Review by

Michael L. Satlow , Jewish relationships in antiquity. Princeton: Princeton College Drive, 2001. xii, 431 profiles ; 25 cm. ISBN 069100255X $.

Tawny Holm , Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Which lighting-up and you will total publication because of the Satlow happens far to exhibit one to talk dedicated to ong Jews, and you can among their Christian, Roman, and Greek locals, as it’s today when you look at the modern Western and progressive Jewish area. Satlow, whom notices wedding just like the an effective socially constructed, culturally centered facilities, gives good refreshingly historic perspective into the alarmist commentary nowadays. “The very fact that commentary from public relationship ‘crisis’ is indeed old at minimum is always to aware us to this new options we are talking about a matter of rhetoric so much more than just reality. xvi-xvii). As for the evaluating optimistic trust one to modern marriage try alternatively an upgrade on crappy old days of your patriarchal earlier in the day, Satlow signifies that old Judaism is much more complicated than of many suppose, possesses “a minumum of one rabbinic articulation from relationship ideals . . . to opponent our personal egalitarian impression” (p. xvii).

If the “you to definitely rabbinic articulation” regarding near-egalitarianism impresses all of the viewer, Satlow’s situation to have great variety between the more Jewish organizations are well-produced (the fresh new Palestinian rabbis consistently appear in a better white compared to the Babylonian), and his awesome book have a tendency to ergo feel tempting not only to students out-of Near Eastern antiquity and you may Judaism, however, into the read societal. The study requires a plastic approach to Jewish wedding throughout the Mediterranean Levant (particularly Palestine) and Babylonia from the Persian months with the rabbinic period (california. 500 B.C.E. so you can 500 C.E.). There are about three very first arguments: (1) personal Jewish sets of antiquity differed out of each other within knowledge of wedding, usually but not always conceiving wedding with respect to their historical and geographic context; (2) you’ll find nothing generally Jewish on Jewish wedding until Jews adjusted way of living and traditions distributed to their server societies to their individual idiom so you can erican marriage ceremonies now, old Jewish beliefs from the relationships most likely diverged significantly out-of truth, as well as other ancient court medications by rabbis should not be pulled while the descriptive.

Satlow rightly cautions your reader regarding the characteristics of one’s number 1 sources; particular periods don’t have a lot of or skewed evidence, particularly the Persian several months (for which i simply have Ezra-Nehemiah in the Bible and you will Aramaic judge data files out of Egypt) plus the Babylonian Amoraic several months 200-500 C.Elizabeth. (wherein we do have the Babylonian Talmud, a giant supply however, the one that shows a close rabbinic area rather than Babylonian Jews most importantly). If you don’t this new sources together with put the fresh Palestinian Talmud and midrashim, Jewish blog inside Greek (including the Septuagint translation of Hebrew Bible in addition to Brand new Testament), the latest Inactive Water Scrolls, strewn archaeological stays and inscriptions, and some recommendations so you’re able to Jews by low-Jewish Greek and you Belizian Еѕenka can Latin experts.

Following the addition, where Satlow lines his objections, benefits, method, supplies, and methodology, the book was divided into around three parts. Area I, “Contemplating marriage,” takes into account the latest ideology, theology, and you can court underpinnings of matrimony. Region II, “Marrying,” motions regarding beliefs from old relationships toward reality, to that’s you’ll: dating, which y), betrothal, the marriage, and also unusual marriages (elizabeth.grams. 2nd marriage ceremonies, polygynous marriage ceremonies, concubinage, and you will levirate marriage ceremonies). Part III, “Existence Married,” talks about the fresh new economics out-of wedding and the articulation out of Jewish beliefs into the ancient books and you will inscriptions. Just after a last chapter out-of conclusions, where Satlow reorganizes his findings diachronically by the period and part, the publication shuts having extensive prevent cards, an intensive bibliography, and you may three spiders: subject, premodern provide, and you may progressive writers.