Early Christian Monastic Literature and the Babylonian Talmud [Paperback]

This book examines literary analogies in Christian and Jewish sources, culminating in an in-depth analysis of connections between Christian monastic texts and Babylonian Talmudic traditions.The book contributes to a new understanding of the interaction between Jews and Christians in the ancient world, particularly in the Persian Empire, and of the development of the Babylonian Talmud, the most central book for the development of Jewish culture.The book contributes to a new understanding of the interaction between Jews and Christians in the ancient world, particularly in the Persian Empire, and of the development of the Babylonian Talmud, the most central book for the development of Jewish culture.This book examines literary analogies in Christian and Jewish sources, culminating in an in-depth analysis of striking parallels and connections between Christian monastic texts (the Apophthegmata Patrum or The Sayings of the Desert Fathers) and Babylonian Talmudic traditions. The importance of the monastic movement in the Persian Empire, during the time of the composition and redaction of the Babylonian Talmud, fostered a literary connection between the two religious populations. The shared literary elements in the literatures of these two elite religious communities sheds new light on the surprisingly inclusive nature of the Talmudic corpora and on the non-polemical nature of elite Jewish-Christian literary relations in late antique Persia.1. Christianity in the Babylonian Talmud: an introductory discussion; 2. Monasticism in the Persian Empire; 3. Common themes in the Apophthegmata Patrum and rabbinic literature: form, style, and themes; 4. Common themes in the Apophthegmata Patrum and rabbinic literature: narrative; 5. The making of a monk-rabbi: the stories of R. Shimon bar Yohai in the cave; 6. Repentant whore, repentant rabbi: the story of Elazar B. Dordya; Conclusions. The comparisons that Bar-Asher Siegal makes between the rabbinic texts and Christian monastic telC