Sexuality in the Babylonian Talmud: Christian and Sasanian Contexts in Late Antiquity

314 Pages·2016·7.06 MB·English

by  Yishai Kiel

SexualityintheBabylonianTalmud
WithinthisclosetextualanalysisoftheBabylonianTalmud,YishaiKiel
exploresrabbinicdiscussionsofsexinlightofculturalassumptionsand
dispositionsthatpervadedtheculturesoflateantiquityandparticularly
the Iranian world. By negotiating the Iranian context of the rabbinic
discussion alongside the Christian backdrop, this groundbreaking
volume presents a balanced and nuanced portrayal of the rabbinic
discourse on sexuality and situates rabbinic discussions of sex more
broadlyatthecrossroadsoflateantiquecultures.
Thestudyisdividedintotwothematicsections:thefirstcentersonthe
broaderaspectsofrabbinicdiscourseonsexualitywhilethesecondhones
inonrabbinicdiscussionsofsexualprohibitionsandtheclassificationof
permissible and prohibited partnerships, with particular attention to
rabbinic discussions of incest. For scholars and graduate students of
Judaic studies, early Christianity, and Iranian studies, as well as those
interestedinreligiousstudiesandcomparativereligion.
Yishai Kiel is a lecturer at the Religious Studies Department and
Directed Studies Program at Yale University. Kiel has published in
numerouspeer-reviewedplatforms,includingTheJournalofReligion,
Harvard Theological Review, Vetus Testamentum, Journal of the
American Oriental Society, Journal of Jewish Studies, Journal of
Biblical Literature, Bulletin of the Asia Institute, AJS Review, Jewish
Studies Quarterly, Journal for the Study of Judaism, and The Jewish
LawAnnual.

Sexuality in the Babylonian Talmud
Christian and Sasanian Contexts in Late Antiquity
YISHAI KIEL
YaleUniversity
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Kiel,Yishai,author.
SexualityintheBabylonianTalmud:ChristianandSasaniancontexts
inlateantiquity/YishaiKiel.
NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2016.|Includesbibliographical
referencesandindex.
LCCN2016024216|ISBN9781107155510
LCSH:Sexinrabbinicalliterature.|Sex–Religiousaspects–Christianity.|
Sex–Religiousaspects–Zoroastrianism.
LCCBM496.9.S48K542016|DDC296.1/25083067–dc23
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Contents
Acknowledgments pageix
Introduction 1
Introduction 1
Overview 3
TheBabylonianTalmudasaSasanianWork 9
SexualityandReligiousDemarcation 10
SexandtheInterplayofLawandNarrative 11
MythologizingSexuality 12
TextualStratificationandSynopticReadingoftheTalmud 14
PahlaviLiterature 16
part i
1. Talmudic,Christian,andZoroastrianNotionsofSexual
Desire 31
Introduction 31
SexualGratificationinBabylonianRabbinicCulture 35
TheDemonicReificationofSexualDesire 37
ExtinguishingDesirewithSex 40
PaulonSexualDesire 41
SexandDesireinZoroastrianism 46
Conclusion 54
2. SexandtheSages 75
Introduction 75
BetweenPalestineandBabylonia 78
MarriageversusStudyinZoroastrianism 82
TheModelsofMosesandZarathustra 87
WasBenʿAzzaiReallyCelibate? 91
Conclusion 92
v
vi Contents
3. SexualEtiquetteandIdentityDemarcation 101
Introduction 101
PersianModesty 104
DaytimeSexandAdiabenianConverts 107
Conclusion 113
4. TheMythologizationofSexuality 121
Introduction 121
AdamandtheDemons:BetweenPalestineand
Babylonia 125
CreationbyEmission 130
Conclusion 134
part ii
Introduction 145
5. ThePahlaviDoctrineofXwe¯do¯dah 149
Introduction 149
ObjectionstoXwe¯do¯dah 151
Xwe¯do¯dahasPositiveLaw 152
PurityofLineage 155
IncreasingLove 156
CulturalandMoralRelativism 158
ABattleagainstEvil 159
TheRectificationofSin 160
MythicalPrototypes 162
LegalConcerns 165
6. NoahideLawandtheInclusivenessofSexualEthics 182
Introduction 182
NoahideLaw:NaturalorPositive 183
BiblicalFoundations 186
TheSinaiticandNoahideCodesofSexualConduct 189
ThePalestinianRabbinicDiscussion 191
TheBabylonianDiscussion 196
ExplainingtheDifferences 201
7. IncestuousRiddles 212
TalmudicRiddles 212
ZoroastrianConnections 218
8. IncestbetweenLaw,Narrative,andMyth 224
Introduction 224
TheMythicalOriginsofXwe¯do¯dah 226
Cain,Abel,andtheirSisters 228
Lot’sDaughtersandJam 235
Conclusion 239
Contents vii
9. ConfessingIncesttoaRabbi 245
Introduction 245
InternalDifficultiesandAnomalies 247
AnEarlyRabbinicInterpretation 249
ConfessingtoaReligiousAuthority 250
ConfessingtoaRad 253
RavHisdaasRad 256
˙
“Xwe¯do¯dahCancelsaDeathSentence” 257
Conclusion 261
Conclusion 267
Bibliography 271
Index 299