The bread / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24b-25a	113	(2)
The wine / John 2:1-11	115	(2)
The wind / John 6:16-21	117	(1)
The fever / Luke 4:38-39	118	(1)
Igrath / Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 112b	119	(1)
The pigs / Matthew 8:28-34	120	(4)
Wondrous Provision Stories: The Need Voiced	124	(19)
The circle / Mishnah Ta'anit 3:8	124	(5)
The children / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23b	129	(3)
Yohanan ben Zakkai's son / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 34b	132	(1)
Rabban Gamaliel's son / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 34b	132	(2)
The official's son / John 4:46b-54	134	(2)
The leper / mark 1:40-45	136	(1)
The blind man / Mark 10:46-52	137	(1)
The bleeding woman / Matthew 9:20-22	138	(2)
The graves / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25b	140	(1)
Rabbi Akiba's prayer / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25b	140	(3)
Wondrous Provision Stories: The Need Met	143	(25)
The Cistern-digger's daughter / Jerusalem Talmud Demai 1:3 (22a)	143	(2)
The Ginnai River / Babylonian Talmud Hullin 7a	145	(3)
The Syrophoenician woman's daughter / Mark 7:24-30	148	(2)
Tabitha and the widows / Acts 9:36-43	150	(2)
Imma Hilkiah's clouds / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23ab	152	(4)
The stone / Song of Songs Rabbah 1.1.4	156	(2)
The wheat / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 24a	158	(3)
The snake / Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 5,1/26 (9a)	161	(2)
The table leg / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a	163	(3)
The garlic skin / Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 25a	166	(2)
Telling Early Jewish Wondrous Provision Stories	168	(13)
Part III: Early Jewish Stories of Prophets' Signs	181	(98)
Signs of Destruction Attributed to Biblical Prophets	183	(17)
Noah and Lot / Luke 17:26-32	183	(2)
Jonah / Lives of the Prophets 10	185	(4)
Nahum / Lives of the Prophets 11	189	(1)
Habakkuk / Lives of the prophets 12	189	(2)
Ezekiel / Lives of the Prophets 3	191	(4)
Daniel / Lives of the Prophets 4	195	(2)
Ezra / 4 Ezra 4:52-5:9	197	(3)
Signs of Destruction Attributed to Contemporary Prophets	200	(24)
Judas / Josephus, Jewish War 1.78-80	200	(1)
Manaemus / Josephus Antiquities 15.373-376	201	(2)
Simon: Glaphyra / Josephus, Jewish War 2.111-116	203	(3)
John the Baptizer / Josephus, Antiquities 18.109-119	206	(3)
John the Baptizer / Luke 3:2-9, 16b-20	209	(2)
Jesus of Nazareth about Jonah and the Queen of the South / Luke 11:29-32	211	(2)
Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem / Mark 11:12-25	213	(2)
The high priest / John 11:47-52	215	(2)
Agabus on Paul's imprisonment / Acts 21:10-14, 27b, 33a	217	(1)
Jesus ben Ananias / Josephus, Jewish War 6.300-309	218	(3)
John of Patmos / Revelation 18:1-4a, 7-10, 15-19	221	(3)
Signs of Deliverance Attributed to Biblical Prophets	224	(16)
Noah's Daughter-in-law / Sibylline Oracles 3:767-775, 781-782, 794-808, 819-829	224	(3)
Enoch and Noah / 1 Clement 9:3-4	227	(1)
Noah and Jonah / 1 Clement 7:5-7	227	(1)
Rahab / 1 Clement 12:1-8	228	(2)
Levi / Testament of Levi 8.1-19	230	(3)
Elijah, Elisha and Ezekiel / 1 Clement 17:1	233	(1)
Isaiah I Lives of the prophets Introduction and 1	234	(3)
Hosea / Lives of the Prophets 5	237	(1)
Haggai / Lives of the Prophets 14	238	(2)
Signs of Deliverance Attributed to Contemporary Prophets	240	(27)
Deceivers / Josephus, Jewish War 2.258-260	240	(2)
The Egyptian / Josephus, Jewish War 2.261-263	242	(2)
The portico prophet / Josephus, Jewish War 6.281-287	244	(3)
Jonathan / Josephus, Jewish War 7.437-442, 448-450	247	(2)
John the Baptizer / Mark 1:2-8	249	(2)
Jesus of Nazareth at the Jordan and in Galilee / Mark 1:9-15	251	(2)
Jesus of Nazareth enters Jerusalem / Matthew 21:1-17	253	(4)
Jesus called the Christ / Josephus, Antiquities 18.63-64	257	(2)
The Samaritan / Josephus, Antiquities 18.85-89	259	(2)
Theudas / Josephus, Antiquities 20.97-98	261	(2)
The Egyptian / Josephus, Antiquities 20.167-172	263	(1)
Theudas and Judas / Acts 5:36-37	264	(1)
The Egyptian / Acts 21:38	264	(3)
Telling Early Jewish Stories of Prophets' Signs	267	(12)
Part IV: Early Jewish Stories of Martyrdom and Vindication	279	(102)
Martyrdom and Vindication Stories of Biblical Figures	281	(23)
Isaac / Biblical Antiquities 32.1-4	281	(3)
Seila / Biblical Antiquities 40.2-8	284	(4)
Micah / Lives of the Prophets 6	288	(1)
Amos / Lives of the Prophets 7	289	(1)
Isaiah / Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 10,2/19 (28c)	290	(4)
Zechariah / Lives of the Prophets 23	294	(1)
Zechariah; the Sanhedrin, young men and women, the school children / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b	295	(3)
The prophets and apostles / Luke 11:47-51	298	(1)
The faithful and the prophets / Hebrews 11:32-40	299	(1)
The just, Daniel and the three in the fire / 1 Cement 45.3b-8	300	(4)
Martyrdom and Vindication Stories of Maccabean and Hasmonean Period Figures	304	(26)
Two circumcizing mothers and worshipers in a cave / 2 Maccabees 6:8-10	304	(1)
Seven brothers and their mother / 2 Maccabees 7:1-10, 24-30, 37-41	305	(4)
Eleazar / 4 Maccabees 6:24-30	309	(2)
The mother of seven / 4 Maccabees 16:12-13, 16:15b-17:1	311	(2)
The mother of seven / 4 Maccabees 18:6-19	313	(3)
Four hundred girls and boys / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b	316	(3)
The woman and her Seen sons / Babylonian Talmud Gittin 57b	319	(4)
The Teacher of Righteousness / Qumran Habakkuk Commentary X1.2-12, 14-15	323	(2)
Onias / Josephus, Antiquities 14.22-25, 28	325	(2)
Eighty women of Ashkelon / Jerusalem Talmud Hagiga 2.2 (77b)	327	(3)
Martyrdom and Vindication Stories of First Century C.E. Figures	330	(30)
John the Baptizer / Mark 6:14-29	330	(3)
Jesus of Nazareth according to Mark / Mark 15:20b-16:8	333	(4)
Jesus of Nazareth according to Matthew / Matthew 27:50-54; 28:1-10, 16	337	(4)
Jesus of Nazareth according to Luke / Luke 23:27-43; 24:1-11	341	(3)
Jesus of Nazareth according to John / John 19:16b-30; 20:1-18	344	(5)
Stephen according to Luke / Acts 6:8-7:2; 7:9, 35, 39, 45-60	349	(3)
Peter and Paul/ 1 Clement 5	352	(2)
Jesus ben Ananias	354	(1)
Jesus with five disciples / Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 43a	354	(6)
Martyrdom and Vindication Stories of Early Second Century C.E. Figures	360	(14)
Rabbi Akiba / Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 9,7/8 (14b)	360	(1)
Rabbi Akiba / Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 61b	361	(5)
Rabbi Hanina ben Taradion / Babylonian Talmud Abodah Zerah 18a	366	(3)
Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba / Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 14a	369	(2)
Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair / Jerusalem Talmud, Demai 1,3/8 (22a)	371	(3)
Telling Early Jewish Martyrdom and Vindication Stories	374	(7)
Conclusion: Holiness Enacted in Early Jewish Storytelling	381	(16)
The Stories	381	(1)
The Function of Early Jewish Legends	381	(3)
The Tellers of Early Jewish Stories	384	(1)
Early Jewish Women as Story Tellers	385	(4)
Early Jewish Stories and Gospel Formation	389	(4)
The Cultural Legacy of Holy Lives and Deaths	393	(4)
Indexes	397	(1)
Index of Ancient Texts	397	(9)
Index of Modem Authors	406	(4)
Index of Subjects	410