The Formation of the Talmud in Sasanian Babylonia

FAIN: FEL-282397-22

Samuel Israel Secunda
Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-9800)

Research and writing leading to a book on the formation of the Babylonian Talmud in the 6th century CE.

I am preparing a monograph, on the circa sixth century C.E. formation of the Babylonian Talmud, a foundational Jewish text comprising the diverse traditions of rabbinic Judaism. I analyze its emergence in cultural-historical terms by locating it in the minds and mouths of Babylonian rabbis, in their scholarly circles and institutions, and alongside other religious communities in the Sasanian Iranian Empire (224-651 C.E.). I will demonstrate how similar to their Zoroastrian neighbors, the rabbis who produced the Talmud conceived of an all-encompassing compilation whose primary goal was to safeguard all cultural material deemed worthy of preservation. This study combines novel cultural-historical readings of passages relevant to understanding the Talmud’s formation and a macro view of the organization of the entire Talmudic text, powered by a comparative framework that considers neighboring compilatory projects in the Sasanian Empire.

Associated Products

Sea of Babylon: Mapping Non-Mishnaic “Digressions” in the Babylonian Talmud (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Sea of Babylon: Mapping Non-Mishnaic “Digressions” in the Babylonian Talmud
Author: Samuel Secunda
Abstract: he critical study of the Babylonian Talmud has advanced considerably over the last half-century, primarily by focusing on the diachronic development of sugyot, which have been appreciated as primarily comprising earlier amoraic dicta (and earlier tannaitic sources) in Hebrew, framed and put into motion by generally later editorial discussions in Aramaic. While this is a crucial insight, it cannot suffice as a comprehensive account of what the Talmud is as a compilation. For example, scholars have largely left unexplored the synchronic shape of the Bavli as a whole, which comprises a mix of materials that are devoted to the interpretation of the Mishnah and related discussions, and “digressive” sources which are included within the fabric of the text. In this paper I present my ongoing project to map these “digressions” using CATMA (Computer Assisted Text Markup and Analysis), and considers some literary, functional, and (cross-)cultural meanings of the “Sea of Talmud.
Date: 6/20/23
Primary URL Description: https://www.talmudyerushalmi.com/workshop2023
Conference Name: Editions of Classical Jewish Texts in the Digital Age

---