Rabbinic Scholarship in the Context of Late Antique Scholasticism

Based on an understanding of scholasticism as a cross-cultural phenomenon, this book examines the literary-historical development of rabbinic compilations. The book explores texts such as the Talmud Yerushalmi, a large encyclopaedic work, in the context of late antique scholarly practice, which preserved past knowledge for future generations. This study shows how Middle Eastern rabbinic scholarship participated in the intellectual practices of its time. Starting with the social, educational, and legal contexts that generated rabbinic knowledge, the study investigates the oral and written transmission of rabbinic traditions, the creation of collections, and the compilation of works such as the Talmud Yerushalmi. Catherine Hezser shows how, on the one hand, rabbis may have been familiar with and adapted certain Hellenistic, Roman, and Christian educational practices and scholarly techniques. On the other hand, the study highlights how rabbinic compilations are idiosyncratic and create a distinct rabbinic identity. Overall, Hezser argues that rabbinic scholarship was an integral part of late antique intellectual life and should be recognized as an Eastern equivalent to Western, paideia-based forms of scholarship in the Roman-Byzantine period and beyond.