Women in the Bible, Qumran, and early Rabbinic literature : their status and roles / by Peter Heger. Boston : Brill, 2014
Content
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1
1 The Creation Narrative and the Status of Women
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Biblical Text: Problems and Interpretations
1.2.1 Key Textual Differences between the Creation Narratives of Gen 1 and 2
1.2.2 Textual Issues in the Creation Narrative of Gen 2
1.2.3 Interpreting the Phrase עזר כנגדו
1.2.4 Implications of Man’s Prior Creation
1.2.5 The Creation of Woman from Man (Gen 2:21–24)
1.2.6 God’s Presentation of Eve to Adam, and His Reaction
1.2.7 Scholarly Opinions and Interpretations
1.2.8 Male-Female Equality or Inequality as a Consequence of the Creation Narrative
1.3 Qumran’s Possible Understanding of the Creation Narrative and Its Legal Ramifications
1.4 Rabbinic Interpretation of the Creation Narrative: Positive and Negative Attitudes towards Women in Midrashim
1.5 Conclusion
2 Interpretations of the Fall Narrative
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Biblical Text: Problems and Interpretations
2.2.1 Close Textual Analysis of Gen 3:1–14
2.2.2 Gen 3:14–24: Distinct Retributions for Adam and Eve
2.2.3 Jubilees’ Intentional Changes to the Biblical Text
2.2.4 Scriptural Attitudes towards Women
2.2.5 Excursus: Is Jubilees’ Attitude towards Women Negative or Positive?
2.2.6 Intermediate Summary
2.3 Qumran Interpretation of the Woman’s Role in the Fall Narrative
2.3.1 Hypotheses of Woman’s Role in the Fall Event
2.3.2 No Allegation of Sexual Misbehaviour of Women in Qumran Writings
2.4 The Rabbinic Interpretation of the Fall Narrative
2.4.1 Midrashim with Negative Views towards Women
2.4.2 Midrashim Attributing Guilt to Adam, Mitigating Eve’s Guilt
2.4.3 Rabbinic Attitudes towards Women: A Brief Overview
2.4.4 Rabbinic Rules of Behaviour for Contact with Women and Their Interpretation
2.5 Underlying Philosophy and Theology of Rabbinic Midrashim and Quasi-Halakhot
2.5.1 Women’s Character: The Dinah Affair
2.5.2 Frymer-Kensky’s Theory
2.5.3 Rabbinic Conceptions of Men’s Character
2.6 Deducing the Theology and Philosophy Underlying Rabbinic Literature
2.6.1 General Principles, Criteria, and Premises
2.6.2 Assessing Contrasting Midrashim and Pronouncements
2.6.3 Summarizing Rabbinic Opinion
2.7 Conclusion, Part 1: Interpretations of the Creation and Fall Narratives
Part 2
3 The Father’s Authority and Responsibility, and Their Limitations: A Debate with Scholarly Theories
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Slavery and Manumission for Israelite Women: Scriptural Rules
3.3 Rabbinic Rules Relating to Male and Female Minors
3.4 Plausible Attitude of Qumran towards the Father’s Authority
3.5 A General Reflection on the Status of Women in Jewish Writings
4 Women’s Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Scriptural Attitudes towards Women’s Obligations
4.2.1 Scriptural Commands That Lack Precision about Gender
4.2.2 Did Women Participate in the Revelation at Sinai? An Analysis of the Scriptural Text
4.2.3 The Range of העם and עדה
4.2.4 Ramifications of Women’s Absence from the Revelation at Sinai
4.2.5 The Husband’s Authority to Decide Which Precepts His Wife Must Fulfill: The Evidence
4.3 Rabbinic Viewpoints on Women’s Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts
4.3.1 Did Women Participate in the Sinai Revelation? Rabbinic Opinions
4.3.2 Rabbinic Attitudes towards Women’s Obligations: Introduction
4.3.3 Rabbinic Theories and Their Textual and Practical Background
4.3.4 How Women’s Obligations Became Institutionalized
4.4 Debating Safrai’s Theory on the Sequence of the Developmental Stages
4.4.1 Consequences from the Rabbinic Midrashim about the Rules for Teaching Women
4.4.2 Additional Evidence against Safrai’s Theory
4.5 Qumranic Attitudes on Woman’s Obligations to Fulfill Biblical Precepts
4.6 Conclusion
5 Were Women Members of the Eda–Yahad?
5.1 Scriptural Commands That Lack Precision about Gender
5.2 Qumran’s Principle of Eda, the Yahad Holy Community, and Its Legal Implications
5.3 References to Yahad in Qumran Writings: Differing Scholarly Proposals
5.4 Sharing Wealth of Members in 1QS and in CD: Identical or Different?
5.5 Interim Conclusion
5.6 Debating Schuller’s and Grossman’s Theories
5.6.1 The Status of Women and Children in the Eda
5.6.2 Schuller’s Interpretation
5.6.3 Grossman’s Interpretation
5.6.4 Further Debates on Women’s Status in Qumran
5.7 Debating Wassen’s Theory
6 The Polygamy Rules of CD IV:20–V:2 and 11Q19 LVII:15−19 and Their Sources: Implications for Divorce and Remarriage
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The Interpretation of CD IV:20–V:1: Disputing Schremer’s Theory
6.3 Motivations and Sources of the Prohibition on Polygamy in CD
6.3.1 The Motivation for the Prohibition: Wassen’s Conjecture
6.3.2 The Biblical Source of the Polygamy Prohibition in the CD
6.3.2.1 Lev 18:18 or a Logical Consideration of Gen 1:27 and 7:9?
6.3.2.2 The Meaning of זנות: Debating Gruber’s Narrow Interpretation
6.3.2.3 Further Arguments against Gruber’s Theory
6.3.3 The Source of the Prohibition on Polygamy in 11Q19 LVII:15–19
6.3.4 Further Questions on the Polygamy Prohibition
6.3.5 Thoughts on the Motive behind Qumran’s Prohibition of Polygamy
6.3.6 Interim Conclusion on the Source of the Polygamy Prohibition in the CD
6.4 Does CD Prohibit Divorce?
7 Asceticism in Scripture and in Qumran and Rabbinic Literatures
7.1 Introduction
7.2 What Is Asceticism?
7.3 Fraade on Rabbinic Asceticism
7.4 The Biblical Attitude towards Pleasure: The Antithesis of Asceticism
7.5 Pleasure and Self-Denial in the Rabbinic Literature
7.6 Fraade’s Thesis: Obstacles to Spiritual Fulfillment
7.6.1 Fraade’s Definition of Perushim
7.6.2 Self-Denial of Pleasure during Mourning Is Not Asceticism
7.6.3 Nazirite Abstention is not Asceticism
7.6.4 The Rabbinic Concept of Fasting
7.7 Asceticism in the Qumran Texts
7.8 Conclusion
8 Genealogy and Holiness of Seed in Second Temple Judaism: Facts or Creative Supposition?
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Genealogical Purity or Cultural Survival?
8.2.1 The Nature of Restrictions on Marriage in Second Temple Judaism
8.2.2 The Basis of the Qumranic Marriage Rules of 4Q271 and 4Q396
8.3 Interpreting Ezra and Nehemiah on Intermarriage
8.3.1 The Relevant Texts and Their Main Meaning
8.3.2 Ezra and Nehemiah’s Motivation in Extending Prohibition of Intermarriage
8.3.3 Ethnicity and Intermarriage
8.3.4 The Problematic Concept of “Holy Seed”
8.3.5 Interpreting Pollution and Cleansing
8.4 Disputing Hayes’ Theory
8.4.1 The Core of the Theory
8.4.2 מעל: Desecration or Transgression?
8.4.3 The Significance of the asham (Guilt) Offering
8.4.4 Intermarriage: Cultural Dilution, Not Profanation
8.4.5 Disputing Hayes’ Support from Tobit
8.4.6 Disputing Hayes’ Support from Jubilees
8.4.7 Concluding Reflections
8.5 Disputing Hayes on Qumran’s Attitude towards Intermarriage
8.5.1 The Meaning of זרע and זנות in Qumran Literature
8.5.2 The Meaning of מעל in Qumran Literature
8.5.3 Disputing Hayes’ Interpretation of the Phinehas Narrative
8.5.4 Hayes’ Interpretation and Ezra’s Intentions
8.5.5 In Conclusion: Ezra’s Prohibition in Relation to Divine Law
8.6 Conversion and the “Holy Seed” Theory
8.7 Conclusion
8.8 Appendix: The Term טמא in Scripture, Qumran and Rabbinic Literature, and Scholarship
Epilogue: Some Reflections
Bibliography of Works Cited
Citations Index