Dr Broshi continues his series on the 7 reforms of Rabbinic Judaism. After the destruction of the Temple, Judaism experienced sweeping reformations and in effect also invented their own “New Covenant” of the Oral law. In this episode Dr. Broshi discusses how the Rabbinic reformation transformed Judaism with Greek inspired philosophy.
Extra resources and references:
Harari, Yuval, the Sages and the Accult, in: Safrai, S., Safrai, Z. Scwhartz, J. and Tomson, P. J. (Eds.), The Literature of the Sages, part 2, Fortress Press, 2006, pp. 521-564
Shaye J. D. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah, Third Edition, Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, P. 214
A. Philosophers as Rulers: As mentioned earlier, the wise disciple (תלמיד-חכם) stood at the very top of the hierarchy of the Jewish world. Their deep knowledge of the OL gave them authority to govern the community. In other words, the most essential criterion by which a man could judge and rule was the measure of wisdom he manifested concerning the Talmud.
B. Philosophical Methods of Learning the Oral Law: Rabbinic law and, in fact, the whole literature of the Sages, was influenced by Plato and Aristotelian philosophy, and therefore it is not surprising that the studies in yeshiva are characterized by its endless contradictions, multiple arguments, and vast discussions. The most important and influential encounter between rabbinical Judaism and Greek philosophy probably took place in Alexandria, which prepared the ground for the wisdom of the future sages.
C. Thirteen Characteristics of Learning: The rabbis claim that the thirteen methods by which they interpreted Torah were given to Moses at Sinai. The problem with this claim is that these methods are found in the Hellenistic world. In fact, all thirteen are a duplication of the terminology used by the Greek philosophers and poets for their classical literature, written many generations after Moses and before the time of the Sages. Rabbi Hillel seems to have established the systematic interpretation of the Bible, relying on well known Greek patterns.
D. Greek Academia in the Talmudic Yeshiva: Everything mentioned above, the rabbis' rule in accordance with the Platonic model of the utopian state, governed by philosophers, the methods of learning, which is identical to the Aristotelian and Scholastic Philosophical patterns of intellectual investigation, plus the fact that the rabbis urged the study of the Talmud for its own sake (תלמוד תורה לשמה), as a philosophical and moral concept, and as an obligation which carried no other intention than the act itself —all these were done in the context of the yeshiva.
E. the Abolishment of Truth: The Talmud’s method “Shakla v’Tatria” (שקלא וטריא) recognizes that the search for truth is never a monologue and is not carried out by an argument aimed at deciding. Instead of achieving agreement, the goal of casuistry is to expand knowledge by the multiplicity of possibilities. This method is remarkably similar to the Scholastic philosophy, which deals with both casuistry and an abstract dialectic negotiation.
F. 2 Kings 23:5, which talks about king Josiah abolishing the false worship of the stars (mazal) in the temple
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