A split Jewish diaspora: its dramatic consequences

This article proposes that a language divide and two systems of communication have brought to a serious gap between the western Jewish Diaspora and the eastern one. Thus the western Greek-speaking Jews lost touch with the Halakhah and the Rabbis, a condition that had far-reaching consequences on Jew...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the pseudepigrapha
Authors: Edrei, Arye (Author) ; Mendels, Doron 1944- (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2007
In: Journal for the study of the pseudepigrapha
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Diaspora (Religion) / Early Judaism / Split / Effects
B Culture / Roman Empire / Hellenism
RelBib Classification:BH Judaism
HD Early Judaism
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
Further subjects:B Oral tradition
B Church
B Rabbinic Judaism
B Jewish diaspora
B Halacha
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary:This article proposes that a language divide and two systems of communication have brought to a serious gap between the western Jewish Diaspora and the eastern one. Thus the western Greek-speaking Jews lost touch with the Halakhah and the Rabbis, a condition that had far-reaching consequences on Jewish history thereafter. The Rabbis paid a high price for keeping their Halakhah in oral form, losing in consequence half of their constituency. An oral law did not develop in the western diaspora, whereas the existing eastern one was not translated into Greek. Hence it is not surprising that western Jews contributed nothing to the development of the oral law in the east. The Jewish communities that were isolated from the Rabbinic network served as a receptive basis for the development of an alternative Christian network by Paul and the apostles, which enabled it to spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. The Jews that remained "biblical" surfaced in Europe in the Middle Ages.
ISSN:0951-8207
Contains:In: Journal for the study of the pseudepigrapha
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0951820706074303